The Plenary of the Municipal Council has appointed David Bondia as Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona for the next five years, exceeding the two-thirds of votes required. Bondia, who has held the position since 2021, will continue his mandate following a participatory process in which he received 76% of citizen support.
David Bondia will continue to lead the Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona for the next five years. The Plenary of the Municipal Council approved his appointment on Friday with the favourable votes of Junts, PSC, BComú, and ERC, the abstention of the PP, and the vote against from Vox, thus surpassing the two-thirds support required by the regulations to elect this figure.
Bondia, who has already served as Síndic since 2021, now faces his second and final term, the maximum allowed by the Municipal Charter. He succeeded Maria Assumpció Vilà, who also held the position for two consecutive terms. This time, he competed with lawyer Gemma Calvet for re-election.
The selection process included a phase of citizen participation through the municipal platform Decidim.Barcelona, which concluded on June 30. A total of 2,707 people and 31 entities participated in the voting, and the majority supported Bondia: 76% of citizen support and 81% of entity endorsements. The campaign included public debate spaces and communication throughout the city to raise awareness of the candidacies.
The Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona is an institution responsible for defending the fundamental rights and public freedoms of citizens and all individuals in the city, even if they are not residents. Its role is to oversee the actions of the City Council and municipal public services. With Bondia's re-election, continuity in this oversight function is ensured.
David Bondia is also the president of the Global Alliance of Local Ombudspersons (AGOL), the global network of local advocacy. Additionally, he has chaired the Institute of Human Rights of Catalonia (IDHC) and the working team of the Catalan Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (MCPT). He has been a member of the executive committee of the EuroMed Rights Network, vice president of the Human Rights Structure of Catalonia, and a member of the Catalan Council for the Promotion of Peace. As an expert, he has participated in international missions with the European Union, the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the Council of Europe, and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Bondia is an associate professor of public international law and international relations at the University of Barcelona (UB). He has contributed to the drafting and adoption of the European Charter for the Safeguarding of Human Rights in the City and the Human Rights Plan of Catalonia. He has also advised local ombudspersons in various municipalities and the Forum of Síndics i Síndiques, Defensors i Defensores Locals.
With this re-election, Barcelona retains a leader in the Síndicate with extensive experience in human rights and in defending citizenship. Bondia's new term will extend until 2031, during which he will continue to ensure the proper functioning of municipal administration.
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