FC Barcelona president Joan Laporta has stepped down from his position ahead of the club’s presidential and board elections scheduled for March 15, a decision confirmed at a board meeting on Monday.
The resignation was completed in line with the club’s statutes, which require a sitting president to vacate office to stand as a candidate in the electoral process.
The decision taken at the meeting also included the official publication of the call for elections, marking the start of the campaign at the Catalan club.
Laporta’s resignation was not an isolated move, as some members of his current board also relinquished their roles to participate in the elections.
Among those who resigned alongside the outgoing president were vice president for the Institutional Area Elena Fort and vice president for the Social Area Antonio Escudero. Board members Ferran Olivé, Josep Maria Albert, Javier Barbany, Miquel Camps, Aureli Mas, Javier Puig, Joan Soler and Ferré also submitted their resignations, in a move to restructure the leadership at the club ahead of the vote.
Following the formal acceptance of those resignations, FC Barcelona confirmed that the Board of Directors will continue to exercise its functions until the end of the current mandate, which is scheduled to conclude on June 30.
Laporta is expected to contest the election as he seeks another term at the head of the club, having previously won the presidency with strong backing from club members.
His decision to step aside at this stage allows him to campaign on equal footing with other candidates once the endorsement and validation phases of the electoral process begin.
Voting is scheduled to take place on March 15, with members eligible to cast their ballots across multiple designated polling locations, as outlined in the official election call.
