People's Party head in Catalonia gives up seat and leadership

The leader of the People's Party in Catalonia, Xavier García Albiol, has given up his seat in the Catalan Parliament and the presidency of the party.

Albiol intends to run for mayor of Badalona, a city in Barcelona's metro area, in the upcoming May 2019 local election. He was previously Badalona mayor from 2011 to 2015, but was dethroned by a left-wing coalition in the most recent election.

"Siempre he mostrado mi deseo de volver a ser alcalde de #Badalona para seguir el proceso de modernización de mi ciudad, que se vio interrumpido por un pacto de perdedores después de las elecciones de 2015" @Albiol_XG

— PP Català (@PPCatalunya) October 5, 2018

"I've always expressed my wish to become the mayor of Badalona again, so I can get back to the modernization of my city, interrupted by a deal made by losers after the 2015 election," said Albiol.

Xavier García Albiol topped the People's Party ticket in the 2015 and 2017 Catalan elections, in which the party got its worst result in decades and now has only four seats in Parliament.

Yet, despite the outcome of the vote, he did not give up his posts and went on as party leader until this Friday, after three and a half years.

Albiol, a hardliner against independence, was the head of his party in Catalonia during the height of the tensions between the governments in Barcelona and Madrid last autumn.

He supported the period of direct rule in effect in Catalonia for seven months in 2017 and 2018, which was imposed by the Spanish government, at the time led by the People's Party.

Albiol was in fact a senator when Spain's upper chamber ratified direct rule on October 27, 2017.

In Badalona, he has been a local councilor since 1991. In 2011, his ticket became the most voted in the city, something which did not happen in any other major town in the country.

His campaign was controversial for his tough approach towards migrants, but it led to him becoming mayor of the city for four years. Now, he wants to go back as head of Badalona, his hometown.