Gabriel Fernàndez, the former spokesperson for ERC in Sabadell, will lead a new "broad candidacy" for the 2027 municipal elections. The coalition in Sabadell includes Junts per Sabadell and other independent groups.
Junts per Sabadell militants voted 73.5% in favour of joining the candidacy, according to ACN. The vote took place at an assembly on Friday. The new group will also feature individuals from Gent de Sabadell, MesCAT, and Identitat Sabadellenca.
Fernàndez's leadership is a key aspect of the candidacy, as he served as ERC's spokesperson until September of last year. Born in Uruguay in 1972, Fernàndez left ERC due to disagreements with the party's leadership.
"This is not about names, it's about a project. Now is not the time for party politics, it's time for city and country politics," said Francesc Xavier Baró, local president of Junts per Sabadell.
Challenging the PSC in Sabadell
Junts aims to "stand up to the PSC" in the upcoming municipal elections with this new candidacy. Baró stated, "Today we said that we want a city proposal that puts people at the centre, not acronyms."
Last March, the local executive of Junts had asked its two councillors, Lluís Matas and Katia Botta, to resign their positions, citing ongoing problems. They were also accused of "a lack of political coordination and a space for debate." The situation escalated, with Matas and Botta reportedly threatening to sue Junts' secretary general, Jordi Turull, for damages.
According to a statement from Junts per Sabadell, militants at Friday's assembly supported Turull in the conflict with the two councillors, a matter that "barely took a few minutes."
From ERC Spokesperson to Independent Councillor
Fernàndez, who was ERC's mayoral candidate in Sabadell in 2023, left the republican party last September. He refused to return his councillor's seat, and now serves as a non-attached councillor on the council.
Fernàndez first ran as an independent on ERC's list for the European Parliament elections in 2014. He joined ERC that same year and became a Sabadell councillor after the 2015 municipal elections. During the left-wing coalition's term, he held the position of Deputy Mayor for Social Action and Civil Rights. In 2019, he was re-elected as a councillor, serving in opposition to Marta Farrés of the PSC. He also became a provincial deputy for the Barcelona Provincial Council from 2019 to 2023.
In 2023, he became ERC's mayoral candidate and local spokesperson. By 2024, he distanced himself from the leadership and joined an alternative internal current, Foc Nou, which tried to unseat Oriol Junqueras for control of the party. In 2025, he announced his departure from ERC due to differences with the leadership, but maintained his councillor's seat in Sabadell.
