Barcelona set dates for presidential elections

Barcelona will hold presidential elections on March 20 and 21 next year.

Incumbent Josep Maria Bartomeu, who cannot stand for re-election after spending two consecutive terms in office, had previously confirmed they would hold elections between January and the end of March after rejecting calls for them to be this year.

The LaLiga club announced on Thursday that the elections will be held "at various sites around the territory, and that postal votes shall be permitted" due to the risks posed by the coronavirus pandemic.

Although he is due to remain in office until next year, Bartomeu and the board are facing the possible threat of a motion of no confidence.

The movement, 'Mes que una Mocio', has the backing of presidential candidates including Victor Font, Jordi Farre and Lluis Fernandez-Ala.

According to Marca, the motion had accumulated 7,500 signatures as of September 8. It requires 15 per cent of registered voting members of the club, or a little over 16,500, to add their signatures by September 17 to force the motion through to the next stage.

Bartomeu and Barca's board have come in for significant criticism due to a decline in the team's fortunes on the pitch, which culminated in a trophyless 2019-20 season that ended with a humiliating 8-2 Champions League quarter-final defeat to Bayern Munich.

There followed a public tussle with captain Lionel Messi, who attempted to engineer a move away from the club but ultimately accepted he will spend at least the final year of his contract at Camp Nou, as fans gathered outside the stadium to protest against the president.

In an interview with Goal Spain, Messi accused Bartomeu of going back on his word about allowing him to leave.