The Municipal Council has ratified David Bondia as Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona with votes in favour from all groups except the PP, which abstained, and Vox, which voted against. Bondia will hold the position until 2031.
The Municipal Council of Barcelona has ratified this Friday the candidacy of David Bondia as Síndic de Greuges of the Catalan capital. The vote received support from all political groups except the PP, which abstained, and Vox, which voted against. Bondia, who has held the position since 2021, will continue to lead the Sindicatura until 2031, although his appointment will not be official until October, when his current term ends.
The Mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, closed the debate prior to the vote with thanks to both candidates. “The good work of the Síndic contributes to improving municipal governance,” declared the councillor, who highlighted the ability to convey the feelings of citizens to the municipal government and seek solutions to the problems of the neighbours.
Bondia already prevailed in the citizen voting, a non-binding but relevant process for councillors to decide their vote. In that consultation, Bondia gathered 2,064 votes, compared to the 643 obtained by the other candidate, Gemma Calvet. Additionally, Bondia had the support of 50 entities that presented his candidacy, half of which endorsed him; while Calvet was presented by four entities and received support from six.
The First Deputy Mayor, Laia Bonet, wished Bondia “many successes” and highlighted his work in recent years. “It is necessary to recognise the role of the Sindicatura de Greuges, which helps us listen more and govern better,” she stated. For his part, the president of the municipal group of Junts, Jordi Martí, emphasised the importance “for the country” of the municipal sindicature and asked the new Síndic for “more capacity for impact so that his recommendations translate into real changes; we ask for one more step, more accountability.”
The councillor of Barcelona en Comú, Marc Serra, celebrated the process of citizen participation and pointed out that “we need governments that believe in citizen participation.” He added that the Sindicatura must “guarantee the rights of citizens, especially those who need it the most.” Rosa Suriñac, a councillor from ERC, expressed her group’s “trust” in Bondia and asked him to “have even more impact on the ground.”
The discordant notes came from the PP and Vox. PP councillor Sonia Devesa argued that “the time has come to open a serious debate on a model that further strengthens the independence of the position.” Meanwhile, Vox councillor Gonzalo de Oro-Pulido criticised the existence of the Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona, considering it a “triplicity” since there is also the Síndic of Catalunya and the Defender of Citizenship at the national level.
David Bondia holds a degree in Law and has been the Síndic de Greuges of Barcelona since 2021. At that time, he was appointed with votes in favour from ERC, Barcelona en Comú, Junts, and the PSC, while Ciutadans, Barcelona pel Canvi, and the PP voted against. Previously, he was president of the Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya and an associate professor of Public International Law at the Universitat de Barcelona. Gemma Calvet, also a law graduate, has a career linked to the sector: she was part of the Ethics Committee of the Police of Catalunya, the Consortium of Social Services of Barcelona, the Office for Non-discrimination of the City Council of Barcelona, and the Penitentiary Table of Catalunya.
With this ratification, Bondia will continue to lead the Sindicatura de Greuges of Barcelona, an organ that acts as a defender of citizens' rights before the municipal administration. His new term will extend until 2031, allowing him to consolidate his work in defending rights and improving democratic quality in the Catalan capital.
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