Collboni Favored to Retain Mayoralty

Jaume Collboni is the preferred candidate to remain mayor of Barcelona in the 2027 municipal elections, according to a Gabinet d'Estudis Socials i Opinió Pública (GESOP) poll conducted for El Periódico between 10 and 21 September 2026. The PSC leader is cited by 19.9% of respondents as their preferred mayor, far ahead of ERC’s Elisenda Alamany on 8.3% and Barcelona en Comú’s Gerardo Pisarello on 8%. Collboni is also the only mayoral candidate to receive an approval rating above 5 out of 10, scoring exactly 5. He is by far the most recognised figure, known to 93.4% of those surveyed.

PSC Ahead, Opposition Reshuffled

The GESOP survey projects the PSC winning 20.2% of the vote, translating to 9–10 city council seats. This would keep them as the largest party in the Ajuntament de Barcelona, the city council, though short of an absolute majority. ERC is forecast to rise to second place with 14% of the vote and 6–7 councillors, overtaking Barcelona en Comú, which would fall to third with 12.2% and 5–6 seats.

  • Junts: 11.9% of votes, 5–6 councillors (down from first place in 2023)
  • Aliança Catalana: 11.5% of votes, 5–6 councillors (newly entering the council)
  • PP: 8.3%, 3–4 councillors
  • Vox: 7.5%, 3–4 councillors
  • CUP: 6%, 2–3 councillors (returning after absence since 2019)

This outcome would result in historic political fragmentation, with eight parties represented, the first time since Spain’s democratic restoration that no single bloc dominates.

“The electoral advantage of the PSC coexists with a tight evaluation of its candidate,” notes the GESOP analysis, highlighting Collboni’s relative strength amid broader dissatisfaction with the city’s direction.

Aliança Catalana Breaks Through

Aliança Catalana, led by Jordi Aragonès, is projected to enter the city council for the first time with 5–6 seats, drawing support primarily at the expense of Junts. The two parties are separated by just 0.4 percentage points in voting intention. Meanwhile, Junts, the most voted party in the 2023 elections, would see its representation halved, dropping from first to fourth place under the current projections. Barcelona en Comú, which held nine seats in the previous term, would lose ground, falling to five or six councillors despite maintaining visibility through ongoing policy debates on housing and tourism.

Public Opinion on Key Issues

Separate data from the Barcelona Barometer 2026, produced by the Municipal Data Office (OMD) between 26 May and 3 June 2026, reveals that three in four residents support removing licences from tourist apartments to tackle the housing crisis. The survey, based on telephone interviews with 800 people, underscores public concern over housing affordability, safety, and local commerce, key themes in opposition critiques of Collboni’s leadership. Despite these challenges, Collboni remains the only mayoral candidate to achieve a passing approval score among voters.
Residents can review full results of the Barcelona Barometer 2026 via the Barcelona City Council's official portal.

Primary sources: ajuntament.barcelona.cat, Ayuntamiento de Barcelona, Barcelona City Council. Reported by qoshe.com, democrata.es, elpais.com, beteve.cat, viaempresa.cat, ara.cat, 20minutos.es, elperiodico.com, metropoliabierta.elespanol.com, english.elpais.com, metropoliabierta.cat.