The mayor of Badalona and head of the PP list for Congress in Barcelona, Xavier García Albiol, has accused the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, of trying to favor the electoral growth of Vox to reduce support for the Popular Party ahead of the general elections on November 29. In an interview granted to La Razón, published this Sunday, October 25, the popular leader defended that Sánchez's goal is to divide the right-wing vote to facilitate the PSOE becoming the most voted force. "Sánchez is interested in strengthening Vox to weaken the PP", Albiol stated, who also defended the possibility of reaching government agreements with Santiago Abascal's party.
The popular leader has claimed the PP's ability to regain support in Catalonia and has maintained that his party can achieve a particularly favorable electoral result, although he has ruled out that his designation as number one for Barcelona responds exclusively to the intention of stopping Vox. As he explained, Alberto Núñez Feijóo has tasked him with bringing his municipal experience in Badalona to Congress, especially on issues related to illegal occupation of housing, security, and coexistence. The bet on Albiol is part of the popular strategy to strengthen their presence in Catalonia, where the party aims to expand its parliamentary representation and attract voters from other parties.
Albiol defends pacting with Vox and distances himself from Bildu
During the interview with La Razón, Albiol addressed the possibility that the Popular Party may need Vox's support to form a Government after the 29N. The candidate rejected presenting a potential agreement with Abascal as a cause for concern and contrasted this possibility with the parliamentary pacts of the PSOE with EH Bildu. "I would be afraid to govern with Bildu, not with Vox", he assured, while acknowledging that the PP and Vox have political differences on certain matters, but also coinciding positions that could facilitate an understanding.
The mayor of Badalona has pointed out that the two parties share approaches on taxation, housing, security, immigration, and institutional reforms, although he has defended that each party must maintain its own political project. In this sense, he believes that a potential government agreement should focus on the common points and leave the discrepancies in the background. This position coincides with what the candidate had already expressed on October 22 in an interview with Cadena SER, where he defended possible agreements with Vox and recalled that both parties have already shared responsibilities in different administrations.
A law to evict squatters in a maximum of 48 hours
One of the central issues in Albiol's statements has been the illegal occupation of housing, a matter that the Popular Party intends to turn into one of the axes of its electoral program. Feijóo already announced during a rally held on October 18 in Barcelona that he will commission the mayor of Badalona to draft new state legislation against occupation if he manages to reach Moncloa.
In his interview with La Razón, Albiol explained that the proposal contemplates expelling illegal occupants from homes and premises within a maximum period of 48 hours, even without the need to open a judicial procedure beforehand. To this end, he proposes modifying various regulations, including the Penal Code and the Civil and Criminal Procedure Laws, although its application would require specifying the legal and constitutional guarantees of the procedure.
The candidate has also argued that the legal insecurity of property owners hinders access to rental, considering that the fear of non-payments causes landlords to impose more demanding conditions on future tenants. Albiol has differentiated, however, between those who illegally occupy properties and families who are going through situations of economic vulnerability, for whom he calls for greater intervention from social services.
Immigration and security, among the priorities of the popular candidate
The head of the list of the PP for Barcelona has also placed immigration and citizen security among the main issues that, in his opinion, concern the residents of Catalonia. Albiol has defended an orderly migration policy and has demanded more stringent measures against foreigners who commit crimes or violate the legal conditions of stay in Spain, although he has rejected identifying the entire immigrant population with crime.
These positions are part of the discourse that the mayor has developed during his different stages at the head of the Badalona City Council, where he achieved an absolute majority in the municipal elections of May 2023, with 55.73% of the votes and 18 of the 27 councilors. The PP intends to take advantage of this electoral support to strengthen its candidacy in Barcelona, although the municipal results cannot be automatically transferred to general elections, where other political and electoral dynamics intervene.
Criticism of Ada Colau and the PSOE for their management in Catalonia
Albiol has also directed his criticisms against the former mayor of Barcelona and current candidate of the Broad Front for the Presidency of the Government, Ada Colau, whom he has blamed for the deterioration that, according to his interpretation, the Catalan capital suffered during her years at the head of the City Council. The popular candidate has questioned the possibility of Colau being part of a future Government of Pedro Sánchez and has also criticized the management of Yolanda Díaz during her time as vice president.
In relation to the PSC and the PSOE, the mayor of Badalona has accused both formations of prioritizing their permanence in power over their political principles and has questioned their agreements with independentist parties. He has also referred to the application of the amnesty law for the leaders of the procés, a norm that he politically rejects, although he has defended the need to respect judicial resolutions even when they are not shared.
With the general elections on November 29 on the horizon, Albiol has thus placed security, housing, and immigration among the main priorities of his candidacy, while the PP seeks to strengthen its representation in Catalonia. His designation as the head of the list for Barcelona represents one of Feijóo's bets to expand popular support in the community, taking advantage of the municipal experience of the mayor of Badalona and his ability to connect with voters of different political sensitivities.