Video: @orriolsripoll / IG
From Local Administration to Political Leadership
Sílvia Orriols, born in Vic in 1984, is currently the mayor of Ripoll (Girona) and president of Aliança Catalana, a political party that won six seats in the May 2023 municipal elections, making it the most voted force in the town. After no alternative coalition agreement emerged, she took office as mayor in June 2023. Orriols began her political journey earlier, standing for Estat Català in the 2004 European elections and later joining the Front Nacional de Catalunya. She entered Ripoll’s town council in 2019 under that banner but left the party in March 2020, serving briefly as an independent councillor before co-founding Aliança Catalana in July 2020.
Regional Role and Parliamentary Duties
In May 2024, Aliança Catalana secured approximately 119,000 votes in the Catalan regional election, winning two seats in the Parliament of Catalonia. Orriols became one of the party’s first-ever MPs and now holds dual roles as both mayor of Ripoll and regional parliamentarian. According to the Parlament de Catalunya, she serves as spokesperson for the Mixed Group and holds leadership positions across multiple parliamentary commissions, including Economy and Finance, Labour, Social Rights, and Interior and Public Safety. She also sits on the Rural Agenda follow-up commission and the body overseeing the Catalan Audiovisual Media Corporation (CCMA), having joined these panels between September 2024 and April 2025.
Party Stands Aside from National Election
As national elections are scheduled for 29 November 2026, Aliança Catalana has announced it will not field candidates. The party states its focus remains on Catalan institutions, prioritising regional governance over national Spanish politics. Aliança Catalana advocates for unilateral Catalan independence, strict immigration controls, particularly regarding migration from Muslim-majority countries, and the protection of the Catalan language. These positions have led multiple analysts and media outlets to classify the party within the independentist far right, a label that has sparked debate in Catalonia’s political landscape.
Local Accountability and Financial Oversight
The Sindicatura de Comptes de Catalunya published its General Account Report for local corporations covering fiscal year 2023 in September 2025. This includes financial oversight of Ripoll and the Ripollès County Council, where Orriols also serves as a councillor. The report confirms 783 local entities submitted their accounts on time, representing 98.41% of all obligated bodies. While specific findings on Ripoll are not detailed in the provided text, the document forms part of the official audit framework governing municipal finances.
Orriols’ trajectory reflects a shift from private-sector administration to leadership in a politically distinct strand of Catalan separatism.
Reported by Parlament de Catalunya, g.tejedor, Sindicatura de Comptes de Catalunya, El Confidencial.
