In Barcelona, current Ombudsman David Bondia has set out his re-election platform as the support phase for candidacies begins. His programme, under the theme “the right to live well in the city”, includes seven proposals aimed at improving daily life in the Catalan capital.
Bondia said his work over the past five years has been “intense and full of listening”, with the aim of being “more connected with citizens”. He presented the project as a shared one, alongside people linked to different rights campaigns in Barcelona, including the Casal dels Infants del Raval and the musical group Sabor de Gràcia.
Among his main proposals, Bondia wants artificial intelligence to be used in ways that protect people’s rights and freedoms. He also backs mediation and conciliation to resolve conflicts, and calls for greater transparency in the City Council through open and accessible management.
Housing and homelessness are also central to his plan. Bondia supports a pilot plan to end homelessness in Barcelona, saying that the street is “not an option, but a system error”. He also wants to improve the quality and effectiveness of citizen participation, give more value to European research projects, and strengthen reparative work in cases of sexual abuse or rights violations.
Bondia said the Ombudsman’s office is taking part in IDEM, its first European research project of this scale. He also argued that Barcelona’s work on equity, diversity, sustainable housing and the guarantee of rights needs an intersectional approach, taking into account social class, gender, ethnicity, age, sexual identity, origin and religion.
During the event, several people and organisations voiced support for Bondia. Ana Mourelo, who led Barcelona’s first inclusive park, said the Ombudsman’s office listened to her campaign. Sicus Carbonell, singer of Sabor de Gràcia, and Vicky Bernadet, an activist against child abuse, also praised the support they received from the office.
Residents can now choose between David Bondia and Gemma Calvet in a non-binding consultation open until 30 June on Decidim.Barcelona. The final decision will be taken by the Municipal Plenary. For more local coverage, see our news tag page.
