Lleida is already moving towards the 2027 municipal elections, with parties across the region starting to choose candidates and shape their local lists. Junts and ERC are trying to hold on to their near 190 mayoralties, while the Socialist Party of Catalonia, PSC, wants to grow further after a 30% rise in councillors at the last election, according to Segre.
The early campaign questions are clear. Can the PSC turn its control of the Generalitat into stronger local results, how will Junts and ERC perform a decade after the 1 October referendum, and what effect will Aliança Catalana have, especially in rural Catalonia?
At the last municipal elections, Junts and ERC finished level on 668 councillors each, although ERC won 577 more votes across the Lleida region. The PSC had the strongest relative growth, increasing from 129 councillors to 170. It won mayoralties in places including Balaguer, Tremp, La Seu d'Urgell and Cervera, as well as Lleida city and Vielha.
Three years on, Junts and Impulsem, both successors to CiU, still hold most of the mayoralties, with 101 of 231. They are keeping their agreement in place for 2027, even after losing towns such as Tàrrega and Les Borges Blanques because they did not secure enough support. ERC holds 87 mayoralties, and together the two blocs control more than 80% of the councils.
Parties are now working to build as many lists as possible, despite growing public disinterest in politics. The PSC is due to ratify its first round of municipal candidates, including Laura Tejero for Tàrrega, Núria Gil for Soses, Manel Ezquerra for Alcarràs, Agustí Jiménez for Torre-serona, Fermí Masot for Aspa, Dionís Oña for Montornès de Segarra, Hipòlit Sisó for Benavent de Segrià, Llorenç Ros for Menàrguens and Ramon Vilapriñó for Montgai.
The Socialists are also using their position at the head of the Generalitat to recruit more local figures. They have secured the mayor of Aitona, who previously represented PDeCAT and is a councillor for Ara Pacte Local, and are also sounding out other sitting mayors. For more Catalonia politics coverage, see our news tag.
Elsewhere, the PP is holding its first municipal convention in Lleida since 2010 today in Vallfogona de Balaguer. Party leader Xavi Palau said the party will field candidates in all regional capitals, and that some mayoral candidates come from the New Generations youth wing. Comuns and CUP, which have limited representation outside Lleida city, are also preparing their municipal lists, with Comuns aiming to repeat candidacies in Balaguer, Almacelles, Rosselló, Torrefarrera and Tremp.
