catalan elections

Mas affirmed the beginning of a “national transition” towards the right of Catalans to decide on their own future. A new economic agreement with Spain is a priority in this direction. In addition, the new Catalan President will implement an economic reactivation plan, agreed together with the Parliament and the social agents. The new government will also have 2 expert advisory councils on Economics and Health, organised free of cost by professional associations. Mas also promised that, once the budget improves after the crisis, social policies will represent 55% of the public expenditure.

As expected, Núria de Gispert became the first woman to chair the Catalan Parliament, which has its origins in the 13th Century and is one of the oldest Parliaments in the world. The Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition (CiU) holds 4 of the 7 positions within the Bureau, including the chair. The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) has 2 posts and the Catalan People’s Party (PPC), 1. The 4 smaller parties were not represented in the Bureau.

The second most important person within the Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition, Convergència i Unió (CiU), will not form part of the new Catalan Government. Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida will remain in Madrid as the CiU’s spokesperson in the Spanish Parliament. He will be the Catalan Government’s main negotiator with the Spanish Prime Minister, Zapatero. The new Catalan Parliament resulting from the 28th of November elections will be formed next Thursday and the 129th Catalan President will very likely be elected before Christmas.

Artur Mas began his role as future president, announcing he will collaborate with all and that his first priority is “lifting up Catalonia”. The Socialist leader José Montilla rejected his Parliamentary seat. From Madrid, the People’s Party (PP) interpreted the Catalan results as the first scene to Zapatero’s end. The Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) is judging the defeat as a consequence of the crisis and not the PSOE’s attitude regarding the trimming of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy.

The Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition, ‘Convergència i Unió’ (CiU) wins. The Centre-Right forces get a clear majority in the Catalan Parliament. The governing Left-Wing parties collapse. The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) gets the worst results in history, which could be fatal for Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero future’s re-election. The speech on immigration control, the economic crisis and Spanish identity gives the Catalan People’s Party (PPC) their best results ever in Catalonia. Catalan Nationalist forces globally increase their absolute majority, despite the collapse of the Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC). A new populist independence party ‘Solidaritat per la Independència’ (SI), former FC Barcelona’s President Joan Laporta’s party, enters into the Parliament. The Anti-Catalan Nationalist Party ‘Ciudadanos’ (C’s) maintains its 3 seats. The Catalan Green Socialist Party (ICV-EUiA) loses 2 seats.

Exit polls predict that Artur Mas, CiU’s leader, will very likely be able to govern alone, with between 63-66 seats. The Catalan Socialist Party may collapse, losing more than 10 seats and getting between 24 and 27 seats. The parties in the 3-party governing coalition are losing a lot of support. The Catalan People’s Party (PPC) may become the 3rd force, with 15-17 seats. The Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC) may drop to between 11-13 seats. The Catalan Green Socialist Party (ICV-EUiA) may loose some support and get between 8 and 10 seats. The former FC Barcelona’s President Joan Laporta’s party (SI) could enter into the Parliament with 3-4 seats. The Anti-Catalan Nationalism Party (C’s) may get the same results with around 3 seats. The Right-Wing Catalan Independence Party, Reagrupament (Rgt), could be at the limit of entering into the Parliament with 1 seat.

The 7 years of the Left-Wing 3-party coalition may end on Sunday and CiU may once again rule the Catalan Government. Spain is looking carefully at these elections: the Socialists may collapse, the People’s Party may win seats thanks to its anti-immigration speech, and if CiU wins, they could help Zapatero to pass economic reforms. Europe should look at these elections: the future of the Euro is in Zapatero’s hands, but Zapatero may be in CiU’s. The campaign finished at midnight on Friday. Saturday is the “reflexion day”, when campaigning is forbidden. Sunday the 28th of November is Election Day. The parties’ candidates with Parliamentary representation presented their projects to CNA for a foreign audience.

Convergència i Unió (CiU) will very likely win the elections and rule the Catalan Government. It is already the first party in the Catalan Parliament, with 48 seats (out of 135), and polls predict it could get a result just below the absolute majority, with a range from 59 to 65 seats. CiU is a coalition of 2 parties: a Liberal and a Christian-Democratic. In the last years, CiU has openly defended Catalonia’s right to self-determination and, in this campaign, CiU’s main proposal is to negotiate a special economic agreement for fiscal redistribution with the Spanish Government, in line with the Basque Country’s.

CNA interviews five Catalans living overseas about how they feel about the Catalan elections and what they have done to get their ballot papers in on time

The ERC is going through an inflexion. It was part of the Left-Wing 3-party coalition that ruled the Catalan Government for the last 7 years. After the trimming of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy by the Spanish Constitutional Court, the ERC is now pushing for an independence referendum for the next term. In these elections, they risk losing many seats according to the polls, possibly going back to their 1990s figures and losing their status as the 3rd Catalan party. In addition they are running with a new leader, Joan Puigcercós.

Alícia Sánchez-Camacho leads the Catalan People’s Party (PPC) and is running as its candidate for the Catalan presidency for the first time. Catalonia is where the People’s Party is weaker in Spain. The PPC is the 4th party in the Catalan Parliament. Sánchez-Camacho is putting the economic crisis and immigration at the forefront of her campaign, together with the defence of the Spanish language and the aim to stop Catalan separatists.

The only one? Not anymore. Last night, the televised debate among the leaders of the 6 parties with parliamentary representation ended in a compromise for a second debate tomorrow, this time only between the 2 main leaders: Artur Mas from the CiU and the most likely new president, and the incumbent, José Montilla from PSC, who will likely be defeated according to the polls.

Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds – Esquerra Unida i Alternativa (ICV-EUiA) is a coalition of several political forces, which has 2 main pillars. The main one is the ICV, which is an Eco-Socialist party, and strongly Catalanist. The second one is EUiA, which is a coalition of small pro-Communist parties, linked to the Spanish Izquierda Unida. ICV-EUiA has been in the 3-party governing coalition for the last 7 years. Its current leader is Joan Herrera.

Albert Rivera leads this party, which ran for the first time in the last elections and got 3 seats in the Catalan Parliament. Polls predict they could repeat these results or increase by 1 seat. Ciudadanos (meaning “Citizens”) defends the use of the Spanish language, stating that it is in danger in Catalonia. The party was born as a reaction to the debate on the Catalan Statute of Autonomy’s reform.

Artur Mas, José Montilla, Joan Puigcercós, the PPC, ICV-EUiA, CiU, Ciutadans, the Catalan Parliament, the Catalan Government… What is all this? Those not familiar with the Catalan political ecosystem maybe become easily lost. Here you will find some keys to better understand what’s going on these days.