Catalonia's ERC Crisis and Junts' Entry into European Democratic Party

Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) is confronting an internal crisis less than a year before municipal elections after its Girona mayoral candidate, Marc Puigtió, resigned following the leak of an audio recording in which he said, "Yo voy a serte muy sincero y te dije cuál era mi intención con ERC. Mi intención era echarlos a todos y quedarme Esquerra, y después poder utilizar sus recursos electorales." The party opened a disciplinary file and accepted Puigtió's resignation, pledging to continue its municipal campaign.

Separately, Junts per Catalunya, the party led by former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, has joined the European Democratic Party (PDE) and entered the Renew Europe liberal group in the European Parliament. The move is presented as a way to boost the party's international profile and influence EU debates on democracy, federalism, and cultural diversity.