Popular Unity Candidacy

The Popular Unity Candidacy (Catalan: Candidatura d'Unitat Popular, CUP) is a left-wing^[12][13] to far-left^[14][15] pro-Catalan independence^[2][16] political party active primarily in Catalonia, where it has political representation, but also in other autonomous communities in Spain it considers to be part of the Catalan Countries. The CUP traditionally has focused on municipal politics, and is made up of a series of autonomous candidatures that run in local elections. Its presence is strongest within the borders of Catalonia.

Popular Unity Candidacy Candidatura d'Unitat Popular
Abbreviation	CUP
Secretary-General	Ramon Casadevall
Coordinator	Berta Ramis
Founded	1991
Headquarters	Carrer Casp 180; Barcelona
Newspaper	InfoCUP
Membership	1,912[1]
Ideology	Catalan independence Socialism[2] Feminism[3] Direct democracy[4] Anti-capitalism[5] Pancatalanism[6][7] Euroscepticism[8][9]
Political position	Left-wing to far-left
Trade union affiliation	Coordinadora Obrera Sindical (COS)
Colors	Yellow   Red   Black   White[10]
Slogan	Governem-nos
Congress of Deputies (Catalan seats)	0 / 48
Parliament of Catalonia	4 / 135
Mayors in Catalonia[11]	19 / 947
Local Government in Catalonia	335 / 9,077
Local Government in the Valencian Community	2 / 5,716
Party flag
Website
cup.cat
Politics of Catalonia Political parties Elections

In 2012, the CUP decided for the first time to run for Catalan parliamentary elections, gaining 3 MPs out of 135. In the 2015 elections, they obtained 10 MPs.

Organisation

The CUP is made up of autonomous local assemblies representing towns or neighborhoods. These assemblies may have some ideological differences, but their common ground is independence for the Catalan Countries and clear left-wing politics, often in the form of anti-capitalism, socialism, and eco-socialism.^{[citation needed]}

The different local candidatures are coordinated through the Municipal Assembly of the Independentist Left (AMEI in Catalan) where the details regarding their party platform are discussed. On both the local and national level, decisions are made in assembly according to the principles of deliberative democracy.^{[citation needed]}

The highly decentralised nature of this party stems from a belief in municipalism. The CUP consider municipal government "the only institutions within the reach of the general populace".^[17] The importance given to municipal assemblies is also meant to avoid the hierarchical organisation of most traditional political parties.^{[citation needed]}

Current members

Party		Notes
	Forward–Socialist Organization of National Liberation (Endavant–OSAN)
	Free People (PL–PPCC)	From November 2014.
	Internationalist Struggle (LI–CI)	Joined in January 2015.[18]

Former members

Party		Notes
	The Greens–Green Alternative (EV–AV)	Joined in January 2015,[19] left in November 2017 to join Together for Catalonia.[20]
	In Struggle (EL)	Merged into the CUP in November 2016.[21]
	Red Current (CR)	Left in February 2016.[22]
	Movement for Defence of the Land (MDT)	Merged into Free People in 2014.

Ideology

The CUP website describes the entity as "an assembly-based political organisation spread throughout the Catalan Countries that works for a country that's independent, socialist, environmentally sustainable and free from the domination of the patriarchy".^{[23][third-party source needed]}

The party defends the unity of the Catalan-speaking areas, or Catalan Countries, which they believe should be allowed to constitute an independent republic, according to the principles of self-determination. The CUP is also strongly in favor of the Catalan language, which should be the "preferential and common language" of the areas where it is traditionally spoken. Still, the 2012 CUP program refers to the advantages of multilingualism and encourages debate on the status that an independent Catalonia would grant to French and Spanish.^{[24][third-party source needed]}

A CUP political event in 2014

The CUP criticises the current political system in place in Spain and France, and defend an alternative brand of participative democracy. It has proposed, for example, that the general public be allowed to vote on important issues in referendums, and have suggested the creation of representative recall (Catalan: Iniciativa Popular Revocatòria), which would allow the general public to remove elected officials from office before their term expires.^[24] As part of its belief in municipalism, it also has defended the creation of an Assembly of Councillors (Catalan: Assemblea de Regidors i Regidores Electes), made up of municipal councillors, as a national representative body.^{[24][third-party source needed]}

