Democrats of Catalonia
Demòcrates de Catalunya
AbbreviationDC
PresidentNúria de Gispert
Secretary-GeneralAntoni Castellà
Founded12 July 2015 (2015-07-12)
Registered31 August 2015 (2015-08-31)
Split fromDemocratic Union of Catalonia
HeadquartersC/ Calàbria, 149-151, ent. 2ªA
08015, Barcelona
Membership (2020)2,562[1]
Ideology
Political positionCentre-right[10] to right-wing[11][12] with far-right factions[13]
Regional affiliationTogether for Catalonia (2020–present) Historical:
Junts pel Sí (2015–17)
Democracy and Freedom (2015–16)
Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes (2017–20)
Parliament of Catalonia
1 / 135
Website
www.democrates.cat

Democrats of Catalonia (Catalan: Demòcrates de Catalunya, DC) is a Christian-democratic, pro-Catalan independence political party in Catalonia founded in July 2015 from a split in Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC).[14] Its members included the then-Speaker of the Catalan parliament Núria de Gispert and former UDC president Joan Rigol. The party has received accusations of xenophobia for its controversial statements against Spaniards[15][16] and for having ties with xenophobic organizations.[17]

History

The party was founded in July 2015 by former members of the Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)—including Antoni Castellà, Núria de Gispert, Rosa Maria Carrasco Azemar and Joan Rigol—following the break up of Convergence and Union over dissatisfaction with what they saw as weak support from UDC to the Catalan independence movement.[18] It was registered in the interior ministry in August 2015.[19] On 8 August 2015, Castellà declared that it had secured the support of 1,600 volunteers within 20 days, as well as the pledged support of 23 out of the 43 UDC city mayors and 118 out of UDC's 191 city councillors.[20]

The party's strategy has been to contest elections within electoral alliances with other parties. For the 2015 Catalan regional election, it joined the Junts pel Sí (English: "Together for Yes") big-tent alliance for Catalan independence together with Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Left Movement (MES).[21] In the 2015 Spanish general election, DC joined the Democracy and Freedom (DiL) electoral coalition together with CDC and Reagrupament (RI.cat).[22][23] The party chose not to contest the 2016 general election following CDC's decision to discontinue the DiL alliance, because of "the impossibility of offering Catalan voters a big-tent list with independents defending the process towards an independent Catalan State".[24]

In July 2016, the party would see a conflict with CDC over the latter's decision to refound itself into the "Catalan Democratic Party", a name which was regarded as problematic by the Spanish interior ministry because of its potential confusion with DC's own name.[25][26] DC's secretary-general, Antoni Castellà, commented that "if the PDC does not change its label, then there will be conflict within Junts pel Sí",[27] threatening to go to the courts over the issue unless the PDC properly differentiated the aesthetical use of the acronym, the party logo, renounced to use blue as the party's corporate colour and rejected the use of the term Demòcrates (English: "democrats") to refer to party members.[28] The issue was eventually solved after the PDC chose to rebrand itself as the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT).[29][30]

The party supported the celebration of an independence referendum in 2017, calling for a "Yes" vote.[31] After the 1 October 2017 referendum and the subsequent constitutional crisis, DC reached an agreement with ERC to join the Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes (ERC–CatSí) alliance ahead of the 2017 Catalan regional election, on the grounds of it being "what looks most like a big-tent list".[32]

Ahead of the April 2019 Spanish general election, DC unsuccessfully proposed a "common front" of all independentist parties "with the sole objective of provoking a total and absolute institutional blockade of the Cortes until achieving the implementation of the 1-O results".[33][34] In July 2019, the party's National Council in favour of pressing for unilateralism and "confrontation with the [Spanish State]" to achieve independence.[35]

In June 2020, DC was commented to be up for consideration in the plans of former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont as a potential ally ahead of his establishment of a new, unitary pro-independence party centered on Together for Catalonia.[36]

Electoral performance

Parliament of Catalonia

Parliament of Catalonia
Election Votes  % # Seats +/– Leading candidate Status in legislature
2015 Within JxSí
1 / 135
 1 Artur Mas Confidence and supply
2017 Within ERC–CatSí
1 / 135
 0 Oriol Junqueras[lower-alpha 1] Confidence and supply
2021 Within Junts
1 / 135
 0 Laura Borràs Coalition (ERC–Junts)

Cortes Generales

Election Catalonia
Congress Senate
Votes  % # Seats +/– Seats +/–
2015 Within DiL
1 / 47
 1
1 / 16
 1

Notes

  1. ↑ At the time of the election, Junqueras was in preventive detention in Estremera (Madrid).

