Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Encyclopedia
The Republican Left of Catalonia is a left wing Catalan independentist
political party in Spain
. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France
and Spain
in the territories known among Catalan nationalists
as Països Catalans. Occitan Republican Left
, formed in 2008, acts as the Aranese
section.
Its current president is Oriol Junqueras and its secretary-general is Marta Rovira.
(commitment to the Left's agenda in the political debate), República
(commitment to the Republican form of government vs. Spain's current constitutional monarchy
) and Catalunya
(Catalan independentism
, which, as understood by ERC, comprises the so-called Catalan Countries
).
Despite having been one of the main forces behind the movement for amendment, the party eventually opposed the 2006 changes to the Catalan Statute of Autonomy
to increase Catalonia's autonomy. It did so on the grounds that it did not do enough to increase Catalan independence. This caused a government crisis with its partners (specially with the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya, PSC) which led to an early election in 2006
.
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya has ten seats in the Catalan Parliament, suffering a dramatic setback after the Catalan parliamentary election of 2010, and one seat in the Balearic Parliament. Until 2010, it was one of the three coalition members of the tripartite left-wing Catalan Government
, together with Socialists' Party of Catalonia
(PSC) and Initiative for Catalonia Greens
(ICV). The coalition was often uneasy due to tensions related to the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia
.
Out of the Catalan countries
, it has three seats (fifth largest group by seats) in the Spanish Parliament
and one seat in the European Parliament
.
.
In 1934, led by Lluís Companys, the elected Catalan President, the party declared an independent Catalan Republic within the Spanish Federation proposed by Companys, following the entry of right-wing ministers of the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right
(CEDA) into the Government of the Spanish Republic, however the party leaders (including Companys) and all the Catalan Government (called Generalitat
) were arrested and jailed for this, and special autonomy laws for Catalonia were suspended until 1936.
In 1936, at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War
, ERC decided to become part of the Spanish Popular Front to contest that year's election, which it won. Esquerra became the leading force of the Popular Front in Catalonia and tried to maintain the unity of the Front in the face of growing tensions between the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification
(POUM) and the Communist Party of Spain (PCE).
The party was declared illegal (along with all other participants in the Popular Front) by Francisco Franco
after he came to power in 1939 . The former president of the Catalan Generalitat
, Lluís Companys, was arrested by German agents in collaboration with Vichy France
, returned to Spain and executed in 1940.
The party is also federated with parties in the Balearic Islands
and in Northern Catalonia
in France, as well as with Republican Left of the Valencian Country
in the Valencian Community
. Except for their Balearic counterpart, none of the latter currently have any parliamentary representation in their respective territories, though they do hold some municipal councilors.
Catalan independentism
Catalan independentism is a political movement, derived from Catalan nationalism, which supports the independence of Catalonia or the so-called Catalan countries from Spain and France...
political party in Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
in the territories known among Catalan nationalists
Catalan nationalism
Catalan nationalism or Catalanism , is a political movement advocating for either further political autonomy or full independence of Catalonia....
as Països Catalans. Occitan Republican Left
Occitan Republican Left
Occitan Republican Left is an Occitanist political party in Val d'Aran comarca of Catalonia, Spain. Founded in 2008 to contest Unity of Aran and Aranese Democratic Convergence at 2011 elections for the Aranese General Council, the party acts practically as the local section of the Republican...
, formed in 2008, acts as the Aranese
Val d'Aran
The Val d'Aran is a valley in the Pyrenees mountains and a comarca in the northwestern part of the province of Lleida, in Catalonia, northern Spain. Most of the valley constitutes the only part of Spain, and of Catalonia, on the north face of the Pyrenees, hence the only part of Catalonia whose...
section.
Its current president is Oriol Junqueras and its secretary-general is Marta Rovira.
Political principles and representation
Its basic political principles are defined in the Statement of Ideology approved at the 19th National Congress in 1993. This is organised into the three areas that give the organisation its name: EsquerraLeft-wing politics
In politics, Left, left-wing and leftist generally refer to support for social change to create a more egalitarian society...
(commitment to the Left's agenda in the political debate), República
Republic
A republic is a form of government in which the people, or some significant portion of them, have supreme control over the government and where offices of state are elected or chosen by elected people. In modern times, a common simplified definition of a republic is a government where the head of...
(commitment to the Republican form of government vs. Spain's current constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
) and Catalunya
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
(Catalan independentism
Catalan independentism
Catalan independentism is a political movement, derived from Catalan nationalism, which supports the independence of Catalonia or the so-called Catalan countries from Spain and France...
