Barcelona’s municipal election is due in May 2027, with the main parties’ prospective candidates becoming clearer, according to a review published by Nació. For residents, the vote will determine the make-up of Barcelona City Council and the political support available to the next mayor.

The latest development identified by Nació is the selection of Laure Vega to lead the CUP, the left-wing pro-independence Popular Unity Candidacy. The outlet says this removes the last major uncertainty among the established council groups, subject to any late changes.

Jaume Collboni, Barcelona’s current mayor and leader of the Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSC) in the city, is expected to lead his party again. Nació says the PSC starts from a favourable position in Barcelona’s municipal barometer, a City Council survey of public opinion and voting intention.

Six prospective candidates identified

  • PSC: Jaume Collboni, the current mayor. He became mayor in 2023 with backing from Barcelona en Comú (BComú), a left-wing municipal platform, and the conservative People’s Party (PP).
  • Junts: Jordi Martí Galbis, a pro-independence councillor who has sat on the City Council since 2011 and previously served as Xavier Trias’s deputy.
  • BComú: Gerardo Pisarello, currently a member of Spain’s Congress of Deputies and previously Ada Colau’s deputy mayor.
  • ERC: Elisenda Alamany, leader in Barcelona for the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and the party’s general secretary.
  • PP: Daniel Sirera, who has previously served as a City Council councillor and is seeking to establish himself as the party’s long-term municipal leader.
  • CUP: Laure Vega, selected to head the left-wing pro-independence party’s Barcelona candidacy, according to Nació.

Campaign issues and an unsettled electorate

Nació describes an electorate with substantial numbers of undecided voters. It identifies housing and the city’s restrictions on tourist flats as part of the political terrain on which Collboni will seek support, alongside his attempt to position the PSC against the far right.

For Junts, Nació identifies the departure of former mayoral candidate Xavier Trias as a central challenge, while ERC will seek support from pro-independence voters and BComú will campaign without former mayor Ada Colau as its leading figure.

The PP is seeking a larger role in the next council, while Nació says Vox, the far-right party, has not yet formalised its candidacy. The outlet names Gonzalo de Oro-Pulido as its likely candidate in the portion of its review provided.

Nació also identifies Aliança Catalana, a far-right pro-independence party, as a possible factor in competition for votes on the right and among pro-independence parties. The candidates and lists will be tested at the municipal election due in May 2027.

Reported by naciodigital.cat.