Far-left CUP greenlights former Badalona mayor as Catalan election candidate

The former mayor of Badalona, Dolors Sabater, will run in the upcoming Catalan election on February 14 as the presidential candidate for the pro-independence far-left CUP party, after getting 76% of party members’ support.

A high school teacher deeply engaged in grassroots activism, Sabater’s unlikely rise to power in a major city ruled by conservatives helped her become a prominent political figure, especially among pro-independence and left-wing supporters.

Elected in 2015 and ousted in a no-confidence vote in 2018, Sabater planned to move from Badalona to Catalan-level politics under her newly created Guanyem Catalunya candidacy, but will ultimately run together with the far-left CUP party.

With four seats in the Catalan parliament, CUP is the smallest pro-independence party in the chamber, but its votes have long proven crucial in helping the two major pro-independence parties keep control of the government and a parliamentary majority.

Sabater’s appointment as CUP’s presidential candidate could help the anti-capitalist party gain ground within the pro-independence camp, and perhaps most importantly, earn support from progressive voters who would otherwise not vote for a pro-independence party.