CiU plans to overthrow Mayor Ada Colau in Barcelona City Hall

This Friday’s plenary session at Barcelona City Hall resulted in the reprobation of Mayor Ada Colau. All the parties in the Chamber except from the governing alternative left alliance ‘Barcelona en Comú’ and radical left pro-independence CUP criticised Colau’s “politics of gesture”. “Today your government was defeated, the majority in the chamber censors your way of governing and is telling you that we can’t continue like this”, stated liberal CiU’s spokesman in Barcelona City Hall, Joaquim Forn. Moreover, Forn committed to discussing with all the groups in the Chamber how “to build an alternative majority to the current government”. Colau, a former activist especially committed to fighting evictions, won the local elections in May last year. However, she only obtained 11 seats, just one more than the second most voted list, CiU.

The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau (by ACN)
The Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau (by ACN) / ACN

ACN

October 28, 2016 07:08 PM

Barcelona (CNA).- Barcelona’s local government, led by charismatic mayor and former left activist Ada Colau, has been reproved by the majority of the Chamber. All the parties in Barcelona City Hall except from the governing alternative left alliance ‘Barcelona en Comú’ and radical left pro-independence CUP rejected this Friday Colau’s “politics of gesture”. “Today your government was defeated, the majority in the chamber censors your way of governing and is telling you that we can’t continue like this”, stated liberal CiU’s spokesman in Barcelona City Hall, Joaquim Forn. Last May, Colau won the local elections. However, she only obtained 11 seats, just one more than the second most voted list, liberal CiU. Therefore, Forn represents one of the strongest groups in the Catalan capital’s City Hall. He committed to discussing with all the groups in the Chamber how “to build an alternative majority to the current government”.


The text approved by City Hall “laments the local government’s politics of gesture, which is more focused on generating citizen controversies rather than tackling the real problems of people from Barcelona”. “Barcelona can’t wait any longer and can’t afford to be stuck with a weak government”, it is stated in the document. CiU’s spokesman criticised the local government’s “arrogance” and lamented its lack of willingness to “dialogue and reach agreements” which according to Forn “proves a total disdain towards the groups in the opposition”.

CiU’s spokesman also expressed his commitment to finding alternative alliances to overthrow Colau. “We know this won’t be an easy challenge, but we won’t meet expectations by eluding our responsibility”, stated Forn. ‘CiU’ will need the support of other groups to reach the 21 seats required.