Democratic Union of Catalonia
This article needs additional citations for verification. (July 2014) |
Democratic Union of Catalonia Unió Democràtica de Catalunya | |
---|---|
![]() | |
Abbreviation | UDC |
Secretary | Ramon Espadaler |
Founded | 7 November 1931 |
Dissolved | 24 March 2017 |
Headquarters | C/Nàpols, 35-39 Barcelona |
Ideology | Regionalism Christian democracy[1] Pro-Europeanism |
Political position | Centre-right |
European affiliation | European People's Party |
European Parliament group | European People's Party |
International affiliation | Centrist Democrat International |
Colours | Blue, White |
The Democratic Union of Catalonia (Catalan: Unió Democràtica de Catalunya; IPA: [uniˈo ðəmuˈkɾatikə ðə kətəˈluɲə], UDC) was a regionalist and Christian democratic political party in the Catalonia region of Spain. Together with the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, until 2015 it was part of the Convergence and Union (CiU) coalition. They ruled the Generalitat de Catalunya until its breakup.
It described itself as Catalan nationalist and Christian democrat, and was a member of the European People's Party (EPP), and a full member of The Union of the Robert Schuman Institute for Developing Democracy in Central and Eastern Europe located in Budapest, Hungary.
Break up of CiU
By June 2015 tensions within the two parties forming the Convergence and Union federation had reached an all-time high in June 2015 due to differences between the positions of the UDC leadership and the Democratic Convergence (CDC) leader Artur Mas over the sovereignty process. CDC was in favour of outright independence even if it meant breaking the established Spanish legality, while UDC was against doing it without the acceptance of the Spanish government.
As a result, a referendum of UDC members was held on 14 June 2015, asking whether UDC should commit itself to continue with the process but with certain conditions, including not violating the legality in force through unilateral independence declarations or starting constituent processes at the margin of legal norms.[2][3] Such a position, supported by UDC leaders and contrary to the signed agreements between CDC, ERC and sovereignty entities, was approved by UDC members with an adjusted 50.9%.[4] After this, meetings between UDC and CDC leaders led to an ultimatum from CDC to UDC for the latter to decide within "two or three days" whether it committed itself to the independence plan.[5]
On 17 June, after a meeting of the UDC leadership, it was announced that UDC was withdrawing all three of its members from the Government of the Generalitat of Catalonia, although they agreed to maintain parliamentary stability until the end of the legislature.[6] That same day at night, the CDC National Executive Committee met and in a press conference the next day confirmed that UDC and CDC would not stand together in the 2015 regional election, and that the political project of the CiU federation was over, spelling the end of 37 years of cooperation between both parties as Convergence and Union.[7][8]
Later in July 2015, a pro-independence faction of the UDC broke away to found the Democrats of Catalonia. In the 2015 Catalan parliamentary election the UDC lost all 13 of its seats.
On 24 March 2017, UDC was dissolved by its last secretary general, Ramon Espalader, because of several electoral defeats and economic debts.[9][10] Some of its former members, including Espalader, founded a new catalanist political party called Units per Avançar[11], which eventually made an electoral pact with the Socialists' Party of Catalonia in order to seek the 2017 Catalan regional election.[12]
Electoral performance
Parliament of Catalonia
Parliament of Catalonia | |||||
Election | Vote | % | Seats | Status | Leader |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1980 | with CiU | – | 8 / 135
|
Government | Miquel Coll |
1984 | with CiU | – | 16 / 135
|
Government | Miquel Coll |
1988 | with CiU | – | 15 / 135
|
Government | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
1992 | with CiU | – | 16 / 135
|
Government | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
1995 | with CiU | – | 14 / 135
|
Government | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
1999 | with CiU | – | 13 / 135
|
Government | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
2003 | with CiU | – | 13 / 135
|
Opposition | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
2006 | with CiU | – | 14 / 135
|
Opposition | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
2010 | with CiU | – | 17 / 135
|
Government | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
2012 | with CiU | – | 13 / 135
|
Government | Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida |
2015 | 103,293 (#7) | 2.51 | 0 / 135
|
N/A | Ramon Espadaler |
Congress of Deputies
Congress of Deputies | |||||||