, which, as understood by ERC, comprises the so-called Catalan Countries
Catalan Countries
The Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...
).
Despite having been one of the main forces behind the movement for amendment, the party eventually opposed the 2006 changes to the Catalan Statute of Autonomy
Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia
The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia provides Catalonia's basic institutional regulations. It defines the rights and obligations of the citizens of Catalonia , the political institutions of the Catalan nationality, their competences and relations with the rest of Spain, and the financing of the...
to increase Catalonia's autonomy. It did so on the grounds that it did not do enough to increase Catalan independence. This caused a government crisis with its partners (specially with the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya, PSC) which led to an early election in 2006
Catalan Parliament election, 2006
Elections to the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain, were held on November 1, 2006.-Background:The November 2006 Catalan parliament election was an early one...
.
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya has ten seats in the Catalan Parliament, suffering a dramatic setback after the Catalan parliamentary election of 2010, and one seat in the Balearic Parliament. Until 2010, it was one of the three coalition members of the tripartite left-wing Catalan Government
Generalitat de Catalunya
The Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
, together with Socialists' Party of Catalonia
Socialists' Party of Catalonia
The Socialists' Party of Catalonia is a social-democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain resulting from the merge of two parties PSC Reagrupament led by Josep Pallach i Carolà and PSC Comgres. It is the Catalan referent of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , and its Aranese section is...
(PSC) and Initiative for Catalonia Greens
Initiative for Catalonia Greens
Initiative for Catalonia Greens is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. It was formed as a merger of Iniciativa per Catalunya and Els Verds. IC had been an alliance led by Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya and was the equivalent of Izquierda Unida in Catalonia...
(ICV). The coalition was often uneasy due to tensions related to the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia
Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia
The Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia provides Catalonia's basic institutional regulations. It defines the rights and obligations of the citizens of Catalonia , the political institutions of the Catalan nationality, their competences and relations with the rest of Spain, and the financing of the...
.
Out of the Catalan countries
Catalan Countries
The Catalan term Països Catalans refers to the territories where the Catalan language is spoken.The first mentions of the term date back to the late 19th century, but it never surpassed the limits of a small circle of Catalan authors until its strictly cultural dimension became increasingly...
, it has three seats (fifth largest group by seats) in the Spanish Parliament
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
and one seat in the European Parliament
European Parliament
The European Parliament is the directly elected parliamentary institution of the European Union . Together with the Council of the European Union and the Commission, it exercises the legislative function of the EU and it has been described as one of the most powerful legislatures in the world...
.
History
Led by Francesc Macià in 1931, the party declared an independent Catalan Republic that was curtailed by the new Constitution of the Second Spanish RepublicSecond Spanish Republic
The Second Spanish Republic was the government of Spain between April 14 1931, and its destruction by a military rebellion, led by General Francisco Franco....
.
In 1934, led by Lluís Companys, the elected Catalan President, the party declared an independent Catalan Republic within the Spanish Federation proposed by Companys, following the entry of right-wing ministers of the Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right
Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right
The Spanish Confederation of the Autonomous Right was a Spanish political party in the Second Spanish Republic. A Catholic conservative force, it was the political heir to Angel Herrera Oria's Acción Popular and defined itself in terms of the 'affirmation and defence of the principles of Christian...
(CEDA) into the Government of the Spanish Republic, however the party leaders (including Companys) and all the Catalan Government (called Generalitat
Generalitat de Catalunya
The Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
) were arrested and jailed for this, and special autonomy laws for Catalonia were suspended until 1936.
In 1936, at the dawn of the Spanish Civil War
Spanish Civil War
The Spanish Civil WarAlso known as The Crusade among Nationalists, the Fourth Carlist War among Carlists, and The Rebellion or Uprising among Republicans. was a major conflict fought in Spain from 17 July 1936 to 1 April 1939...
, ERC decided to become part of the Spanish Popular Front to contest that year's election, which it won. Esquerra became the leading force of the Popular Front in Catalonia and tried to maintain the unity of the Front in the face of growing tensions between the Workers' Party of Marxist Unification
Poum
Poum is a commune in the North Province of New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France in the Pacific Ocean. The town of Poum is located in the far northwest, located on the southern part of Banare Bay, with Mouac Island just offshore....
(POUM) and the Communist Party of Spain (PCE).
