Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) has launched a new civic platform, 'Estimem Santa Coloma' (We Love Santa Coloma), in Santa Coloma de Gramenet. The initiative, led by local mayoral candidate Sam Núñez, seeks to expand the republican party's base and attract left-wing voters ahead of the 2027 municipal elections. The goal is to challenge the absolute majority held by the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC), currently led by Mayor Mireia González.
This move comes after Gabriel Rufián's resignation from the local ERC leadership in January 2025. The platform aims to replicate the success of municipalist candidacies seen in other Catalan cities, such as SOM Gramenet in 2015, which secured six councillors in Santa Coloma, or Ada Colau's victory in Barcelona. ERC officials said the platform has already attracted around 160 signatories, including residents involved in education, sports, and elder care.
Núñez, who led ERC to its first representation in Santa Coloma's council with three councillors in 2019, clarified the platform's objective. "We are not going against the PSC government, but we are committed to governing ourselves," Núñez stated. "If we achieve just one more vote than in 2023, it will have been worth it."
Expanding the Republican Base
The 'Estimem Santa Coloma' platform adopts a neutral narrative, avoiding overt pro-independence symbols, to draw in a wider range of left-wing voters. ERC has previously tested this civic platform model in smaller municipalities like Sant Vicenç dels Horts and Sant Andreu de la Barca. In Sant Andreu de la Barca, republican Marc Giribet became mayor in 2023, ending four decades of Socialist leadership. However, in Sant Vicenç dels Horts, Socialist Miguel Comino Haro retained the mayoralty, a position previously held by Oriol Junqueras.
Santa Coloma de Gramenet has been under continuous Socialist leadership since 1991, with mayors including Manuela de Madre, Bartomeu Muñoz, Núria Parlon, and Mireia González. Despite being open to negotiations with other political forces, ERC remains firm on retaining its party brand. "The ballot paper will say ERC, that's for sure," Núñez affirmed, even if the platform eventually adopts a name like 'Fem Santa Coloma' (Let's Make Santa Coloma), similar to initiatives in Sant Vicenç and Sant Andreu.
Núñez has extended an invitation to Comuns and CUP to join the collective, highlighting ERC's stronger position with four councillors in Santa Coloma's plenary, while the other parties currently have no representation.
Left-Wing Unity Remains Unclear
Both Comuns and CUP have expressed reservations about forming a united left-wing front at this time. Rosa Perea, the Comuns mayoral candidate, told reporters that her party intends to run under its own brand in the next municipal elections. Perea believes the platform's objectives are "far from being shared by the left-wing parties" in Santa Coloma. She did, however, acknowledge that Comuns shares "the concern of progressive people in the city about the advance of the far right," an argument ERC uses to encourage a joint alternative.
Aitor Blanc, spokesperson for the CUP, also indicated that his party is not currently considering a left-wing front. "We do not feel addressed, and no one has officially communicated with us," Blanc said. The former Santa Coloma councillor added that they do not yet see a "socially transformative programme" in the republican proposal. "We cannot aspire to be the PSC's crutch or replace them to do the same things they do," Blanc explained.
In the 2023 municipal elections, the PSC, then led by Núria Parlon, secured an absolute majority with 17 out of 27 councillors, receiving 20,250 votes. ERC, with Gabriel Rufián as its candidate, obtained 5,880 votes and four councillors. Ciutadans, PP, and Vox each secured two councillors. ERC now aims to mobilise the social fabric of Santa Coloma to reduce the significant gap with the Socialists. "Without a fatalistic message: it's not true that everything is bad in this city, but we do think things can be done better," Núñez concluded. The campaign for the 23 May 2027 elections has already started in Santa Coloma.
