The party membership of the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) has endorsed the leadership candidacy of Oriol Junqueras and Marta Rovira, with 87% of votes in favour and the remaining 13% blank at the 29th National Congress of the party. The grass roots approval given on Sunday evening has certified that Junqueras will remain as president of the party and Rovira will continue to be the general secretary. As well, the current president of Catalan government, Pere Aragonès, will continue in the role of national coordinator, and the MP Marta Vilalta will be the deputy general secretary and party spokesperson. The Oriol Junqueras-Marta Rovira tandem will therefore start their fourth term at the head of the party, since reaching their current positions in 2011. The candidacy, which was the only one submitted after collecting 1,900 endorsements to allow it to go to the vote, then received the approval of 3,747 party members, while 562 people submitted blank votes, of the 4,309 voters who took part. The electronic turnout was 50.2%, 7% down from the previous Congress in 2019, at which 57.2% of eligible party members took part.
The full list of officers
The Junqueras-Rovira candidacy has been complemented with the election of Josep Maria Jové as head of the National Council, as well as the ten deputy general secretaries: Jordi Roig (Resources, Finances and Management), Marc Colomer (Communication and Strategy), Raquel Sans (Feminisms and LGTBI), Adriana Delgado (Open Party and Social Movements), Eloi Hernàndez (Institutional Coordination), Lluís Salvadó (Internal Coordination), Marta Vilaret (Rights, freedoms and anti-repressive struggle), Raül Romeva (Foresight, Agenda 2030 and Ecological Transition), Sara Bailac (Political and Sectoral Action) and Jordi Solé (International Relations).
In addition, the members ratified the twelve secretaries of the party: Eva Baró (Knowledge Management), Kènia Domènech (Affiliation), Marta Molina (Social Movements), Oriol López (Municipal Mobilization and Coordination), Pau Morales (Organization ), Alba Camps (Municipal Policy and Transversal Projects), Laia Cañigueral (Coordination of Supramunicipal Policy), Marta Rosique (Knowledge and Global Justice), Jordi Castellana (Economic Policy and Sectoral Coordination), Enric Marin (Education and Culture), Chakir El Homrani (Work and Security Policy) and Agnès Rotger (Social rights and citizenship).
In the voting of the party's national councillors, one of those chosen was the leader of the Primer d'Octubre critical group, Joan Puig. The candidate who received most votes was the former ERC deputy in the Spanish Congress, Joan Tardà.
Facing the challenges of isolation
The new executive will be appointed next week and will have to deal with ERC's currently complex political situation: despite holding power in the Generalitat under president Pere Aragonès for the first time since the 1930s, the party is now isolated in Parliament following the collapse of the pro-independence coaltion with Junts. There is also the difficult and controversial dialogue with the Spanish government, the negotiation in Madrid of the reform of the sedition law - in which even Junqueras has been involved - and the upcoming municipal elections next May, which is why the party's congress was brought forward to autumn. ERC's great challenge in those elections is to achieve the victory in Barcelona that eluded it in 2019 and improve its results in the metropolitan area.
"We have returned to consolidate the growth and leadership of the Republican Left. To be stronger with the same leadership: a Catalan Republic with everyone and for everyone", assured Oriol Junqueras, after learning the results of the vote. For her part, Marta Rovira affirmed that they reaffirm "the commitment to join together to give rise to a plural and transversal independence, to govern well and be useful. To put down roots throughout the territory, consolidating growth in metropolitan areas, and winning democratic guarantees and international complicity to advance the resolution of the political conflict". The president of the Generalitat, Pere Aragonès, defended that they will work "to have a presence everywhere in order to be useful to everyone and promote social, green, feminist and democratic transformations".