References

  1. ↑ "Los afiliados de JxCat validan las listas para el 14-F". El Nacional (in Spanish). Barcelona. ACN. 31 December 2020. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  2. ↑ "L'Independentisme prepara les eleccions amb deu candidatures".
  3. ↑ "La democracia cristiana independentista toma cuerpo". 29 January 2016.
  4. ↑ "JxCat y Demòcrates se unen para declarar la independencia unilateral". 29 December 2020.
  5. ↑ "Demòcrates pide 'levantar la suspensión' de la DUI cuando acabe la pandemia". 9 April 2020.
  6. ↑ "La República que volem | DEMÒCRATES". 28 November 2020.
  7. ↑ "Demòcrates, un parásito del independentismo que oficializa su xenofobia".
  8. ↑ "Demòcrates, un parásito del independentismo que oficializa su xenofobia".
  9. ↑ "Demòcrates reivindica el 24 de juny com el "Dia Nacional dels Països Catalans"". 23 June 2020.
  10. ↑ https://www.blogdeasuntospublicos.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/10/2020/07/2007_Del-proc%C3%A9s-al-enigma-las-claves-del-catalanismo.pdf
  11. ↑ "ERC rompe con Demòcrates tras reunirse con ultras independentistas". 6 December 2020.
  12. ↑ "PDECat-Demòcrates: Una història de deteriorament progressiu | NacióDigital".
  13. ↑ "La reunión de Costa precipita el divorcio entre Demòcrates y ERC".
  14. ↑ Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Catalonia/Spain". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 12 December 2017. Retrieved 28 April 2019.
  15. ↑ "Demòcrates, un parásito del independentismo que oficializa su xenofobia". Crónica Global (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  16. ↑ "Un cargo de Demòcrates, aliados de ERC, dice que "no son fascistas, son españoles, que es peor" | El Catalán" (in Spanish). 21 November 2018. Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  17. ↑ Ara (6 December 2020). "ERC rompe con Demòcrates por haber asistido a la cumbre independentista con partidos xenófobos". Ara en Castellano (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 March 2021.
  18. ↑ "Neix Demòcrates de Catalunya, la refundació independentista d'Unió" (in Catalan). VilaWeb. ACN. 12 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  19. ↑ "Registro de Partidos Políticos". sede.mir.gob.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  20. ↑ "Castellà defensa que amb 68 escons hi ha 'legitimitat' per començar el procés cap a la independència" (in Catalan). VilaWeb. 8 August 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  21. ↑ "Un independiente liderará la lista conjunta de CDC y ERC para el 27S aunque gobernaría Mas" (in Spanish). RTVE. EFE. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  22. ↑ Masreal, Fidel (6 November 2015). "CDC concurrirá a las generales bajo el nombre de Democràcia i Llibertat". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  23. ↑ "Demòcrates celebra este sábado su congreso fundacional para ser partido de un "nuevo país"" (in Spanish). Barcelona: Europa Press. 6 November 2015. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  24. ↑ Escobar Martí, Marta (13 May 2016). "Demòcrates renuncia al 26-J por el rechazo de CDC". El Nacional (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  25. ↑ Fernández, Antonio (14 July 2016). "El partido de Mas no podrá llamarse 'Partit Democràta Català' por confusión con otro". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  26. ↑ Barrena, Xabi (14 July 2016). "Interior advierte de que no registrará el nombre del Partit Demòcrata Català". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  27. ↑ "Castellà (Demòcrates): "Si el PDC no cambia su marca habrá un conflicto en Junts pel Sí"". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 22 August 2016. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
  28. ↑ "Demòcrates de Catalunya pone 4 condiciones al Partit Demòcrata Català para no ir a los tribunales". 20 minutos (in Spanish). Agencias. 11 July 2016. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  29. ↑ "CDC ya tiene nuevo nombre: Partit Demòcrata Europeu Català (PDECat)". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Europa Press. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  30. ↑ "Las bases de la antigua Convergència ratifican al PDECAT como el nuevo nombre del partido". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 22 October 2016. Retrieved 22 October 2016.
  31. ↑ March, Oriol (13 December 2016). "Voluntaris pel "sí" i porta a porta virtual: Demòcrates engega la campanya del referèndum". Nació Digital (in Catalan). Barcelona. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  32. ↑ "Demòcrates firma el acuerdo para ir con ERC-CatSí: "Es lo que más se parece a una lista transversal"". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 16 November 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  33. ↑ "El independentismo se prepara para afrontar el 28A con listas separadas". eldiario.es (in Spanish). EFE. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  34. ↑ "Demòcrates reclama un frente común independentista el 28-A para bloquear las Cortes". El Nacional (in Spanish). Barcelona. 18 February 2019. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  35. ↑ "Demòcrates insiste en la vía unilateral y pide "un pulso total" con el Estado". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 20 July 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  36. ↑ Lamelas, Marcos (17 June 2020). "La coalición de Puigdemont busca romper la CUP, sumar a Demòcrates y diluir el PDeCAT". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
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