Regionalist Party of Cantabria
Encyclopedia
The Regionalist Party of Cantabria , is the second oldest political party
in the Spanish
Autonomous Community of Cantabria
. The PRC originated in the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria (ADIC), founded on May 14, 1976, with the objective of promoting Cantabrian autonomy
.
, Manuel Izquierdo Nozal, Jose Luis Oria Toribio, Eduardo Obregón Barreda, and Juan Jose García González. The PRC participated for the first time in general elections in 1979, presenting candidates for the Spanish Senate
and on April 3 of that same year went to the municipal elections with a clear goal: to obtain the representation necessary to demand from the city councils autonomy for Cantabria.
The first Regional Congress of the party took place on 8–9 December 1979 in Puente Viesgo, where the General Statutes, an ideological communication, another one about municipal interventions and a third one about agrarian policy, in addition to a project of Autonomy Statute of Cantabria
were approved.
The following Congress was held in 1982 when Eduardo Obregón Barreda was chosen as General Secretary. On 8 May 1983, on the occasion of the regional and municipal elections, the PRC gained representation in the Parliament of Cantabria with two deputies and obtained 63 councillors.
In 1985, Eduardo Obregón Barreda revalidated his position of Secretary General in the third Regional Congress and two years later, on 10 June 1987, the PRC increased their institutional representation, obtaining 5 deputies in the Parliament of Cantabria and 102 councillors in the different city councils of the region. That same day European elections took place, where the party obtained 14,553 votes.
In the fourth Regional Congress, on 20 March 1988, Miguel Ángel Revilla was elected to the General Secretariat for the first time, and has held the post since then, with the ratification of the successive congresses, held on 9 November 1991, on 13 November 1994, on 8 November 1998 and on 17 November 2002.
30 April 1988, was another important date in the trajectory of the PRC, due to its participation as an observer in a work group of regionalist parties in Valencia. The group planned a joint project and to present a united candidacy to the European elections of the following year. This work group included Navarrese People's Union
, Aragonese Party
, Valencian Union
, Progressive Riojan Party, Majorcan Union, United Extremadura and United City of Melilla, in addition to the Regionalist Party of Cantabria, which was integrated, in June, as a member of the platform and a year later stood for the elections to European Parliament
, comprising the candidacy of the Federation of Regionalist Parties (FPR). Since then, relationships have been maintained between the different regionalist parties that exist in Spain.
The following autonomous and municipal elections, on 26 May 1991, saw the PRC keep its representation in the Parliament of Cantabria, with two deputies and in the different municipalities, with a total of 69 councillors. They improved upon these results in the following elections on 28 May 1995, with 88 councillors and 6 seats, that allowed the access of the party, for the first time in their history, to the Government of Cantabria, occupying the Vice-presidency and Councils of Public Works, Culture and Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
The elections held on 13 June 1999 resulted in a new advance in regionalist institutional representation. The PRC maintained its 6 deputies in the Parliament of Cantabria and increased its presence in the municipalities to 213 councillors, including 23 mayors. The electoral results were seen by the PRC as support for their policy to build a Cantabrian Motorway in order to end Cantabria's isolation from central Spain.
In the elections to the autonomous community, on May 25, 2003, the PRC saw the greatest growth in number of votes of any party, exactly 60 percent more than in the previous elections of 1999 and the only one that increased its parliamentary representation, rising from 6 to 8 seats. Later, on June 5, 2003, the Regionalist Party subscribed to a Coalition Pact with the Spanish Socialist Workers Party for legislature 2003-2007 and its General Secretary, Miguel Ángel Revilla, was chosen to be President of the Government of Cantabria.
In the Spanish regional elections
, on 27 May councillors 2007, PRC underwent a new increase of votes, at the expense of the other two national parties, increasing its representation from 8 to 12 seats. The Coalition Pact with the Spanish Socialist Workers Party gave the presidency to the regionalist Miguel Ángel Revilla again.
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in the Spanish
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...
Autonomous Community of Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
. The PRC originated in the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria (ADIC), founded on May 14, 1976, with the objective of promoting Cantabrian autonomy
Autonomy
Autonomy is a concept found in moral, political and bioethical philosophy. Within these contexts, it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced decision...
.
History
The PRC was officially formed on November 10, 1978, under the leadership of Miguel Ángel RevillaMiguel Ángel Revilla
Miguel Ángel Revilla Roiz, President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria , was born in Polaciones, Cantabria on 23 January 1943.In 1976, he was a founder of the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , a pioneer organization in the defense of the autonomy of Cantabria, and later...
, Manuel Izquierdo Nozal, Jose Luis Oria Toribio, Eduardo Obregón Barreda, and Juan Jose García González. The PRC participated for the first time in general elections in 1979, presenting candidates for the Spanish Senate
Spanish Senate
The Senate of Spain is the upper house of Spain's parliament, the . It is made up of 264 members: 208 elected by popular vote, and 56 appointed by the regional legislatures. All senators serve four-year terms, though regional legislatures may recall their appointees at any time.The last election...
and on April 3 of that same year went to the municipal elections with a clear goal: to obtain the representation necessary to demand from the city councils autonomy for Cantabria.
