Míriam Nogueras, lead candidate for Junts per Catalunya for the Congress of Deputies, reaffirmed her party's role as a counterweight to the “two Spanish blocs” in Barcelona on 17 October 2026. She presented Junts as a force that checks both camps from the centre, as in her view they are increasingly shaped by extreme positions. She again ruled out supporting a government of Partido Popular and Vox .
Nogueras referred to the previous parliamentary term, when she led the Junts group in the Congress of Deputies, and stressed her party's aim of advancing Catalonia's specific interests in Madrid. Junts belongs neither to the right-wing nor the left-wing bloc, she said, but favours negotiations on clear terms that, in her party's view, Catalonia take priority.
Nogueras linked her position to criticism of other actors. She accused PSOE of being guided by party-political calculations and singled out Salvador Illa for putting national priorities ahead of Catalan interests. She did not comment on specific coalition scenarios, saying voters would decide the make-up of any majorities.
With the election scheduled for 29 November 2026 Nogueras framed the vote as a decision about the balance of power in Spain and Catalonia's position. She indicated that Junts would run its campaign using familiar structures from the previous parliamentary term, without naming a full slate of personnel. The party's process for confirming her candidacy is under way.
The statements are consistent with repeated signals from Junts, which emphasises its independence from both of the main national political camps. Nogueras justified this approach by saying the party aims to influence government policies that, in its view, have a direct impact on Catalonia. In previous statements, she has cited housing, budgets and infrastructure among these issues. She did not say which specific priorities Junts would take into the final phase of the campaign, now getting under way.
Describing itself as the “centre” is Junts per Catalunya's own political characterisation, not an independent assessment. Nogueras gave no specific polling figures or reliable forecasts of seat distribution. Her main points were to distinguish the party from Partido Popular, Vox and PSOE, and to assure voters that it would use its parliamentary influence in Catalonia's interests.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).