In Pont de Molins, in Alt Empordà, a dispute over a municipal yoga class has led to a no-confidence motion against ERC mayor Marie Louise Gournay. The motion, backed by three Junts councillors, is set to replace her with a Junts councillor next Thursday.
The row began on 1 June, when Gournay stripped deputy mayor Jordi Carreras, also from ERC, of his responsibilities. She accused him of abuse of power, saying he had disrupted a women’s yoga class by using a municipal room. In her statement, the mayor said the women felt uncomfortable, persecuted and intimidated.
Carreras denies that account. He says he was finishing an article in the civic centre room where the class was held because the ground floor was being used by elderly residents playing cards. He said he asked the teacher and four students if they minded him finishing in 15 minutes, and they agreed, saying there was no problem. The yoga teacher later posted a statement on social media rejecting the mayor’s version of events and saying it did not reflect reality as they experienced it.
Carreras filed the no-confidence motion three days after his powers were removed. He has said he plans to file a defamation lawsuit against Gournay once she is no longer mayor, so she cannot use public resources for her defence. He also said he offered the mayoral position to the Junts lead candidate, who accepted.
The political dispute has widened beyond the yoga class. Carreras described Gournay’s behaviour as authoritarian and said the atmosphere in the council has been unbearable since the beginning of the year. He also cited a dispute over posters costing €28, which he says he printed without seeking extra quotes, as another example of tension between them.
Gournay took office in October after Pere Borràs resigned for personal reasons, following local discontent over traffic disruption linked to industrial estate works. Carreras says the other two ERC councillors initially supported the motion but later withdrew. He says he still has the backing of ERC’s leadership in Girona, while Junts’ regional leadership has expressed perplexity and disagreement with its councillors’ decision to support the motion. For more local political coverage, see our news tag page.
