Video: @jmcrusetdomenech, @ramonbacardit, @arnau.rovira / IG
Junts confirms Cruset as top candidate
Junts has confirmed Josep Maria Cruset as its lead candidate for the Tarragona constituency in the upcoming general election on 29 November. The decision follows an internal process that closed on 8 October, during which only one precandidacy was submitted per Catalan province, meaning no primary elections will be held. The final list must be ratified by Junts’ National Council on 17 October. Cruset, a former mayor of Riudoms (2007–2018), served as vice-president of the Tarragona Provincial Council and president of the Tarragona Port Authority between 2018 and 2022. He has been a Congress deputy since the 2023 general election and currently acts as deputy spokesperson for Junts in the lower house alongside Míriam Nogueras, who will lead the party’s list in Barcelona.
Norma Pujol emerges as likely ERC frontrunner
At ERC, Norma Pujol is set to become the party’s lead candidate for Tarragona after incumbent Jordi Salvador announced he will leave politics and not stand again. Pujol, a former deputy in the 2019 and 2023 elections and ex-director of the Institute for the Development of the Ebre Regions (IDECE), has confirmed she has begun collecting endorsements to formalise her candidacy. A native of Flix and a trusted figure within the inner circle of party leader Oriol Junqueras, Pujol currently serves as deputy secretary-general for Sectoral Policies in ERC’s national leadership. Her potential appointment would mark a return of a representative from the Terres de l’Ebre region to the top of ERC’s Tarragona list.
Senate candidate shifts under discussion
A change at the top is also possible for ERC’s Senate list. While current senator Jordi Gaseni, mayor of L’Ametlla de Mar, has expressed interest in running again, Noemí Llauradó, president of the Tarragona Provincial Council and first deputy mayor of Reus, is gaining internal support. Llauradó announced in January she would not seek re-election as ERC’s mayoral candidate in the 2027 municipal elections, marking her exit from local politics at the end of her current term. Her potential Senate run still depends on completing ERC’s internal process, including endorsement collection and validation at territorial congresses in Camp de Tarragona and the Terres de l’Ebre.
Other parties yet to finalise lists
Other political formations have not yet confirmed their full slates. At the PP and Vox, current MPs Pere Lluís Huguet and Sergio Macián, now seated in the Catalan Parliament, will not repeat as lead candidates. Sumar-En Comú Podem’s 2023 top candidate, Fèlix Alonso, will also step down, pending the consolidation of the progressive Front Ampli alliance. For the PSC, Andreu Martín remains in contention for one of the top two spots, as the party weighs additional names, particularly women. Incumbent lead candidate Valle Mellado has announced she will retire at the end of the current legislature. Manel de la Vega will again head the PSC’s Senate list for Tarragona.
Reported by diarimes.com, diaridetarragona.com, Juntes electorals provincials, elnacional.cat, Europa Press, efe.com, lavanguardia.com, parlament.cat, Parlament de Catalunya.
