Barcelona have announced on Monday, February 9, that their president Joan Laporta has resigned from his position ahead of the elections that will take place in the coming weeks. The news might sound a bit surprising but it shouldn't be. In fact, it was a consequence of the Article 42.f of the Barcelona Statutes, which forced Laporta to step down from his position in order to be "eligible to stand in the elections to the Board of Directors." Here's what you need to know: 

When are the elections taking place? 

The real elections are taking place on March 15 but there is a long way to go before that day, as explained by the club in an official statement: "Alongside Laporta, several members of the current board have also relinquished their posts to take part in the electoral process. Specifically, resignations were presented by the vice-president for the Institutional Area, Elena Fort; the vice-president for the Social Area, Rafael Escudero; and board members Ferran Oliver, Josep Maria Albert, Xavier Barbany, Miquel Camps, Aureli Mas, Xavier Puig, and Joan Soler i Ferré. Now that these resignations have been formalized, the Board of Directors will continue to carry out its duties until the end of the current term, scheduled for 30 June, under a new configuration. Until then, the club's highest governing body will be made up of Rafael Yuste as president, Josep Cubells as vice-president and secretary, Alfons Castro as treasurer, and board members Josep Ignasi Macià, Àngel Riudalbas, Joan Solé i Sust and Sisco Pujol."

Here's what will happen before the elections: 

• February 9: publication of the official call for elections.
• February 10: public draw to select the members of the Electoral Board and the Electoral Committee.
• February 13-14: formal constitution of the Electoral Board and the Electoral Committee.
• February 15 and beyond: endorsement slips may be requested.
• February 15-19: publication of the electoral roll.
• February 20-22: resolution of claims and approval of the final electoral roll.
• February 23 to March 2: submission of proposed candidacies.
• March 3-5: counting of endorsements and announcement of candidates who obtain support from at least 50% of the members of the Assembly.
• March 6-13: election campaign.
• March 14: reflection day.
• March 15: voting day.

As for polling stations, the club will set up five voting locations: one in each of the four Catalan provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona and another in the Principality of Andorra. The electoral roll will be universal, meaning members may vote at any of these locations regardless of where they live. The specific venues will be announced at a later date. There will be no postal voting for this election. This procedure was introduced exceptionally in the 2021 elections due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The candidates

All the candidates will have to present 2,321 signatures that support them and as of today the candidates are Xavier Vilajoana, Joan Camprubí, Marc Ciria and most notably Victor Font who came second in the 2021 elections. Font has publicly announced he won't confirm Deco as a sport director if he wins the elections, while he said he will keep Hansi Flick in charge of the job. Font has criticized Laporta for the timing of the elections that usually take place at the end of the season to avoid possible distractions during the campaign and this is also why Laporta is expected to win as of today. 

Barcelona presidents in the history

Here's a list of the Barcelona presidents in the history: 

• Walter Wild (1899–1901)
• Bartomeu Terrades (1901–1902)
• Paul Haas (1902–1903)
• Arthur Witty (1903–1905)
• Josep Soler (1905–1906)
• Juli Marial (1906–1908)
• Vicenç Reig (1908)
• Joan Gamper (multiple terms: 1908–1909 / 1910–1913 / 1917–1919 / 1921–1923 / 1924–1925)
• Otto Gmeling (1909–1910)
• Francesc de Moxó (1913–1914)
• Àlvar Presta (1914)
• Joaquim Peris de Vargas (1914–1915)
• Rafael Llopart (1915–1916)
• Gaspar Rosés (1916–1917 / 1920–1921 / 1930–1931)
• Ricard Graells (1919–1920)
• Arcadi Balaguer (1925–1929)
• Tomàs Rosés (1929–1930)
• Antoni Oliver (1931)
• (Interim employees' committee) (1936–1937)
• Francesc Xavier Casals (1937–1939)
• (Managing Commission) (1939–1940)
• Enrique Piñeyro (Marquès de la Mesa de Asta) (1940–1943)
• Josep Vidal-Ribas (1942)
• Josep Antoni de Albert (1943)
• Agustí Montal i Galobart (1946–1952)
• Enric Llaudet (1961–1968)
• Narcís de Carreras (1968–1969)
• Agustí Montal i Costa (1969–1977)
• Raimon Carrasco i Azemar (1977–1978)
• Josep Lluís Núñez (1978–2000)
• Joan Gaspart i Solves (2000–2003)
• Enric Reyna i Martínez (2003)
• (Management Committee) (2003)
• Joan Laporta (2003–2010)
• Sandro Rosell (2010–2014)
• Josep Maria Bartomeu (2014–2020)
• (Managing Commission) (2020–2021)
• Joan Laporta (2021–present)

Who is Laporta? 

Born in Barcelona on June 29, 1962, Laporta is the first president in Barcelona history to be democratically elected to lead the club for two separate periods. He is a founding partner and owner of the Laporta & Arbós Advocats Associats legal firm and a member of the Barcelona Bar Association. After his first term ended in 2010, and after standing for election in 2015, Joan Laporta returned as president by winning the election on 7 March 2021 with 30,184 votes. During his first term from 2003 to 2010, Barcelona's men won four La Liga titles, two UEFA Champions League titles, one Copa del Rey, three Spanish Super Cups, one UEFA Super Cup, and one FIFA Club World Cup. In his second term, Barcelona added one La Liga title, one Copa del Rey, and two Spanish Super Cups for a total of 16 major trophies under his presidency.