The party was declared illegal (along with all other participants in the Popular Front) by Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
after he came to power in 1939 . The former president of the Catalan Generalitat
Generalitat de Catalunya
The Generalitat of Catalonia is the institution under which the autonomous community of Catalonia is politically organised. It consists of the Parliament, the President of the Generalitat of Catalonia and the Government of Catalonia....
, Lluís Companys, was arrested by German agents in collaboration with Vichy France
Vichy France
Vichy France, Vichy Regime, or Vichy Government, are common terms used to describe the government of France that collaborated with the Axis powers from July 1940 to August 1944. This government succeeded the Third Republic and preceded the Provisional Government of the French Republic...
, returned to Spain and executed in 1940.
The party is also federated with parties in the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
and in Northern Catalonia
Northern Catalonia
Northern Catalonia is a term that is sometimes used, particularly in Catalan writings, to refer to the territory ceded to France by Spain through the signing of the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659...
in France, as well as with Republican Left of the Valencian Country
Republican Left of the Valencian Country
Republican Left of the Valencian Country is a Valencian left nationalist and republican party.The original ERPV was founded in 1933, then disbanded in 1935...
in the Valencian Community
Valencian Community
The Valencian Community is an autonomous community of Spain located in central and south-eastern Iberian Peninsula. Its capital and largest city is Valencia...
. Except for their Balearic counterpart, none of the latter currently have any parliamentary representation in their respective territories, though they do hold some municipal councilors.
Presidents
- Francesc MaciàFrancesc Macià i LlussàFrancesc Macià i Llussà was the 122nd President of Catalonia formerly a Catalan officer in the Spanish Army.-Life:He achieved the rank of lieutenant-colonel during his military career....
(1931-1933) - Lluís Companys (1933-1935)
- Carles Pi i Sunyer (1933-1935)
- Lluís Companys (1936-1940)
- Heribert Barrera (1993-1995)
- Jaume Campabadal (1995-1996)
- Jordi CarbonellJordi Carbonell i de BallesterJordi Carbonell i de Ballester is a Spanish politician and philologist.A graduate in Romance philology from the University of Barcelona, Jordi Carbonell was a professor in Catalan Language at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, from which he was expelled in 1972 for political reasons...
(1996-2004) - Josep-Lluís Carod-RoviraJosep-Lluís Carod-RoviraJosep-Lluís Carod-Rovira was the Vice-president of the Catalan Government from 2006 to 2010. From 1996 to 2008 he was the leader of ERC Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ....
(2004-2008) - Joan PuigcercósJoan Puigcercós i BoixassaJoan Puigcercós is a Catalan politician who had served as president of the Republican Left of Catalonia...
(2008-2011) - Oriol Junqueras i Vies (2011)
General Secretaries
- Joan Lluís Pujol i Font (March 1931 - April 1931)
- Josep TarradellasJosep Tarradellas i JoanJosep Tarradellas i Joan, 1st Marquess of Tarradellas was a Spanish Catalan politician.In 1931 he became general secretary of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya...
(April 1931 - March 1932) - Joan Tauler (March 1932 - 1938)
- Josep TarradellasJosep Tarradellas i JoanJosep Tarradellas i Joan, 1st Marquess of Tarradellas was a Spanish Catalan politician.In 1931 he became general secretary of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya...
(1938 - 1957) - Joan Sauret (1957 - 1976)
- Heribert Barrera (1976-1987)
- Joan Hortalà (1987-1989)
- Àngel Colom Colom (1989-1996)
- Josep-Lluís Carod-RoviraJosep-Lluís Carod-RoviraJosep-Lluís Carod-Rovira was the Vice-president of the Catalan Government from 2006 to 2010. From 1996 to 2008 he was the leader of ERC Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya ....
(1996-2004) - Joan PuigcercósJoan Puigcercós i BoixassaJoan Puigcercós is a Catalan politician who had served as president of the Republican Left of Catalonia...
(2004-2008) - Joan Ridao i Martín (2008-2011)
See also
- Catalan Parliament election, 2006Catalan Parliament election, 2006Elections to the Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia, Spain, were held on November 1, 2006.-Background:The November 2006 Catalan parliament election was an early one...
- List of political parties in Catalonia
- Young Republican Left of Catalonia
- Statute of Autonomy of CataloniaStatute of Autonomy of CataloniaThe Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia provides Catalonia's basic institutional regulations. It defines the rights and obligations of the citizens of Catalonia , the political institutions of the Catalan nationality, their competences and relations with the rest of Spain, and the financing of the...
External links
- Site of the party
- Ideological declaration (PDF)
- ERC’s brief history (PDF)
- Joventuts de l'Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya Youth section's site
- Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira