Republican Left of Catalonia
(Redirected from Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya)
Categories: Catalan political parties | Political parties of minorities | Secessionist organizations
| Image:Spain coa.png This article is part of the series Politics of Spain</div> |
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The Crown - Head of State |
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Cortes Generales - Legislative branch |
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Government - Executive branch |
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Judicial system - Judicial branch |
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Constitution |
L'Estatut de Catalunya: Catalan Statute of AutonomyProject of New Statute |
Executive branch: Government
President of the Region |
Legislative branch: Regional Parliament
President |
Judicial branch
Regional Superior Justice Court of Catalonia |
Territorial divisions
Vegueries |
Regional Elections
2003, 1999, 1995, 1992, 1988, 1984, 1980 |
Parties:
PSC, CiU (CDC and UDC), ERC, PP, ICV-EUiA |
The Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, ERC) is a left-of-centre political party that campaigns for independence for Catalonia and Catalan Countries from France and Spain.
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: Esquerra (commitment to social issues), República (commitment to the community) and Catalunya (commitment to the nation).
Led by Francesc Macià in 1931, the party declared an independent Catalan Republic that was curtailed by the new Constitution of the Second Spanish Republic.
Led by Lluís Companys, the elected Catalan President, in 1934 the party declared an independent Catalan Republic into a (in Companys' words) Spanish Federation due to the entrance of Right Wing ministers in the Spanish Republic Government, 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 suspended until 1936.
In 1936 the party 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 face of growing tensions between the POUM and Communists.
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 Catalan Generalitat, Lluis Companys, was arrested by German agents in collaboration with Vichy regime, returned to Spain and executed in 1940.
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya has (2003) 23 seats (3rd group by seats) in the Catalan Parliament in Barcelona, and is now one of the three coalition members of the Catalan Government. It has 8 seats (4th group by seats) in the Spanish Parliament in Madrid (2004) and 1 seat in the European Parliament.
Its current president is Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira and its secretary-general is Joan Puigcercós i Boixassa.
The party has also federations in Balearic Islands and Northern Catalonia, and close tights with his brother party Republican Left of the Valencian Country in Land of Valencia. All the latter do not currently have any parlamentary representation in the respective territories, except some municipal governments.
See also
- List of political parties in Catalonia
- Joventuts d'Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya Youth section's
External links
- Image:Symbole-ca.png Site of the party
- Statement of ideology and History
- Image:Symbole-ca.png Joventuts de l'Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya Youth section's site
- Image:Symbole-ca.pnghttp://www.carod-rovira.net
ca:Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya de:Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya es:Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya fr:Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya it:Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya