Laure Vega set to lead CUP Barcelona mayoral bid

Laure Vega, a Catalan Parliament deputy, is expected to become the CUP's candidate for Barcelona mayor, subject to approval by the party's local assemblies.

Laia Serra · 17 Sep 2026 · 2 min read

Laure Vega is expected to lead the Candidatura d’Unitat Popular (CUP), an anti-capitalist Catalan pro-independence party, into Barcelona's next municipal election, according to reporting published by El Confidencial on Thursday 17 September.

Vega's candidacy still needs approval from the CUP's local assemblies. If it is endorsed, Barcelona voters will have a high-profile Catalan Parliament deputy heading a CUP and Comunistes de Catalunya ticket after the party failed to win seats on the City Council at the last municipal election.

The newspaper reported that Vega, who is from Sant Boi de Llobregat rather than the Barcelona branch of the party, has accepted the proposal. The CUP has not yet publicly confirmed the candidacy.

Joint ticket is expected to be presented in October

The CUP and Comunistes de Catalunya are expected to present their joint mayoral ticket at a large public event in Barcelona on 17 October. The source did not give a venue or starting time.

Comunistes de Catalunya previously stood with Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC), the Catalan republican pro-independence party, in Catalan parliamentary elections. Its representative sits in the Parliament within ERC's parliamentary group, according to the report.

The CUP's record at Barcelona City Council

The CUP has won representation at Barcelona City Council only once since it was formed. Its strongest result was in 2015, when the party won three councillors during the procés, the period of heightened mobilisation around Catalan independence that shaped city and regional politics.

In 2015, the CUP won 52,000 votes, or 7.42% of votes cast, and secured three City Council seats.
At the previous municipal election, its candidate Basha Changue received about 25,000 votes and the party did not enter the council.
Vega's candidacy is intended to give the party another attempt at returning to Barcelona's 41-seat council.

The reported 17 October presentation will be the next public date connected to the proposed joint candidacy.

Reported by elconfidencial.com, El Confidencial.