Laura Borràs chosen as presidential candidate for February election in Catalonia

Junts per Catalunya, the pro-independence party led by exiled president Carles Puigdemont, has chosen Laura Borràs to be its presidential candidate in the upcoming Catalan elections on 14 February 2021. In an internal vote, former culture minister Borràs, currently the party’s spokesperson in the Spanish Congress, won comfortably with 75.8% of the votes. Current minister for territory and sustainability, Damià Calvet, received 20.5% of the votes.

The results were announced by the party on their YouTube channel on Sunday evening, with 76% of the party’s 5,128 members taking part in the ballot. A third candidate, Jordi Ferrés, pulled out on Friday evening and declared his support for Borràs. Earlier in November, Puigdemont ruled himself out as the party’s candidate to lead the government, but said he would put his name forward to run in the election. If Borràs were to become president of Catalonia, she would be the first woman to hold the position.

The next Catalan president will depend on who can command a majority of votes in Parliament following the election and any post-election agreements between parties. On Saturday, Sergi Sabrià of the other main pro-independence party, Esquerra (ERC), who are ahead in the polls, said that if JxCat wins the election they can count on Esquerra’s support for the presidency, adding that he expected JxCat to do likewise if Esquerra tops the poll.