The PSC would again be the most voted force in Barcelona with 20.2% of the votes and between 9 and 10 councilors if the municipal elections were held now, according to the GESOP survey for El Periódico. The poll, conducted between September 10 and 21, also outlines a profound reordering of the power dynamics in the opposition: ERC would rise to second place, Junts would lose about half of its representation, and Aliança Catalana would enter the City Council with between five and six councilors.
The survey places ERC as the second force, with 14% of the votes and between 6 and 7 councilors, compared to the five it currently has. Behind it, a much tighter race opens up: Barcelona en Comú would obtain 12.2%, Junts 11.9%, and Aliança Catalana 11.5%. The three formations would be separated by just seven tenths.
The PP would drop to 8.3% and obtain between 3 and 4 councilors, while Vox would reach 7.5% and would also move between 3 and 4. The CUP would return to the council, from which it has been absent since 2019, with 6% and an estimate of between 2 and 3 representatives.
The next City Council will also have 43 councilors, two more than the current 41, due to the population increase in Barcelona. The absolute majority will change from 21 to 22 councilors.
Junts suffers the greatest setback and ERC gains ground
The comparison with the 2023 municipal elections leaves Junts as the party that would lose the most ground. Xavier Trias won the elections then with 22.4% of the votes and 11 councilors. GESOP now places the party, with Jordi Martí as the candidate, at 11.9% and between 5 and 6 councilors: 10.3 points less than in the polls.
The movement occurs in parallel to the entry of Aliança Catalana, which would reach 11.5% and between 5 and 6 representatives. The formation improves six points compared to the GESOP survey from September 2025.
ERC would follow the opposite trajectory. Elisenda Alamany would obtain 14% and between 6 and 7 councilors, three points more than the result achieved by Ernest Maragall in 2023 and one point more than in the poll from a year ago.
The PSC evolves in a much more stable manner compared to the last municipal elections. Its 20.2% would represent a growth of six tenths compared to 2023, although it represents a drop of three points compared to the GESOP from September 2025.
The Comuns also retreat. With Gerardo Pisarello as a candidate, Barcelona en Comú would remain at 12.2% and between 5 and 6 councilors, compared to the nine achieved in 2023. This is 7.4 points less than in the last municipal elections and two points less than in the poll from a year ago.
Aliança captures one in five former voters of Junts
The vote transfers help to explain a good part of these movements. Junts would only retain 46% of those who supported Xavier Trias's candidacy in 2023, while 21% of that electorate would now lean towards Aliança Catalana.
The formation led by Jordi Aragonès in the city does not grow only at the expense of Junts. It would also capture 12% of those who voted for the PP in 2023, 10.9% of Vox voters, 4.7% of ERC voters, and 4.6% of PSC voters. Additionally, it would include 20% of those who abstained or voted blank in the last municipal elections.
The Comuns also suffer a significant loss. They would retain 54.9% of Ada Colau's voters from 2023, while 10.6% would shift towards ERC and 9.7% towards the PSC. They would also lose support towards Podem and the CUP.
Socialists and republicans show a similar loyalty, around 60%, while Vox registers the highest percentage among the analyzed parties: 78% of those who voted for them in 2023 would repeat their choice.
The transfer between PP and Vox also works in both directions of the space. According to the poll, 14.2% of former popular voters would now opt for Vox, while Aliança Catalana would capture another 12%.
More than 17% still do not know what they will vote
The electoral picture still arrives with a relevant percentage of undecided voters. More than 17% of the interviewees have not decided their vote, a proportion that is greater among women, at 17.8%, than among men, at 12.3%.
There are also differences by age. The PSC finds its greatest support among those over 60 years old, where it reaches 23.9%, while ERC stands out among voters aged 45 to 59, with 14.9%.
Among those under 30 years old, the socialists appear in first position with a 12.9%, followed by ERC, with 11.2%, and Vox, with 10.5%.
Collboni, the only candidate who passes
The electoral advantage of the PSC coexists with a tight evaluation of its candidate. Jaume Collboni is the only mayoral candidate who reaches a passing grade among the overall respondents, with a score of 5 out of 10.
They are followed by Elisenda Alamany, with a 4.7; Gerardo Pisarello, with a 4.4; Jordi Aragonès, with a 4.3; and Jordi Martí, with a 4. Daniel Sirera obtains a 3.1 and Gonzalo de Oro, a 2.5.
Collboni is also, by far, the most well-known candidate: 93.4% of those surveyed know who he is. Pisarello reaches a recognition of 63.6%; Sirera, 62.8%; Alamany, 62.1%; Aragonès, 59.8%; Martí, 40.3%; and De Oro, 31.4%.
The survey also directly asks about the preferred candidate for the Mayor's office. Collboni is mentioned by 19.9%, followed at a considerable distance by Alamany, with 8.3%, and Pisarello, with 8%. Aragonès obtains a 3.4%; Martí, a 2.7%; Sirera, a 2.6%; and De Oro, a 1%.
The CUP does not appear in this comparison because the fieldwork began before Laure Vega was proclaimed candidate.
The municipal management fails and 62% believe that Barcelona has worsened
The electoral result of the PSC does not correspond with an improvement in the perception of the city's progress. The respondents rate the actions of the City Council poorly and 62% believe that Barcelona has worsened over the past year.
The survey thus reflects a difference between the assessment of municipal management and voting intention: the PSC retains the first position and Collboni is the only candidate who reaches a 5, despite the deterioration of opinion on the city's evolution.
Housing, security, and tourism: broad support for new measures
The survey also includes questions about some of the main municipal debates. Housing gathers one of the broadest consensuses: 86.5% consider it necessary to increase the supply of social rental, while 67.8% support limiting the purchase of homes when they are not going to be used as a primary residence.
There is also great consensus on security issues. 84.1% demand an increase in the presence of the Urban Guard on the streets, 93.8% are in favor of toughening penalties for repeat offenders, and 90.1% support raising fines for uncivil behavior.
In tourism, 76.4% support the prohibition of tourist apartments and 67.5% agree with increasing tourist taxes. Additionally, 60.8% support limiting cruise activity.
Rodalies constitutes another of the issues with the greatest agreement among the interviewees. The 83.7% considers that its improvement should be prioritized over new investments in transport infrastructure in Catalonia, while 72.1% supports that the Generalitat takes over its management.
The GESOP survey has been conducted based on 802 telephone and online interviews with adults registered in Barcelona and with the right to vote. The fieldwork was carried out between September 10 and 21, with a margin of error of ±3.5 points for a confidence level of 95%.