The election process cannot be delayed, as it spans several months and the goal is to avoid coinciding with the municipal elections scheduled for May 2027. Mayor Jaume Collboni must sign the mayoral decree that will launch the call for candidates, for which Bondia is eligible to run again, as the regulations allow for two five-year terms.
Before the current ombudsman, the institution was led by two women: Pilar Malla (between 2005 and 2010) and Maria Assumpció Vilà (from 2010 to 2021). Bondia, who is a tenured professor of Public International Law at the University of Barcelona, previously served as president of the Institute of Human Rights of Catalonia.
The Mayor, in view of the result of this procedure, which will in no case be binding, and after consulting the municipal groups, will propose the appointment of the ombudsman.
The regulations stipulate that, once the decree is published, a two-month consultation period will open with entities registered in the municipal registry so that they can propose suitable candidates. Candidacies can also be submitted through a citizen initiative. Although former Mayor Ada Colau introduced a phase of online citizen voting (in 2016 and 2021), this participatory process is not binding.
The final appointment requires the support of two-thirds of the Plenary Council, meaning 27 out of 41 councillors. In Bondia's election in 2021, the process had to be postponed due to a lack of political agreement, but he was finally approved with votes from Barcelona en Comú, PSC, Junts, and ERC.
