ERC assumes defeat in Catalonia and prepares for opposition

In the elections held this Sunday in Catalonia, the party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) has found itself in the need to assume that it will move to the opposition, after obtaining a result of 20 seats, which represents a decrease of 13 seats compared to the 2021 elections, when they reached their best historical record. The current Catalan president and ERC candidate, Pere Aragonès, has stated that it is time to usher in a "new stage" in Catalan politics. Aragonès has indicated that both individual and collective responsibilities will need to be assumed once the party has carefully analyzed the results of these elections. This statement has opened the possibility that Aragonès himself may step back from the political forefront in the near future. The 20 seats obtained by ERC in this election represent the party's worst result since 2010, when they only won ten seats. Compared to the previous elections, ERC has lost 13 seats, over 180,000 votes, and 7.61 percentage points of support, according to data from the count with nearly 99% completed. The distribution of seats by regions reflects the loss of support for ERC in different areas of Catalonia. In Barcelona, they have achieved 12 seats (seven less than in 2021), in Girona two (compared to the previous four), in Lleida three (two less), and in Tarragona another three (also two less). President Aragonès has acknowledged that the results obtained by his party are "very bad" and has emphasized that polarization in Catalan politics has been decisive in this electoral contest, where the opposition has managed to gain ground against his government. In this sense, Aragonès has announced that ERC will work to continue with its political project from the opposition. ERC's electoral defeat has been attributed, in part, to the inability to mobilize its electorate, despite the actions taken by the Govern and the commitment to a negotiating path with the State. During the electoral campaign, Aragonès intensified his criticisms towards Salvador Illa and Carles Puigdemont, without managing to reverse the trend of loss of support. Facing the likely departure of Pere Aragonès from the presidency of ERC, an internal debate within the party about the leadership to follow is looming. Although Oriol Junqueras remains as president, his situation of disqualification from holding public office until the amnesty being processed in parliament is applied, could lead to the emergence of new leaders in the party, such as Roger Torrent or Marta Rovira. In conclusion, ERC is preparing for a period in opposition following the unfavorable results in these elections, marking a turning point in Catalan politics and posing new challenges and obstacles for the party in the near future.