Overview
- Aliança Catalana formally presented Jordi Aragonès as its Barcelona candidate at an event in El Born on Friday with party leader Sílvia Orriols endorsing his bid and about 200 people in attendance.
- Aragonès is a founding member and the party's secretary of Studies and Programs who helped craft Aliança's platform that blends unilateral independence with a tough stance on immigration and identity.
- The campaign program Aragonès outlined focuses on 'capitalitat' (strengthening Barcelona's role), deregulating housing, stricter security measures, tighter padrón controls, a municipal sovereign fund and vetting new Mossos recruits for commitment to Catalan identity.
- Party leaders had tried and failed to recruit high‑profile outsiders such as Lluís Carrasco, Jaume Giró, Jaume Alonso‑Cuevillas and Sandro Rosell before selecting an internal candidate, a move meant to speed local expansion and visibility.
- Recent municipal polling gives Aliança around 3.9% in Barcelona which could win a council seat, and the launch comes as Junts holds primaries this weekend to pick its own candidate, setting up direct competition for similar voters.