There Will Be Frankenstein in Ripoll: Junts, Erc, and Psc Agree to Oust Sílvia Orriols

Everything indicates that the motion of no confidence against Sílvia Orriols will succeed. Junts, ERC and PSC have reached an agreement to oust the leader of Aliança Catalana from the mayoralty of Ripoll, according to various media outlets.

For this motion of no confidence to succeed, an absolute majority of the municipal council is needed. These three parties have a total of eight votes (3 councilors from Junts, 3 from ERC and 2 from PSC) and will need one more, which is likely to come from CUP. The anti-capitalists have two councilors and everything indicates that they will support the Ripoll Frankenstein without entering the municipal government.

PSC will indeed do so. There were doubts about whether the socialists would support the motion and get involved in the executive or if they would simply give their votes for ERC and Junts to govern together. Finally, after several meetings, Salvador Illa's party will join forces in a municipal government that will become the Frankenstein of Ripoll. After all, the union of CUP members, socialists, Junts members and republicans to unseat Sílvia Orriols from the mayoralty makes Pedro Sánchez's Frankenstein in Congress look like child's play.

What remains to be known is, on one hand, the distribution of portfolios in the new government of Ripoll. And, most importantly, the distribution of the mayoralty. Junts is entitled to it as the second most voted force (after Aliança Catalana, which won 6 councilors). However, it is likely that the remaining two and a half years of the term will be shared with ERC.

Sílvia Orriols has been denouncing for days the "coup d'état" that this motion of no confidence would represent, which is increasingly close to becoming a reality. According to the leader of Aliança Catalana, none of the opposition parties ran in the elections open to the possibility of making an "unnatural pact" with such opposing political forces, just so that Orriols could not govern.

Thus, with only a few details left to be confirmed, the idea that the motion of no confidence against Sílvia Orriols in Ripoll will succeed is about to become a reality. Junts, ERC, PSC (and also CUP) seem to have reached an agreement that has gone beyond municipal borders. It is clear that the agreement has had the approval of the respective party leaders, namely Salvador Illa, Oriol Junqueras and Carles Puigdemont.