There is a major split in opinion among the Barcelona presidential candidates on whether or not to allow electronic voting during the upcoming election process.
The issue has become a central talking point of the campaign and is particularly relevant due to the Covid-19 pandemic, meaning that the club must comply with health guidance and regulations from local authorities.
As outlined by El Mundo Deportivo, there is now a split among the candidates on whether or not electronic voting should be introduced.
There are six confirmed candidates for the election, of which Victor Font is said to be the early favourite for the position and he is said by the report to be in favour of the voting to the point where he has written to the club to suggest it, while this has supporter from another candidate – Jordi Farré.
However, Toni Freixa and Agustí Benedito have already signalled they are both opposed, with Freixa even Tweeting that it would not be happening due to the rules and demands of the club.
Prou d’aquest tema, siusplau. No és legal i l’Assemblea va rebutjar la proposta. Game over https://t.co/LmtmT0yTjI
— Toni Freixa (@tonifreixa) November 11, 2020
On September 20, the Generalitat of Catalonia approved a decree law that enables, given the current situation, sports clubs to use electronic means to meet and reach agreements in ordinary assemblies or renew mandates of government boards. However, the decree specified that new members of the board could not be elected electronically.
Former Barcelona president Joan Laporta has previously confirmed he will also be running but is not yet included in the final list as he is yet to finalise his intentions.
Laporta – club president between 2003 and 2010 – lost out to previous incumbent Bartomeu in the 2015 elections, in the wake of Barca winning the treble.
He has frequently voiced his opposition to the club’s current board and recently added his signature to the Vote of Censorship against the club’s board in order to attempt to force through an early change.
Laporta served as MP in the Parliament of Catalonia between 2010 and 2012 and is also a qualified lawyer.
Former vice president Emili Rousaud and former prominent member Xavi Vilajoana are also considering putting their names in the hat.
Meanwhile, the former president of the Catalan Football Federation Jordi Roche – closely linked to former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell – and the businessman Juan Rosell may also be included.
Each candidate will need the signature approval of at least 2,257 members and to present a guaranteed payment of at least €124.2m to be considered.
