Junts breaks apart in Sabadell and deepens their crisis in municipal politics

Junts's continued presence in PSC's municipal government has revealed the internal division within the Sabadell branch. This division has existed for a long time, but it intensified with Francesc Baró's arrival as president of the executive committee in 2024. Since then, there has been a clear confrontation between Baró's faction, which supports breaking with the socialists, and the municipal group led by Lluís Matas.

Since 2019, Matas has shown an attitude close to the socialist government of Marta Farrés. Although Farrés achieved an absolute majority in 2023, the two Junts councilors joined the executive. That caused a major internal crisis, since a large part of the membership was opposed to making a pact with the socialists.

Division between the executive committee and the municipal group

The tension has increased to the point that the local executive committee, chaired by Baró, has promoted a vote to leave the government. Supporters of the split won with 80%. They now give PSC a three-month deadline to change the direction of municipal policy, or they will force their two councilors to leave the executive.

Matas, clearly in the minority, accused the vote of irregularities after calling for a boycott. Only 45 out of the hundred members called to the consultation participated. Matas continues to defend the record of his term and the need to remain in the government.

The discussion goes beyond municipal politics. The executive committee is implementing Junts's territorial strategy, which involves establishing their own profile in contrast to PSC, their main rival at the regional level. It should be remembered that the 2027 municipal elections are seen as the prelude to the 2028 Catalan elections, where Puigdemont will compete with Illa.

Junts crisis in municipal politics

Junts's executive committee acts as the direct command of Jordi Turull, the mastermind behind the party's local strategy. His intention is to establish a distinct profile, and Junts's presence in PSC's government is a clear obstacle. They now make their continued participation conditional on Junts having more institutional weight and on giving the municipal government a more "Catalanist" direction.

Junts is in the midst of a territorial crisis due to the erratic strategy of municipal politics dictated from Waterloo. The policy of alliances after the 2023 municipal elections was a complete disaster. The maximalist position put forward by Jordi Turull, despite the loss of votes and councilors, left Junts members with hardly any territorial power.

To this must be added the rise of Aliança Catalana and the collapse of the separatist movement. Within Junts's leadership, concern is growing about voting prospects in the upcoming municipal elections. Turull began a tour throughout Catalonia in April to strengthen local leadership.

Erratic strategy in Ripoll and Tarragona

Problems are piling up, from Ripoll to Tarragona, including Vilassar de Mar and now also Sabadell. In Ripoll, in a last-minute turn, Waterloo gave explicit orders not to support the motion of no confidence against Sílvia Orriols. Although Junts was willing to join the cordon sanitaire, Puigdemont believed that this would strengthen Aliança Catalana in a key stronghold for its consolidation.

In Tarragona, the leadership also ordered blocking Junts's entry into PSC's municipal government. The situation is similar to that of Sabadell. Although in recent weeks positions had come closer and the agreement seemed done, it ultimately did not materialize due to fear of being subordinated to the socialists.

In Vilassar, the cordon sanitaire did work, but in this case against Junts: CUP and PSC reached an agreement to remove the Junts mayor, to the evident anger of Junts's leadership. Sabadell now marks another distancing from PSC at the municipal level.

Meanwhile, Puigdemont still doesn't have a candidate for the Barcelona mayoralty. There is less and less time left before the elections, and Junts is currently showing clear weakness with crises and internal divisions in local structures.