The Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) has elected this Saturday in Igualada Josep Vila as the new president of the organization, while Lluís Llach, who served as the main visible face since 2024, will now hold the vice-presidency. The change is interpreted as a continuation, although it also responds to the deterioration of the former singer-songwriter's health and an internal reorganization within one of the symbols of Catalan civil independence.
The transition maintains the political weight of the inner circle of Carles Puigdemont, whose influence over the entity continues to be pointed out by different sovereignist sectors. Llach, although he leaves the front line, will retain influence within the structure.
Collapse of internal participation
Beyond the change, the data reflect the loss of muscle of the ANC. 2,322 members participated in the elections for the national secretariat, a reduced figure when compared to the nearly 25,000 members that the entity claims to have. Less than 10% of the membership took part in a vote that, moreover, lasted for four days.
Llach himself was the most voted candidate, but he went from more than 3,200 supports in 2024 to less than 2,000 on this occasion. The decline has been interpreted as a clear symptom of internal disaffection.
Vacancies and lack of candidates
The loss of momentum is also reflected in the difficulty to complete the governing bodies. Of the 76 positionsplanned for the national secretariat,16 remained vacantdue to a lack of candidates.
In various territorial areas, only a few positions were filled, both in Catalan regions and in the external structure. For an organization that once mobilized hundreds of thousands of people in the streets during the peak years of the procés, the contrast is notable.
Economic problems and strategic fracture
The ANC also drags financial difficulties, with a drop in income from fees and merchandising, in parallel to the decline in social mobilization. The latest demonstrations called together with Òmnium Cultural or the Consell de la República have shown much lower attendance than in previous stages.
Added to this is the strategic division within independentism. Critical sectors reproach the leadership for excessive alignment with Junts and with Puigdemont's theses, while others lament the lack of a clear roadmap after the failure of the unilateral cycle.
Symbol of the wear and tear of the procés
The ANC was for years one of the great engines of Catalan independence. Its organizational capacity turned the Diadas and large protests into images of international impact. Today, however, the entity is going through a stage of less influence, less participation, and growing internal tensions.
The change in the presidency seeks to open a new phase, but also confirms a broader reality: civil independenceism no longer mobilizes as before and seeks to redefine its role in a political scenario very different from that of the last decade.