The party broadly refers to its economic model as socialist. Its political programme calls for a "planned economy based on solidarity, aimed towards fulfilling the needs of the people", and defends the nationalisation of public utilities as well as transport and communication networks. It also calls for a nationalisation of all banks receiving government bailouts and considers the public debt "illegitimate".^{[24][third-party source needed]} It also calls for an end to nuclear energy, with the use of sustainable energy in its stead. It also calls for a ban on GMOs and the creation of an "ecological economy".^{[24][third-party source needed]} The CUP believes in full civic rights for all inhabitants of the Catalan Countries, including migrants. It also calls for voting rights for everyone over 16 years of age as well as an end to discrimination against women and LGBT people.^{[24][third-party source needed]}

In an interview with Jacobin magazine, Boaz Vilallonga described the ideology of the CUP as having a "libertarian socialist and even anarcho-syndicalist character".^[25]

The party observes a pay cap, limiting monthly wages for its elected officials to between €1,671 and €1,894 depending on family situation.^[26]

Representation

Chart showing the number of council seats won by the CUP running alone (blue) and in coalition (red)

Since 2003, the presence of the CUP in Catalan municipal politics has increased steadily.

2003–11 municipal elections

In 2003, the CUP ran alone in 10 municipalities in Catalonia, winning four council seats in three towns. In 8 more municipalities, the CUP ran as part of local coalitions.

From 2007–2011, the CUP held a total of 26 council seats in 17 different municipalities in Catalonia;^[27] these were obtained either under the CUP name alone or in coalition with local political parties. In the 2007 municipal elections, the CUP obtained 18,000 votes, or about 0.65% of the votes cast.^[28]

In the 2011 municipal elections, the CUP ran in 80 of Catalonia's 947 municipalities,^[29] winning about 62,000 votes (2.16% of those cast),^[30] and coming in as the sixth largest party in terms of vote share.^[31] As a result, the CUP won a total of 104 municipal council seats; four towns had CUP mayors. Also, it held 11 seats on different comarca councils.

2012 Catalan regional election

David Fernández was a member of the Catalan Parliament for the CUP in the 2012–2015 legislature

In 2012, after snap elections were declared by Catalan president Artur Mas, different local branches of the CUP organised assemblies open to the general public in order to debate whether the CUP should run. On 13 October, the general assembly of the CUP met in Molins de Rei and decided, with 77% in favour, to run for the first time in the 2012 Catalan regional election. For this purpose, the CUP decided use the name Candidatura d'Unitat Popular – Alternativa d'Esquerres (Popular Unity Candidacy – Left-Wing Alternative) in order to include independent candidates who chose to run on CUP lists.^[32] David Fernàndez, a journalist from Gràcia,^[33] was chosen to head the list for Barcelona.

The CUP promised that, if elected, its candidates only would serve one term, earn no more than €1,600 a month, and base their decisions on the opinions expressed by local assemblies. it also promised not to request any loans from banks, so as to avoid being influenced by "financial groups and economic élites".^[17]

The CUP was able to win representation in the Catalan Parliament with three seats, and 126,219 votes. The three CUP seats went to the party's spokesman David Fernàndez, Georgina Rieradevall (number two on the list later on replaced by Isabel Vallet), and Quim Arrufat (number three on the list).^[34] These results are historic for the CUP, but its spokesman emphasises that it must keep on working and fighting in the streets for a better future.^[35]

2015 municipal elections

In the 2015 municipal elections, the CUP presented candidatures in 163 different municipalities, more than double the number of candidatures presented in the previous elections. In Catalonia, the CUP obtained 221,746 votes in all (7.12% percent of those cast). This was more than three times what it had won in 2011, earning 372 council seats, an absolute majority on nine town councils, and a relative majority in four more.^[36] CUP mayors were chosen in 14 municipalities, whereas previously the CUP only held three mayorships. For the first time, the CUP won the government of the capital of a comarca, Berga.^[37]

