Read in Catalan

The winner of the municipal elections in Barcelona, Xavier Trias, has held a first meeting of his Trias for Barcelona municipal group, bringing together all of the 11 elected councillors from his list at the city council this Wednesday. Before this meeting, Trias made brief comments to the media and confirmed that "there is one situation that is clear and that is that I have won the election". Faced with the appeals by Barcelona en Comú to try to forge a pact with the Socialists (PSC) and Republican Left (ERC) that would prevent him from being mayor, Trias stated that "Ada Colau is used to doing miraculous things", but he expressed the hope that "she will not dare to do anything as strange as [with] Manuel Valls", in reference to the right-wing candidate in 2019 who donated votes to keep pro-independence election winner Ernest Maragall out of power. "She should have learned that this doesn't work and should recognize that I won, just as I did with her in 2015," he added.

 

Asked about the possibility that the final count could place Colau in second position and push Collboni back to third - it is a possibility because of the narrow margin of 141 votes that separates the two - Trias maintains that, for him, it would not change the situation: "For me it wouldn't complicate anything." Along the same lines, he insisted that "wanting to be mayor or wanting to go against the grain is a mistake" and that "in life you have to know when you win and when you lose". With 18 days left until the constitution of the town councils and the official proclamation of the new Barcelona mayor, Trias defended that "he is realistic" and that, with the 11 councillors he has, he knows that this will require "work, the search for agreements and stability".

Xavier Trias, before entering the meeting / Photo: Miquel Muñoz

A meeting with Ernest Maragall and calls with other leaders

As Trias already announced on Tuesday at the conference of business association Cercle d'Economia, he reiterated that he will "talk to everyone who has the possibility of governing the city". Along these lines, he explained that he had spoken "with everyone" by telephone and that, so far, he had encountered "positive attitudes" with his interlocutors. He has had one meeting in person: with Ernest Maragall on Monday evening, an encounter about an hour long, which was simply to share the positions that the two have, according to sources close to the two sides. They have not, however, started formal negotiations.

Xavier Trias enters the Barcelona city hall with his team / Photo: Miquel Muñoz


After speaking to the media in Plaça Sant Jaume, Trias entered city hall accompanied by his team to hold a first meeting and address the various scenarios that have opened up after election night. The municipal group of Trias for Barcelona​, apart from Trias itself, consists of Neus Munté, Jordi Martí, Victòria Alsina, Damià Calvet, Joana Ortega, Josep Rius, Joan Rodríguez, Titon Laïlla, Ramon Tremosa and Francina Vila. According to Xavier Trias, what he "sees" on the street is that people are "very excited" and want "agreements" to "find solutions".