Virtus Rejects Election Pacts Until November Assembly Picks Permanent Board

Virtus has insisted it will not be drawn into electoral alliances yet, after senior Democrats publicly courted the new group for the centre-right platform they are assembling ahead of elections expected next spring. Josep Duró, Virtus's provisional president, said any decision on a pact depends first on the permanent board to be chosen at the party's general assembly in mid-November.

Speaking at the group's presentation in Andorra la Vella before around sixty people, Duró said the priority is the political programme and the country model rather than the distribution of posts. "We are not here for the seats," he said, adding that dialogue between political forces is necessary but that coalitions will only be sealed if Virtus's core principles are shared.

He confirmed he has spoken with figures across the political spectrum, including Democrats general secretary Guillem Casal, head of government Xavier Espot and Cerni Escalé. Asked about the Social Democrats, he said the party would be welcome to join a dialogue on those terms, since the focus is on the project rather than party labels. On the Democrats' overtures he used a culinary metaphor: a good escudella needs all its ingredients, and for now they are not there.

Virtus set one non-negotiable condition for any future negotiation: strict respect for Andorran institutions and the 1993 Constitution, approved by 75% of voters. Duró described any attempt to dismantle the country's institutions as a red line, with the Co-Principality at the centre of the group's thinking.

The event formalised Virtus's transformation from an opinion group into a full political party, with promoters arguing it can offer calm, realism and greater scrutiny of government at a time they say the country feels adrift. Duró said legislation has too often been passed before affected associations were consulted, and that Virtus wants a more participatory society that listens to sectors, young people and older residents.

Former health minister Albert Font, Robert Call and Xavier Altimir set out the ten-point platform. Its main axes include more efficient coordination between the communes and the government, an economy driven by private initiative alongside rigorous public management, economic diversification, preserving residents' quality of life, and better road and technological connectivity. The promoters acknowledged the party is newly created but stressed the institutional and professional experience of its members, with Font saying they have more to offer than simply walking the dog.

On the association agreement with the EU, Virtus has no common official position or voting instruction for the referendum. Altimir said citizens should decide freely in a transparent debate that respects differing views, noting the group spans a range of sensibilities. Duró declined to set out a collective stance.

The current leadership remains provisional and constituent after a first phase focused on internal organisation and institutional contacts; the November assembly will elect the permanent board and working teams. Among those attending were former Sant Julià de Lòria consul Josep Majoral, Simó Duró, Jordi Cerqueda, Francesc Gran, Ton Armengol, Rosalina Areny, Alain Bernat and Enric Tarrado.