Junts rushes its shift to the right with polls against them: strategy or posturing?

Jordi Turull presented his party's proposals to improve Catalonia this Monday in Lérida. One of his statements drew significant attention. "In Catalonia, there are several policies that encourage you not to work, and we believe that people and the culture of effort should be trusted," said the general secretary of Junts.

This rhetoric characterized what Gabriel Rufián calls "the Catalan right" for many years. But the disappearance of CiU and the emergence of Junts in the wake of the Procés dragged post-convergence toward the left. Now there is a clear movement toward ideological recentralization to return to convergent roots.

Turull's statements are no coincidence but part of a conscious strategy. The party has pushed for a law in Congress to combat repeat offenses and has adopted a more stringent discourse on immigration. Their mayors lead a campaign against the abuses of registration, while the party opposes the Catalan left on issues like taxes and housing.

However, there is also the question of whether Junts's shift to the right is out of conviction or mere posturing in the face of adversity. Junts began to veer to the right after the emergence of the 'Orriols phenomenon.' This undermines Junts's credibility, as many still see them as a party with a complex, trailing behind Aliança Catalana.

Junts pushes to the right

Junts finds itself in the midst of a crisis among the pro-independence parties, whom the independence bases blame for the derailment of the Procés. The latest polls have heightened concern in Waterloo. Junts is the party losing the most support while PSC consolidates as the hegemonic force in Catalonia.

This ruins Carles Puigdemont's project to turn Junts into an umbrella for parties and entities to relaunch the independence project. His figure has lost the aura he had as a leader of the independence movement and is increasingly questioned within his ranks.

All these problems urge Junts's shift to the right, focusing mainly on two objectives. One, to stop the hemorrhage of voters and members to the right. And two, to attract the business community disenchanted with PSC after Illa's rapprochement with ERC, Comuns, and CUP.

Objective, the 2027 municipal elections

On one hand, Junts is aware that the end of the Procés has coincided with a global pendulum swing from left to right. To be reborn, it needs to adapt to the new context, which requires abandoning the woke adventure of recent years. Leftist currents still exist in Junts, but local delegations are acting as the vanguard of the conservative shift.

On the other hand, Junts is recovering the rhetorical convergence with the business community that it had squandered during the Procés years. Rebuilding relations with Foment is key to challenging PSC's political hegemony in Catalonia. This has led Junts to reinforce the ideological contrast with the left flank of Parliament, especially with ERC and Comuns.

The third strategic move consists of strengthening the local base to face the 2027 municipal elections as a prelude to the Catalan elections of 2028. Puigdemont is preparing a replacement in Barcelona with Josep Rius to counter the polls that show PSC as the winner. Waterloo has instructed that the entire ideological shift strategy focus on winning the municipal elections in two years.