Democracy and Catalonia

Not to be confused with Democracy and Freedom.

Democracy and Catalonia Democràcia i Catalunya
Founded	3 May 1977 (1977-05-03)
Dissolved	1978 (1978)
Succeeded by	Convergence and Union
Headquarters	Barcelona
Ideology	Catalan nationalism Autonomism
Political position	Big tent
Members	See list of members
Politics of Catalonia Political parties Elections

Democracy and Catalonia (Catalan: Democràcia i Catalunya, DiC) was a Catalan electoral alliance formed by Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC), Democratic Left of Catalonia (EDC), Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) and Socialist Party of Catalonia–Regrouping (PSC–R) to contest the 1977 Spanish Senate election.^[1][2]

History

The origins of the Democracy and Catalonia alliance can be traced back to Socialist Party of Catalonia–Congress (PSC–C) secretary-general Joan Reventós's proposal in December 1976 for establishing a broad "Catalan agreement" (Catalan: entesa catalana) comprising all Catalanist parties for the Spanish Senate 1977 election that would ensure a strong Catalan presence in the newly-elected parliament and in support of the Catalan Statute and of the restoration of the Generalitat de Catalunya.^[3] As the heavily crowded Catalan political space was in the process of reorganization ahead of the general election, speculation emerged in late March 1977 that talks were ongoing for a broad agreement of political parties within the centre ground of the political spectrum, including the Catalan Centre (CC), the Socialist Party of Catalonia–Regrouping (PSC–R), Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC), Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC), Democratic Left of Catalonia (EDC), the Social Democratic Party of Catalonia (PSDC) and the National Front of Catalonia (FNC); such an alliance was planned to be running under the "Democracy and Catalonia" label.^[4]

While the Democracy and Catalonia alliance had been initially scheduled to comprise all Catalan democratic opposition parties within a joint candidacy of broad spectrum,^[5] on 3 May 1977 it came to be established by the parties forming the Democratic Pact for Catalonia (CDC, EDC, FNC and PSC–R) and the Union of the Centre and Christian Democracy of Catalonia (CC and UDC) electoral coalitions to the Congress of Deputies,^[1][6] excluding the parties that would go on to form the Agreement of the Catalans over the incorporation of the communist Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) in the lists.^[7][8][9]

Composition

Party
	Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC)
	Socialist Party of Catalonia–Regrouping (PSC–R)
	Democratic Left of Catalonia (EDC)
	National Front of Catalonia (FNC)
	Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)
	Catalan Centre (CC)

Electoral performance

Senate

Senate
Election	Catalonia
	Votes		%	Seats	+/–
1977	Candidates 1 Candidates 2 Candidates 3	539,856 471,983 315,563	17.72% 15.49% 10.36%	2 / 16	—

References

1. Sáenz-Díez, Margarita (4 May 1977). "Con la formación de siete coaliciones se clarifica el panorama catalán". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 July 2020.
2. "Coaliciones de ámbito regional". ABC (in Spanish). 5 May 1977. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
3. Sáenz-Díez, Margarita (28 December 1976). "Una amplia "entesa catalana" aseguraría la presencia de Cataluña en el futuro Parlamento". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 July 2020.
4. "Dificultad y confusión ante un posible pacto de Centro". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 29 March 1977. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
5. "La candidatura conjunta para el Senado fue defendida por la mayoría de partidos". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 March 1977. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
6. Roses, Joan (5 May 1977). "Se perfilan las opciones para el Senado". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 July 2020.
7. "Moragas, Coll i Alentorn, Rahola y Duran Farrell, probables candidatos por Barcelona". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 28 April 1977. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
8. "Los democratacristianos y socialistas catalanes podrían formar una candidatura conjunta para el Senado". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 29 April 1977. Retrieved 16 July 2020.
9. Sáenz-Díez, Margarita (11 May 1977). "Canyelles: "Para alcanzar la sociedad que queremos construir no creemos necesario el pacto con los comunistas"". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 July 2020.