Contracrónica: The ‘sheriff’ says goodbye to Badalona challenging the opposition to another duel

The ‘sheriff‘He came with all his entourage to his farewell, with the conviction that the next battle will be fought in a year and a half. Xavier Garcia Albiol He lost today the fight with the opposition, who managed to unite to evict him from the mayor of Badalona after the appearance of the ‘Pandora Papers’, but he is already thinking about the duel at the polls in 2023, backed by three consecutive electoral victories.

Your faithful squire, Ramon Riera, friend and also representative of the ‘off shore’ in Belize by which Albiol is displaced today, did not lead the debate between his ‘boss’ and the rest of the forces as planned. He alleged “health problems”, sat in the second row and gave up his place at the old table to Miguel Jurado, the ‘iron glove’ that, together with Albiol, sealed premises during long night raids since the first term in the city, released in 2011.

Jury ordered the debate with the ‘heavy hand’ that characterizes him, forcefully alerting the speakers who exceeded the speaking time and requesting the police intervention against a neighbor who complained shouting about the speech of the PP. “Why don’t you go out and shout and respect the plenary session? & Rdquor;, he intoned – “Shut up, man! & rdquor ;, reinforced a guest from the same party-,” I ask the Guards to control it & rdquor ;, added Jurado, unleashing laughter and another taunt: “A la Omega, ¿no?”replied another guest, this one from the opposition, referring to the rapid intervention unit of the Guàrdia Urbana de Badalona that prompted Albiol determined to put a stop to the crime that he equates to immigration.

It was the guardian of the ‘sheriff’ who was in charge of delivering the command staff to the new mayor, Ruben Guijarro (PSC), still settling into a position he knows closely from his years as the former mayor’s right-hand man Alex Pastor. This episode slipped into the session: a PP councilor, Cristina Agüera, equated the departure of Albiol to the resignation of Pastor, forced to step aside after being arrested drunk by skipping confinement. “What corruption are they talking about? The institutional crisis occurred when they arrested their partner,” he said. The applause was as loud as the boos and the last rows were crying out for “respect & rdquor ;, interrupted, of course, by Jurado crying out to“ maintain your composure & rdquor ;.

The Persian flea market

“This looks like a Persian flea market & rdquor ;, continued the mayor. I was saying it because of the opposition’s maneuvering, but it can be used for this Monday’s session. Among the public, organic charges and neighbors – even one of those convicted of pro-independence protests, Marcel will live, sitting next to the former mayor Dolors Sabater– animated and participatory were mixed. They even responded to Albiol in the typical and topical rhetorical question: “Is there a neighbor who can believe that in little more than a year remaining for the elections Badalona can function minimally with such a political panorama? & Rdquor ;. “Sííí & rdquor ;,” Nooo & rdquor ;, responded the room, in which the insults were alternated by “corrupt & rdquor ;. Albiol arrived applauded and an applause dismissed Guijarro, at the close of the session.

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The opposition was in charge of reviewing the populist and xenophobic episodes of Albiol, and this, of reminding them that he wins the game at the polls. “He has accused me of being a Gestapo & rdquor ;, recalled the only mayor of Junts, visibly angered by the fact that the State did not persecute the Imam of Ripoll who orchestrated the A-17 attacks in which a child died. It caused laughter among the popular and silence among the rest, as several politicians called this plot a conspiracy.

This time there were no surprises typical of Badalonese politics. The opposition complied with what was said: 16 votes to 11, and won. There is a year and a half left for the next duel, but Albiol is already watching weapons.