Catalonia votes on autonomy plan

[ag]

Catalonia is going to stay part of Spain, and is going to still send its representatives to the Cortes in Madrid.

As for the political composition of Catalonia, it is, essentially, quadripartite.

Until recently, the dominant force there was Convergencia i Unio, a permanent coalition of a conservative and a centrist Catalan nationalist parties. Of all the Spanish regional nationalist parties CiU is the only one that on a lot of issues is actually conservative (or, at least, part of it is). However, being Catalan nationalists they are unrelated to the pan-Spanish conservatives of the People's party, and untainted  by the latter's association with franquism. On the national level CiU has at different times supported either the Conservatives or the Sociallists (in a sense, they are the only possible major coalition partner for the Spanish conservatives in the Spanish parliament, but the sharp disagreements on the regional autnomy issues mean that this is always a difficult alliance at best). At present they are outside the government in both Catalonia and Spain.  However, CiU supported the new Catalan Statute.

The other major force in Catalonia is the Catalan Sociallist Party (PSC) - the regional outfit of the nationwide Spanish Sociallist Workers' Party (PSOE). Since the last last election PSC has been at the head of the Catalan coalition government (together with the Communists and, until a few weeks ago, the Catalan Republican Left). As in the rest of Spain, I believe there is also some sort of a pan-Spanish Communist Left alliance (I don't immediately recall its Catalan initials), which competes against the Sociallists in the elections but, if push comes to shove, can be more or less counted on in supporting the Sociallists against the right in the legislature.

The third force (which, embarassingly, has on occasion started coming fourth in the elections) is the pan-Spanish People's Party (PP). PP's "franquist" links make a lot of people skittish about voting for them, and in Catalonia the availability of CiU means that a lot of the generally conservative public has a legitimate democratic conservative party to vote for, meaning that PP is never more than a distant also-run there.  It is, of course, the only unambiguously pan-Spanish and centralist party in Catalonia, but this is a niche electorate in the region (15-20% of the vote).

Finally, last but no longer necessarily the least is the Catalan Republican Left (ERC) - the nationalist leftist party. After the last Catalan elections ERC became PSC's partner in the local government, though it has always been a very tricky partner (its leaders' insistence on meeting the Basque ultras even before the ceasefire caused a crisis within weeks from the government being formed). ERC is the only anti-monarchist party in Catalonia (and almost the only successful one in Spain). It is also the only party that unambiguously calls for Catalan independence. It has finally been forced to leave the regional government after refusing to support the new Statute as "too little". Their departure means that a new regional election will have to be held in Catalonia shortly (unless somehow a "grand coalition" of PSC and CiU can be formed, which I don't believe is at all likely).

[ag]

Thanks, Jacobtm.  I was confusing Catalonia with Galicia at the northwest (as opposed to northeast) end of the country.  Galicia seems to be quite conservative on the national level, while Catalonia did indeed support Zapatero in the 2004 election and may generally elect Socialists to the Congress of Deputies.  I agree that it would be noble for Zapatero to let Catalonia seceed from Spain, but autonomy and secession of course are not the same thing.  Will the plan agreed to in the latest referrendum result in Catalonia voters having less of a voice in the Spanish parliament (whether through fewer members in parliament or what - I'm pretty sure the Chamber of Deputies is not elected by first past the post, but if the proportional representation is done by a region-by-region basis you could reduce the influence of voters in an autonomous region by reducing the number of members elected from that region)?  That could hurt Zapatero, but Catalonia merely gaining increased autonomy while retaining its citizens' current influence in the Spanish central government wouldn't hurt the party those citizens tend to support unless and until the region actually seceeds or otherwise loses all or some of it's representation in the Spanish parliament.

Yeah, you're right. The article I was referencing was from quite some time ago when the proposal was not in its current form. It was up in the air whether or not it would be more autonomy or full secession. The Economist was just saying that Zapatero supporting these guys could backfire if they did get the votes to secede.

It was never about full secession: nobody, other than the ERC has ever proposed anything like that, and no such proposal was ever seriously considered. It is true, that some opponents of the measure claimed that an earlier draft amounted to secession - but this was, should we say it, an exaggeration. Under no proposed conditions would Catalans stop electing members of the Spanish parliament.

[ag]

parties. Of all the Spanish regional nationalist parties CiU is the only one that on a lot of issues is actually conservative (or, at least, part of it is).

What about the Basque Nationalost Party and Canarian Coalition(these last ones not so much).

Well, I guess PNV is of a center-right origin as well, though I don't think that's the reason anybody votes for it, nor does the party itself seem to care much about that - it is the nationalist dimension that dominates everything there. It would be hard for me to see a PNV-supported PP government in Spain (or a PP-supported PNV government in the Basque country). On the other hand, CiU has supported PP in the center. Carnarios are not very insignificant (nor are they very conservative).