How Visura Ciutadana shapes El cap de Govern respon

In the weeks before El cap de Govern respon, Visura Ciutadana undertakes substantial behind‑the‑scenes work that shapes much of what appears on screen. The participatory body reviews all questions submitted through the public form, groups them by topic and reformulates them to reflect the most recurrent concerns of citizens.

Esther Vila, who was the first Visura member to pose questions live this edition, said she felt very nervous despite having taken part the previous year. She emphasised that Visura’s role is representative rather than journalistic: the group’s job is to carry citizens’ voices, not to act as communication professionals.

The selection process involves weeks of work. “We do not filter anything at the outset,” Olivier Bracque explained. All questions are received and classified by theme, then synthesised so similar items are grouped while preserving their original intent. The guiding criterion is volume: topics that the largest number of people ask about are the ones most likely to appear in the programme.

Vila said she had the impression that head of government Xavier Espot responded to all the issues raised, in one way or another. Housing again dominated the debate, but Vila was surprised by Espot’s final remark about the justice system, in which he acknowledged that the judiciary was not providing the level of legal security the country expects.

On the question of whether the government can predict the questions, Visura members say the process is transparent. The group prepares and finalises the questions on the afternoon of the broadcast and then sends them to the government in that form. Bracque added that Espot’s team has access to all questions submitted by the public, so it is inevitable they can anticipate which themes will surface.

This edition saw a marked increase in participation, with roughly double the number of submissions compared with the previous year. Both Vila and Bracque welcomed the higher engagement and described Visura’s work as intense but rewarding. They regard the format as a valuable democratic exercise that has encouraged citizens to take part.

Looking ahead, Bracque suggested the format could be made even more democratic by involving opposition members or combining the head of government’s responses with those of a representative from the Consell, which he believes would enrich public debate as preparations begin for a fourth edition.