Recently, the President of the Government of Catalonia, Pere Aragonès, announced that the Catalan elections, originally scheduled for spring 2025, are being brought forward to Sunday, 12th May.
On this day, the Catalans will be able to elect the regional president.
The deadline for the submission of candidacies is 8th April, and from 13th to 17th April, the drawing of the electoral tables will take place.
Due to this, not all the electoral programs of the parties have been presented yet, so the electric and sustainable mobility proposals of each candidate are not yet known.
Nevertheless, Mobility Portal Spain has compiled the statements and positions of each of the candidates.
Socialists’ Party of Catalonia
The PSC is once again presenting Salvador Illa as their candidate, who had already run with the party in the previous Catalan regional elections.
In 2021, the politician accused the Catalan government of having a “narrow and autarkic” vision regarding the fight against climate change, something he promised to reverse if he became the President of the Government of Catalonia.
Among his proposals, he mentioned a land and urban planning law to achieve sustainable mobility and to give a new boost to the automotive industry by promoting electric vehicles.
He also proposed the approval of a new Strategic Plan for the Development of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Catalonia 2020-2025 (PIRVEC).
He promises to improve public transport, promote aid for a fairer ecological transition, and expand the number of parking spaces for electric cars, as well as improving their operation.
Furthermore, he indicates that he will encourage the implementation of Low Emission Zones (LEZ) to comply with current regulations.
Recently, the PSC, together with the Terrassa Government, has definitively approved its own LEZ, which will restrict vehicles without an environmental label from 1st May 2025.
Republican Left of Catalonia
ERC has decided to nominate Pere Aragonès to renew his position as candidate.
Among his commitments, Aragonès and his “consellers” have stated that they will switch their official car to an electric one before 2025.
In line with this, the Department of Economy has launched the tender to renew its fleet of official vehicles with electric models.
The initial contracts require a total of 1,055 cars for the 12 departments of the Government of Catalonia, with a combined value of 79.9 million euros.
In parallel, one of the initiatives that ERC aims to promote is the rapid and efficient deployment of fast charging points for electric cars.
He also intends to continue promoting electromobility, ensuring a more democratic access to the production and consumption of energy, especially from 100% renewable sources.
Furthermore, he aims to promote new mobility based on shared ownership and electric cars, which already exceed 2,500 registrations in the community.
To achieve this, specific “smart city” plans will be progressively implemented in the main cities of Catalonia, with the aim of promoting greener mobility.
With these measures, it is expected that the autonomous community will become an international reference model in the implementation and efficient use of an intelligent public transport network, as well as in the strong push for the new generation of greener vehicles.
Therefore, his electromobility proposals are not yet known, nor has he expressed himself on the matter.
Together fot Catalonia
The conservative liberal party will be represented by Carles Puigdemont in the elections.
He advocates for a commitment to combat climate change, although his specific proposals related to electric and sustainable mobility are not yet known.
His last statements on the subject date back to 2017, during his presidency of the Government of Catalonia.
There, he stated that he was preparing a modification of the regulation on the manager of charging points for electric vehicles to eliminate bureaucratic obstacles when installing them.
However, there has been no clear mention regarding the deployment of charging infrastructure and the sale of zero and low-emission vehicles.
Nevertheless, the possibility of proposals emerging throughout the electoral campaign is not ruled out.
Catalunya in Common (CEC)
The list for Catalonia in Common will be led by Jéssica Albiach.
In 2022, during an event in Barcelona titled “Empower Catalonia”, Albiach advocated for the idea of reaching an agreement with the automotive industry to “refocus” it, with the aim of advancing the development of electric vehicles.
Now, the CEC aims to reduce the circulation of private motor vehicles to protect health and improve the functioning of public transport, prioritising and promoting the use of shared cars.
They are committed to furthering improvements in public transport in the implementation of the Low Emission Zone, with the goal of achieving 100% electrification of service vehicle fleets.
People’s Party
The PP has confirmed Alejandro Fernández as their candidate.
Although the party has not yet published its electoral program for the 2024 Catalan elections, it is expected that they will continue to advocate for the progressive decarbonisation process of the sector proposed at the national level in the last general elections.
It is also expected that they will promote the implementation of public access charging infrastructures and the renewal of the oldest vehicles in the fleet.
However, Fernández has not made any statements on the matter.
Regarding the LEZ, the party has begun to remove them in the municipalities it governs.
Citizens
Carlos Carrizosa will run again as the Cs candidate since he has no rival in the primaries.
The party aims to “protect the environment without neglecting the competitiveness of industries”, advocating for a gradual phase-out of combustion engine cars, in line with European recommendations.
This will be carried out always under scrutiny, transparency, and minimizing the effects it may have on the economy.
Like Fernández, Carrizosa has not expressed his position on electric and sustainable mobility.
However, it is expected that a stance will be taken on transitioning to zero-emission mobility similar to the proposal for the 2023 presidential elections.
Popular Unity Candidacy
The CUP has chosen deputy Laia Estrada as their candidate for the Catalan elections.
So far, the party has not presented its proposals regarding the eMobility sector.
VOX
In 2022, the candidate stated that the “climate fanaticism” of the Aragonès government has serious repercussions on families, workers, and future generations.
He also blamed the policies of the President of the Government of Catalonia, with the support of the PSC and Salvador Illa, for forcing Catalans to switch their diesel vehicles to electric models.
As well as continually increasing the cost of basic supplies due to the “loss of energy sovereignty”.
At the same time, in the last elections for the mayorship of Barcelona, his mobility strategy included a firm rejection of the existence of LEZs and the defence of free vehicle circulation.
Catalan Alliance
The independentist far-right has confirmed its intention to present a list for the elections on the upcoming 12th of May.
The mayor of Ripoll, Sílvia Orriols, presents herself as the party’s lead under the slogan “Salvem Catalunya” (Let’s Save Catalonia).
To formalize their electoral candidacy, the party needs around 6,000 signatures as endorsement, as they do not have representation in the Parliament.
