While in the sphere of Spanish politics this Sunday's appointment with the polls is that of Castilla y León, in the sports sphere it's time to look to Barcelona, where barcelonismo lives its own elections this March 15. FC Barcelona elects president on a day with two opposing blocs led by Joan Laporta and pr Víctor Font, candidates who are vying for control of the club.
Who are the candidates
The big favorite is Joan Laporta, outgoing president of the club and also the main figure of the most successful cycle in the club's recent history. Laporta already governed Barça in his first stage (2003-2010) and returned to power in 2021. Now he seeks re-election supported by a central idea: to present his mandate as that of the economic, institutional, and sporting reconstruction that has returned the club to the forefront.
Facing him appears Víctor Font, businessman and candidate of the alternative, who has tried to turn the election into a referendum against Laporta's way of governing. His discourse has revolved around the professionalization of the club, the criticism of presidentialism and the need to open a new stage less personalistic at Barça.
THE ELECTIONS, In data
FC Barcelona members can vote in person at different enabled venues (Barcelona, Girona, Tarragona, Lleida and Andorra). In these elections, 114,504 Barça members are called to vote, who will decide between Joan Laporta and Víctor Font who will preside over the club until 2031
Voting hours: between 9 and 21 hours
At what time will the result be known?
The count begins right after 21:00, when the ballot boxes close.
Normally the first provisional results are known between 22:00 and 23:00. The practically definitive result is usually close to midnight, depending on the pace of the scrutiny.
Laporta, clear favorite in elections marked by his management
If these elections have a proper name, that is Joan Laporta's. He arrives as a clear favorite due to a sum of factors: the weight of his figure in the club, the organizational advantage of whoever holds the presidency and, above all, a sporting context much more favorable than that of a few years ago. The team arrives backed by the results and by the impulse of Hansi Flick, with the recent League title as the main endorsement before the members.
That is precisely one of the elements that completely changes the narrative: it is no longer just about voting on the crisis, but also on whether the member wants to ratify a presidency that presents itself as victorious. Laporta's candidacy has tried to turn the ballot boxes into a validation of his project.
How has been the electoral campaign of Barça
The election campaign has been marked by a climate of maximum internal political tension, with cross-accusations, complaints before the Electoral Board and a strong personalization of the debate. More than a discussion of models, the final stretch has been dominated by the clash between candidacies and by the battle of the narrative.
Laporta has defended that his management has allowed the club to stabilize, recover institutional strength and return to competing at the highest level. Font, on the other hand, has tried to capitalize on the wear and tear, denouncing campaign practices and trying to regroup those who see in the current president a form of excessively concentrated power.
The controversies of the campaign: complaints, reproaches and war for the narrative
The campaign has left several controversies. The most visible has been the exchange of accusations between both candidacies on the eve of the vote: Laporta's team accused Font of violating the day of reflection with messages to members, while Font responded by pointing to Laporta's circle for alleged use of club resources and for interviews published at sensitive moments of the electoral calendar.
To that has been added the debate about public endorsements and the symbolic use of figures from the Barça environment, in a campaign where every gesture has been read in an electoral key. Even the visual backing of locker room figures and of the new sporting cycle has been interpreted as part of the struggle to mobilize the undecided member.
Laporta plays the role of one who asks for continuity from institutional strength; Font, that of one who aspires to convert discontent into an alternative. At stake, the direction of one of Europe's largest sports institutions.