Election | Spain | Catalonia | Status | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vote | % | Seats | Vote | % | Seats | ||
1977 | with UCiDCC | – | 1 / 350
|
with UCiDCC | – | 1 / 47
|
Opposition |
1979 | with CiU | – | 1 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 1 / 47
|
Opposition |
1982 | with CiU | – | 3 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 3 / 47
|
Opposition |
1986 | with CiU | – | 5 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 5 / 47
|
Opposition |
1989 | with CiU | – | 5 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 5 / 46
|
Opposition |
1993 | with CiU | – | 5 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 5 / 47
|
Opposition |
1996 | with CiU | – | 5 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 5 / 46
|
Opposition |
2000 | with CiU | – | 4 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 4 / 46
|
Opposition |
2004 | with CiU | – | 4 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 4 / 47
|
Opposition |
2008 | with CiU | – | 4 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 4 / 47
|
Opposition |
2011 | with CiU | – | 6 / 350
|
with CiU | – | 6 / 47
|
Opposition |
2015 | 65,388 (#14) | 0.26 | 0 / 350
|
65,388 (#7) | 1.74 | 0 / 47
|
N/A |
Senate
Senate | ||||
Election | Spain | Catalonia | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
Seats | Vote | % | Seats | |
1977 | 0 / 208
|
with DiC | – | 0 / 16
|
1979 | 0 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 0 / 16
|
1982 | 1 / 208
|
with Cat.Senat | – | 1 / 16
|
1986 | 1 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 1 / 16
|
1989 | 2 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 2 / 16
|
1993 | 3 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 3 / 16
|
1996 | 2 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 2 / 16
|
2000 | 2 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 2 / 16
|
2004 | 0 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 0 / 16
|
2008 | 0 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 0 / 16
|
2011 | 2 / 208
|
with CiU | – | 2 / 16
|
2015 | 0 / 208
|
63,062 (#8) | 1.79 | 0 / 16
|
European Parliament
European Parliament | ||||||
Election | Spain | Catalonia | ||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Vote | % | Seats | Vote | % | ||
1987 | with CiU | – | 1 / 60
|
with CiU | – | |
1989 | with CiU | – | 1 / 60
|
with CiU | – | |
1994 | with CiU | – | 1 / 64
|
with CiU | – | |
1999 | with CiU | – | 1 / 64
|
with CiU | – | |
2004 | with Galeusca | – | 0 / 54
|
with CiU | – | |
2009 | with CEU | – | 1 / 54
|
with CiU | – | |
2014 | with CEU | – | 1 / 54
|
with CiU | – |
References
- ^ "Parties and Elections in Europe, "Spain", The database about parliamentary elections and political parties in Europe, by Wolfram Nordsieck". Parties & Elections. 19 March 2013. Retrieved 19 March 2013.
- ^ "Unió will consult its members in order to define itself on the sovereignty process" (in Spanish). El País. 2015-02-21.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Union will put to vote its commitment to the sovereignty plan" (in Spanish). El País. 2015-06-14.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Duran obtains an adjusted support to condition Mas' plan" (in Spanish). El País. 2015-06-14.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Mas gives Duran three days to decide if he supports the independence" (in Spanish). El País. 2015-06-15.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Union leaves Mas' government as rejection to his independence plan" (in Spanish). El País. 2015-06-17.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "CiU disintegrates: "The political project of the federation is over"" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2015-06-18.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Convergence announces the end of CiU: "The common project is over"" (in Spanish). El País. 2015-06-18.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Unió inicia el proceso de liquidación de partido" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2017-03-24.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Unió afronta su disolución tras 86 años de actividad política" (in Spanish). La Vanguardia. 2017-03-24.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "Nace Units per Avançar, partido catalanista y liberal que rechaza el referéndum" (in Spanish). El Mundo. 2017-06-19.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help) - ^ "El PSC cierra un acuerdo para ir al 21-D con Units per Avançar" (in Spanish). El Periódico. 2017-11-08.
{{cite web}}
: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=
(help)
- 1931 establishments in Catalonia
- 2017 disestablishments in Catalonia
- Catalan nationalism
- Christian democratic parties in Europe
- Conservative parties in Spain
- Defunct political parties in Catalonia
- Member parties of the European People's Party
- Political parties established in 1931
- Political parties disestablished in 2017