Carles Puigdemont Slams CEO: 'Propaganda' and 'Waste'

The results of the latest survey by the Centre d'Estudis d'Opinió (CEO) of the Generalitat are difficult for Junts to accept. Carles Puigdemont, who was seven deputies short of winning the elections on March 12 last year, would now be 14 short. Junts's debacle coincides with a slight improvement for ERC and unstoppable growth for Aliança Catalana.

This clearly indicates that Carles Puigdemont's attempt to center the separatism movement around himself is floundering. His attempts to mimic Aliança Catalana and shift to the right on security and immigration are not working.

Instead of self-criticism, Carles Puigdemont has chosen to criticize the surveys and accuse the CEO of being a propaganda tool. All to avoid acknowledging that his leadership is waning and that the strategy of vacillation no longer yields returns. It is evident that Puigdemont is nervous and fearful of the murmurs about his figure within Junts returning.

The CEO Under Suspicion

The president of Junts has assessed the CEO's results without a hint of self-criticism. In an extensive tweet, he says that "the surveys have long since become a tool of political propaganda" and "a waste of public money." He considers that the results "pursue more of a political effect than providing data for the analysis of the moment."

Puigdemont has referred to the CEO surveys prior to the 2024 Catalan elections as an example. These surveys were indeed heavily criticized for inflating ERC's results (they predicted 37 seats, and they got 20) and those of their potential partners. They also failed with Junts, whose results exceeded what the surveys indicated.

This caused a wave of criticism toward an organization that costs 1.6 million euros to Catalans. The criticisms focused on Jordi Muñoz, an ERC affiliate who was the first victim after the electoral debacle. Salvador Illa's government appointed a former socialist councilor and former deputy director of the Presidency with Pasqual Maragall and José Montilla as his successor.

The Problem for Junts Highlighted by the Survey

Puigdemont's criticisms, therefore, have their basis. Especially when he says that the surveys "should be taken with great caution," particularly with the CEO due to its "serious shortcomings."

But the criticism of the CEO can't hide the real problems of Junts, which largely stem from competition with Sílvia Orriols. Aliança Catalana is becoming a headache for Puigdemont's group. It is hard to think that the Orriols effect will not have electoral costs for Junts.

The difficulties for Junts are evident in Puigdemont's erratic strategy, which sometimes copies AC's agenda and other times resorts to posturing against the far right. Submission to the PSOE in Madrid and isolation in Parliament also do not benefit the growth of his party.

The problem for Carles Puigdemont is that other independent surveys from the CEO show the same trend with some nuances. The PSC remains steady, Junts loses momentum, and Aliança Catalana continues to grow. This is an increasingly palpable reality that not even attacks on the CEO can hide.