The first Regional Congress of the party took place on 8–9 December 1979 in Puente Viesgo, where the General Statutes, an ideological communication, another one about municipal interventions and a third one about agrarian policy, in addition to a project of Autonomy Statute of Cantabria
Autonomy Statute of Cantabria
The Statute of Autonomy of Cantabria is the basic institutional norm of the autonomous community of Cantabria in Spain. It determines the fields, bodies and institutions of self government of the Cantabrian community....
were approved.
The following Congress was held in 1982 when Eduardo Obregón Barreda was chosen as General Secretary. On 8 May 1983, on the occasion of the regional and municipal elections, the PRC gained representation in the Parliament of Cantabria with two deputies and obtained 63 councillors.
In 1985, Eduardo Obregón Barreda revalidated his position of Secretary General in the third Regional Congress and two years later, on 10 June 1987, the PRC increased their institutional representation, obtaining 5 deputies in the Parliament of Cantabria and 102 councillors in the different city councils of the region. That same day European elections took place, where the party obtained 14,553 votes.
In the fourth Regional Congress, on 20 March 1988, Miguel Ángel Revilla was elected to the General Secretariat for the first time, and has held the post since then, with the ratification of the successive congresses, held on 9 November 1991, on 13 November 1994, on 8 November 1998 and on 17 November 2002.
30 April 1988, was another important date in the trajectory of the PRC, due to its participation as an observer in a work group of regionalist parties in Valencia. The group planned a joint project and to present a united candidacy to the European elections of the following year. This work group included Navarrese People's Union
Navarrese People's Union
The Navarrese People's Union , abbreviated to UPN, is a regional conservative political party in Navarre, Spain. Until 2008, it was a fraternal party of the People's Party , acting as the latter's Navarrese branch....
, Aragonese Party
Aragonese Party
The Aragonese Party is a political party which advocates the interests of Aragon within Spain. The party was founded in 1978 under the name Aragonese Regionalist Party, but changed its name in 1990, keeping the initials PAR....
, Valencian Union
Unió Valenciana
Valencian Union was a nationalist political party in the Valencian Community, Spain....
, Progressive Riojan Party, Majorcan Union, United Extremadura and United City of Melilla, in addition to the Regionalist Party of Cantabria, which was integrated, in June, as a member of the platform and a year later stood for the elections to 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...
, comprising the candidacy of the Federation of Regionalist Parties (FPR). Since then, relationships have been maintained between the different regionalist parties that exist in Spain.
The following autonomous and municipal elections, on 26 May 1991, saw the PRC keep its representation in the Parliament of Cantabria, with two deputies and in the different municipalities, with a total of 69 councillors. They improved upon these results in the following elections on 28 May 1995, with 88 councillors and 6 seats, that allowed the access of the party, for the first time in their history, to the Government of Cantabria, occupying the Vice-presidency and Councils of Public Works, Culture and Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries.
The elections held on 13 June 1999 resulted in a new advance in regionalist institutional representation. The PRC maintained its 6 deputies in the Parliament of Cantabria and increased its presence in the municipalities to 213 councillors, including 23 mayors. The electoral results were seen by the PRC as support for their policy to build a Cantabrian Motorway in order to end Cantabria's isolation from central Spain.
In the elections to the autonomous community, on May 25, 2003, the PRC saw the greatest growth in number of votes of any party, exactly 60 percent more than in the previous elections of 1999 and the only one that increased its parliamentary representation, rising from 6 to 8 seats. Later, on June 5, 2003, the Regionalist Party subscribed to a Coalition Pact with the Spanish Socialist Workers Party for legislature 2003-2007 and its General Secretary, Miguel Ángel Revilla, was chosen to be President of the Government of Cantabria.
In the Spanish regional elections
Spanish regional elections, 2007
A number of elections were held in Spain on 27 May 2007:* municipal elections;* local elections of various types like the elections to the Cabildo on the Canary Islands;* elections to the Assembly of Ceuta and Melilla; and...
, on 27 May councillors 2007, PRC underwent a new increase of votes, at the expense of the other two national parties, increasing its representation from 8 to 12 seats. The Coalition Pact with the Spanish Socialist Workers Party gave the presidency to the regionalist Miguel Ángel Revilla again.
Cantabrian Parliament elections
| Year | Elections | Candidate | Votes | % de votes | Seats | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Elections to the Regional Assembly of Cantabria, 1983 | Eduardo Obregón Barreda | 18.842 | 6.79% | 2 | 3 |
| 1987 | Elections to the Regional Assembly of Cantabria, 1987 | Eduardo Obregón Barreda | 37.950 | 12,86% | 5 | 3 |
| 1991 | Elections to the Regional Assembly of Cantabria, 1991 | Miguel Ángel Revilla | 19.064 | 6,35% | 2 | 4 |
| 1995 | Elections to the Regional Assembly of Cantabria, 1995 | Miguel Ángel Revilla | 46.527 | 14.55% | 6 | 4 |
| 1999 | Elections to the Parliament of Cantabria, 1999 | Miguel Ángel Revilla | 42.896 | 13.51% | 6 | 3 |
| 2003 | Elections to the Parliament of Cantabria, 2003 | Miguel Ángel Revilla | 67.003 | 19.39% | 8 | 3 |
| 2007 | Elections to the Parliament of Cantabria, 2007 | Miguel Ángel Revilla | 99.159 | 28.64% | 12 | 2 |
| 2011 | Elections to the Parliament of Cantabria, 2011 | Miguel Ángel Revilla | 98.731 | 29.15% | 12 | 2 |