Josep Rius, councillor and spokesperson for Junts in Barcelona, has publicly announced that he will not run as a candidate in the upcoming municipal elections to lead the party's list in the city. The decision comes after Jordi Martí, aligned with former mayor Xavier Trias, expressed his intention to lead the candidacy.

In a statement released on social media, Rius argued that Junts' project in Barcelona should be based on "summation and not on internal confrontation or challenge." "Internal confrontation weakens us," he stated, assuring he would not participate in it. His withdrawal occurs in a context where the possibility of lawyer Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas also running as a candidate had been considered.

Rius admitted he had "very seriously" considered leading the renewal of Junts in Barcelona, drawing on his political experience in the city since Trias's government. However, he believes Martí's announcement "alters some of the essential conditions" he had set, such as generosity and consensus, to promote a project "of renewal, proposal, and ambition".

The councillor also strongly criticized the PSC's project in the city, led by mayor Collboni, accusing it of leaving a Barcelona that is "increasingly expensive, with tourist overcrowding, collapsed, disordered, and insecure," where "Catalan is losing presence." Rius defends the need to build a "winning alternative" to this model.