Jordi Martí Galbis, president of the Junts per Barcelona municipal group, will seek the party's mayoral nomination for the 2027 municipal elections in Barcelona. Sources close to Martí Galbis confirmed his decision to TOT Barcelona on Friday, following his communication to Junts' secretary general, Jordi Turull, on Thursday.
This move significantly complicates the candidacy of Josep Rius, Junts' vice-president, a Member of Parliament, and a city councillor, who is the preferred choice of Carles Puigdemont. Martí Galbis is expected to receive support from former mayor Xavier Trias, who won the 2023 municipal elections with nearly 150,000 votes and 11 councillors.
Trias was unable to form a government after the 2023 elections due to an agreement between Barcelona en Comú, the PP, and the PSC, which saw Jaume Collboni become mayor. The internal process for selecting Junts' candidate, approved by almost 90% of the national council, requires precandidates to secure a minimum of 20% endorsement from full members or sympathisers.
Candidate Selection Process
Once precandidates are identified, the Municipal Territorial Commission (CMT), the body regulating the process, will verify their compliance with established requirements. Within a maximum of 24 hours, and by a simple majority, the commission will decide how the candidate is proclaimed. This could involve a direct election by the CMT, proposing a name for a vote by the members' assembly, or holding primary elections.
Party leadership aims to avoid primaries, but it remains to be seen if they will directly appoint Rius. Sources within Junts argue, "We are the party of 1-O, and we must vote." If primaries are held, Martí Galbis could win. He holds significant influence within the Barcelona Federation and controls the Sarrià-Sant Gervasi grouping, which is the city's largest in terms of members.
Various Junts sources, both from the municipal group and outside, recognise that Martí Galbis's decision changes the dynamic of the selection process. His step forward suggests he has support from the grassroots, and also from higher levels, beyond just Trias. Reliable sources within Junts indicate that former president Artur Mas, who the party had previously sounded out for the mayoral role, might also support Martí Galbis.
Martí Galbis's Political Career
Born in Barcelona in 1961, Martí Galbis recently turned 65. A law graduate, he has served as a Barcelona city councillor since 2011, when Trias won the elections and governed the city from 2011 to 2015. During that period, Martí Galbis was appointed councillor for the Presidency and for the Sants-Montjuïc district.
He became a member of CDC upon reaching adulthood and served as secretary general of the Joventut Nacional de Catalunya between 1988 and 1989. In 1993, he was appointed chief of staff for the Generalitat's Ministry of Health under Trias, and from 1996, he held the same position in the Ministry of the Presidency, again with Trias at the helm. Later, between 2000 and 2004, he was a CiU Member of Parliament in the Congress of Deputies.
In the 2023 municipal elections, Martí Galbis was third on the list, behind Trias and Neus Munté. In his current role leading Junts in the city council, he has reached several agreements with Mayor Collboni. The most notable was the new Civic Ordinance. A pact between Junts and the PSC also helped the operation to convert the Club Capitol into a municipal theatre. On Friday, Junts announced its support for the new Ciutat Vella uses plan.
