The Fracture in ERC Leaves PSC Hanging in Barcelona

Oriol Junqueras managed to be reelected as president of ERC by a hair and after a fratricidal war against half of the party. He took the reins of a fractured party with the worst electoral debacle in its recent history. His attempt to rebuild unity is also not working, and this is hindering his strategic moves in major institutions.

ERC's leadership announced this week their decision not to join Jaume Collboni's government in the Barcelona City Council. The Republicans thus renounce the agreement reached with the Socialists a year ago.

The Republican leadership cites internal division and the fear of opening a new war within the party as their argument. ERC's Barcelona federation is in a deep crisis. In the midst of the process to choose the new leadership, a critical candidacy has emerged against the official list.

Fear of a New Internal Rupture

ERC's leadership in Barcelona, controlled by Elisenda Alamany, Junqueras's right-hand woman, supports joining Jaume Collboni's government. However, a critical candidacy threatens to bring it to a membership consultation. The same pattern repeats as in the national congress, when critics proposed submitting Illa's investiture pact to consultation.

The weakness of Junquerism despite holding control of the party, and the internal fracture with the pressure from critical factions, have made the leadership in Barcelona backtrack. ERC had taken all the steps to join the municipal government. But the fear of a new crisis and the critics gaining momentum has made Junqueras back down.

Additionally, the Republican leadership cites the electoral costs ahead of the 2027 municipal elections as a reason. They consider that at this point, halfway through the term, it's no longer worth joining the executive to wear themselves out.

The PSC, Victim of ERC's Weakness

The decision has several interpretations. From ERC's perspective, it points to the weakness of Junqueras's presidency and the latent threat of his internal opposition. From the Socialist perspective, it highlights the consequences of tying themselves to an extremely fragile and divided party like ERC is right now.

This condemns not only the PSC to govern in minority for the remainder of the term. It also further weakens Jaume Collboni's executive, which is also governing without a budget and with the threat of the Junts-Comuns alliance.

Barcelona perfectly represents the decomposition of the "processism" and its consequences, with the PSC at the center. After a decade of institutional paralysis due to the "Procés," ERC now also condemns the PSC to govern on a tightrope and without a budget. Its leadership doesn't even have enough strength to impose joining the municipal government.

Aware of his weakness, Oriol Junqueras has set his next goal to extend his power in the territorial areas. He knows that without control of these structures, he is doomed to keep repeating what has happened in Barcelona.