Laura Borràs Wins With Xavier Trias's Defeat

The political earthquake triggered by the election of Jaume Collboni (PSC) as mayor of Barcelona also has its internal connotations within Junts. Xavier Trias won the elections after a personalist campaign without the party's brand and in opposition to Junts's president, Laura Borràs. His political defeat, unable to forge a majority that would ensure him the city's government, is a relief for Borràs's sector.

Trias ran in the elections as an 'outsider,' heir to the convergent gene but at the same time reluctant to the internal struggles within the pujolist space. Laura Borràs's pressures to display the Junts logo in the campaign were of no use: the mayoral candidate projected his candidacy with the brand 'Trias x BCN.'

It was the staging of an old rivalry, Trias versus Borràs. Trias represents a sector in favor of rebuilding the Catalanist center-right space, which demands, among other things, overcoming the tensions between the various families of the former Convergència. In contrast, Borràs represents not only one of these families embroiled in the struggle for the party's power, but her broad-brush politics also pose an obstacle to the rearticulation of Catalanist conservatism.

Laura Borràs Breathes

The judicial conviction of Laura Borràs and the latest events in Catalan political life have been separating their paths. The party's president has been increasingly cornered by Jordi Turull's sector, Junts's secretary general, who also personally supported Trias's candidacy. Her political weakness led her to accept Turull's candidate (Ana Erra) for her replacement as President of Parlament, in exchange for continuing to hold the party's presidency. Borràs remains in office, but her influence has been reduced to the bare minimum.

Therefore, Trias not being mayor is Borràs's first victory in a long time within the power struggle in Junts. The enthronement of Xavier Trias would have given wings to those in favor of uniting Junts x Catalunya and PDECAT in the long race to wrest hegemony from ERC in Parlament de Catalunya. Against all odds, the investiture of Jaume Collboni (PSC) allows Laura Borràs to gain momentum to continue fighting within Junts.