Barcelona is at the centre of Junts per Catalunya’s candidate selection process for the 2027 municipal elections, with the party opting for primaries. The process begins on 1 June and ends on 21 June with an online vote, according to party regulations.
The move follows months of internal discussion after former municipal leader Xavier Trias stepped down in summer 2024. Jordi Martí Galbis, president of the municipal group, has said he intends to run. Josep Rius, the party’s number two, initially considered standing but later withdrew to avoid internal conflict, in a letter sent to party members. Lawyer Jaume Alonso Cuevillas, MP Glòria Freixa and former minister Jaume Giró have also expressed interest.
Jordi Turull, Junts’ secretary general, has met interested figures, the municipal group and district representatives to explain the next steps. The rules also allow for direct designation or an assembly vote, but primaries are seen as the most likely option because there are several aspirants.
The Barcelona Municipal Territorial Commission, known as the CMT, will oversee the process. It will include two representatives from the National Executive Directorate, Joan Ramon Casals, who is responsible for municipal policy and will chair the CMT with a casting vote, and another DEN member. Two members from Junts’ Barcelona Federation, its president Joan Rodríguez and the municipal policy head, will also take part, along with one representative from each of Barcelona’s 10 districts.
On 1 June, Junts will email Barcelona members and sympathisers to explain the process and their right to submit a pre-candidacy. From 1 June to 3 June, people can email their intention to stand, and the CMT will confirm receipt. After that four-day period, the commission will proclaim the pre-candidacies.
Aspirants will then have six calendar days to gather endorsements from at least 20% of members with voting rights. Each member may endorse more than one candidate. Endorsements will be collected online through the Decidim platform. If primaries are confirmed, candidates will be notified within 24 hours of the CMT decision, followed by a seven-day campaign period and a single email from the party with information from each candidate.
The online vote will run over the weekend of 20 and 21 June, from 10am on 20 June until 7pm on 21 June. Junts will announce the result at 8pm on 21 June. Any candidate will then have 24 hours to appeal to Junts’ Electoral Syndicate, which must rule within one day before the official candidate is proclaimed. For readers following Catalan politics, see our news coverage.
