Reuters has published a report on the rise of Aliança Catalana, according to a summary published by Racó Català on Wednesday 23 September, examining how the party led by Ripoll mayor Sílvia Orriols has put immigration and public safety alongside Catalan independence at the centre of its appeal.

For Catalan voters, the report frames Aliança Catalana's growth as part of a shift in political priorities before the next Catalan election, which is scheduled for 2028. Racó Català says Reuters described the party as a far-right separatist party.

Polling and parliamentary representation

According to Racó Català's account of the Reuters report, a September El Mundo poll put Aliança Catalana on 16.7% voting intention, up from 3.8%. The report said this placed it 2.6 percentage points ahead of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), although the next election remains two years away.

  • Aliança Catalana entered the Catalan Parliament in 2024 with two seats.
  • Reuters said the party's strongest support included working-class and middle-class voters in rural areas and counties outside Barcelona.
  • Racó Català reported that a July survey by the Catalan Government found housing affordability, immigration and crime among respondents' main concerns.

Racó Català reported that Reuters interviewed Orriols, who said her party was channelling frustration with established politicians and concerns that immigration could dilute Catalan identity.

“People have regained hope and the drive to fight for the restoration of the Catalan state and to apply policies intended to preserve our identity,” Orriols told Reuters, according to Racó Català.

The report said Aliança Catalana's electoral advance began in Ripoll in 2023, when Orriols won the mayoralty after campaigning strongly against Islam. Ripoll was the home town of most of the perpetrators of the 2017 Barcelona attacks.

Racó Català said Reuters reported that Junts, ERC and the CUP have ruled out governing agreements with Aliança Catalana. It also said regional police, the Mossos d'Esquadra, intervened at Barcelona's Fossar de les Moreres in early September to prevent clashes between Aliança supporters and left-wing independence supporters during Diada events.

The Reuters report, as summarised by Racó Català, said support for independence was around 45%, below its 49% peak in 2017.

Reported by Racó Català.