The ERC and Podem candidate for Congress on 29-N does not rule out his leap to Barcelona. He hinted at this during an event at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, without setting deadlines or positions.
According to moncloa.com, Gabriel Rufián wants to preside over the Generalitat. He stated this during the presentation of his book at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra, when journalist Àngels Barceló asked him about his professional ambition and he answered candidly.
"I would like to be president of the Generalitat after Junqueras."
The candidate leads the joint candidacy of ERC and Podem for Congress on 29-N, so his next objective comes while he is still campaigning in Madrid. He did not specify a timeline or position, and the statement allows for two interpretations: a future succession or an intermediate step within the party itself.
At the event, Rufián advocated for the unity of the left, placed housing at the centre of his speech, and criticised the Front Ampli and Junts in the same breath. For the voter in Barcelona, the message positions a state deputy with his eyes set on the Palau de la Generalitat, but without a visible roadmap.
The precedent weighs heavily. In the Catalan elections of May 2024, ERC dropped from 33 to 20 deputies, the PSC won with 42, and Salvador Illa reached the presidency of the Generalitat. Illa clearly separated his role at the head of the Govern from his relationship with the central government, something ERC has not done with the same clarity.
The candidacy with Podem is the practical translation of that strategy and also its greatest risk. If the result of 29-N is good, the candidate will strengthen his position; if it is mediocre, the question about the Palau will come back to haunt him. The campaign is expected to start in mid-November, and the party will have to decide whether that ambition is channelled through internal pathways or remains as public statements.
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