Janina Juli Pujol, Marta Estruch and Marcela Topor: the women behind Aragonès, Illa and Puigdemont in the Catalan elections

More than 5.7 million Catalan voters are called to the polls this Sunday, May 12, 2024, when the elections are held. regional elections for the Parliament of Catalonia. Salvador Illa He is a favorite from the PSC. Carles Puigdemont is presented by Junts and Peter Aragonés by ERC. There are three of the candidates along with Alejandro Fernandez (PP), Jessica Albiach (Common), Carlos Carrizosa (Citizens), Silvia Orriols (Catalan Alliance), Ignacio Garriga (Vox) y Laia Estrada (CUP).

Taking into account several of the latest published polls, such as the daily VilaWeb survey of April 29, collected by Europa Pressthe winner of the 2024 Catalan elections on that date would be the PSC of Salvador Illa, with a total of 41 seats (8 more than in the previous ones). Junts would follow, which would maintain 32 seats, while ERC would keep 28, that is, five less.

Pere Aragonès and Janina Juli Pujol

The president of the Generalitat, 41 years old, shares his life with Janina Juli Pujol, 35. The two are a well-known couple in Pineda de Mar, where they grew up. They share a daughter and strong independence ideas, although their political origins were somewhat different.

They met in 2011 and not exactly in a romantic environment, but rather a political one. Janina was number 13 on the lists of the old Convergència i Unió, predecessors of Junts, when Aragonés headed the ERC. Both, great promises in the world of politics, fell in love and said “I do” in June 2017 in Mas Cabanyes, an impressive estate listed as a Cultural Asset of National Interest in which they also promised eternal love Risto Mejide and Laura Escanes. They both belong to very well-positioned families in Catalonia, his thanks to the hotel business, hers thanks to textiles, so their union was quite an event.

His future in the world of politics was becoming more optimistic, so she has been gradually giving up her party and her aspirations (she became coordinator in the Maresme region) to accompany Pere on the path to The presidency.

Salvador Illa and Marta Estruch

Very discreet with her private life, Illa relies on personal matters in Marta Estruch. She is the second wife of the former Minister of Health, who turned 58 on May 5, and works as an employee in the marketing department at Nestlé. Illa’s wife does not appear at public events nor has she campaigned with her husband because she does not go to rallies. In February 2021, the socialist leader finally spoke about his family: “I dedicate this victory to my wife and my daughter,” he said in his appearance before the press after winning the elections in Catalonia, tied in seats with ERC.

Estruch broke her usual secrecy in March, when she accompanied her husband to a reception with the Pope Francisco. The Illa-Estruchs, with deep religious convictions, usually go to mass when they are together in the Barcelona town of La Roca del Vallés, where the politician was mayor and they reside.

Carles Puigdemont and Marcela Topor

Marcela Topor is the love of Puigdemont since more than twenty years ago the independence politician fell in love with the Romanian woman, a philology student and actress, who came to Spain from Bucharest to participate in a theater festival that depended on him.

Puigdemont, 61, and Topor, 47, were married more than two decades ago through the Orthodox rite and after becoming Mrs. Pucho, she moved into journalism, of course, working in the media where her husband worked. She was hired as the show’s host. Catalan Conections, from Punt Avui TV. When he arrived from Romania, his country of origin, he didn’t even speak Catalan, and he took an intensive course. Now, as you can imagine, she is the number one defender of her husband’s language and in her articles she urges that Spain, which has the rotating presidency of the EU council, make Catalan an official language in Europe.

They have two daughters who currently live with their mother in a luxurious 300 square meter house in Villa Golf, in the town of Sant Julià de Ramis. Puigdemont continues to reside in Waterloo, Brussels, in her comfortable 500-square-meter house.

And the rest of the candidates?

By Alejandro Fernandezof the PP, the 47-year-old popular politician is the father of two teenage daughters from a failed marriage and is the father of another girl, the result of his current relationship with his partner, named Mar. Little is known about her, but in the previous her husband’s campaign was operated on for a tumor for which she was temporarily admitted to the ICU.

A Jessica Albiach, from Comuns (and supported by Sumar), at 44 years old she has no known partner; while Carlos Carrizosafrom Ciudadanos, is divorced and the father of three children at 60 years old. Silvia Orriols, by Aliança Catalana, is a mother of five children at 39 years old. David Subirana, number 7 in her party, is her life partner and she started with him more than 23 years ago. Ignacio Garriga, the candidate representing Vox, is also the father of a large family, since at 37 years old he has four children with his wife, named Violeta, with whom he has also been with for more than twenty years. They have been married since 2012. Lastly, Laia Estrada from CUP, is married and is the mother of a two-year-old child. She is 41 years old.