Coalitions including the CUP won important victories in other municipalities; in Badalona, Catalonia's third most populous city, a coalition including the CUP came in second and won the mayorship with the help of other left-wing parties.^[38] The CUP managed to win representation in most major cities in Catalonia, including Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, Tarragona, L'Hospitalet and Terrassa.^[39] In the Valencian Community, the CUP ran in four municipalities, and won seats on the municipal councils of two, Pedreguer and Burjassot.^[40]

2015–17 Catalan regional elections

Candidate Antonio Baños at a campaign meeting

Anna Gabriel, spokeswoman for the CUP in the Parliament of Catalonia 2016–2017

CUP results by municipality in the 2015 election.

In the 2015 Catalan regional election, the CUP formed a platform called Popular Unity Candidacy–Constituent Call (Catalan: Candidatura d'Unitat Popular–Crida Constituent). The coalition was led into the 2015 election by Antonio Baños, journalist and writer, and Anna Gabriel, community worker and professor. Its 2015 candidacy also included Julià de Jòdar, historian and writer; Manuel Delgado, art historian and anthropologist; Sergi López, actor and Oleguer Presas, economist and former footballer.

Ahead of the election, the candidacy was supported by the Endavant, Poble Lliure, Internationalist Struggle, In Struggle and Corrent Roig parties and the Col·lectiu Drassanes, Constituents per la Ruptura, Arran, Sindicat d'Estudiants dels Països Catalans and Coordinadora Obrera Sindical organizations,^[41] as well as local parties Alternativa d'Esquerres de Cornellà, Alternativa d'Esquerres del Prat, Compromís per Ripollet and Alternativa Ciutadana de Rubí.

The party won 336,375 votes, almost tripling its previous results, and was awarded 10 seats in the Catalan Parliament. That placed it in the position of kingmaker, with enough seats to form a pro-independence alliance with Together for Yes, which obtained 62 seats.^[42] After three months of negotiations in which the CUP rejected the presidency of incumbent Artur Mas, the CUP and Together for Yes reached an agreement by which Carles Puigdemont, mayor of Girona, became president of Catalonia.^[43] Nevertheless, while eight CUP MPs voted in favor of Puigdemont's presidency, two abstained to "express their differences" with Together for Yes.^[44] As part of this agreement, two CUP MPs are to work closely with Together for Yes in order to ensure a pro-independence majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.^[45]

In the 2017 Catalan regional election, the CUP suffered a setback, losing more than half of their votes and six of their previous ten seats. The pro-independence parties held a majority in parliament and the CUP wasn't needed for the Torra Government to win the investiture vote. The CUP representatives therefore abstained from voting.

November 2019 Spanish general election

The CUP announced that, for the first time, it would compete in the November 2019 Spanish general election. It chose to do so because of the "exceptional democratic circumstances, marked by repression and criminalization of independentism and the repeated violation of civil and social rights on the part of the Spanish state".^[46] The party formed the Popular Unity Candidacy–For Rupture coalition together with Capgirem and incorporating Pirates of Catalonia into its lists.^[47][48]

2021 Catalan regional election

In the elections to the Catalan parliament in February 2021, the CUP stood in coalition with Let's Win Catalonia (Catalan: Guanyem Catalunya), a party formed by the former mayor of Badalona, Dolors Sabater. She was the leading candidate for the coalition in the province of Barcelona. CUP-Guanyem Catalunya obtained 6.67% of the votes and, increasing its seats from 4 to 9, became the fifth largest force in the Catalan parliament.

Electoral performance

Municipalities

Data	Catalonia			Valencian Community			Balearic Islands
	Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats	Votes	%	Seats
1991	2,664	0.10	2 / 8,328
1995	61	0.00	2 / 8,426
1999	64	0.00	1 / 8,500
2003	4,750	0.12	4 / 8,690
2007	16,191	0.56	20 / 8,932	98	0.00	0 / 5,622
2011	65,656	2.29	110 / 9,132	203	0.01	0 / 5,784
2015	237,643	7.63	302 / 9,077	1,839	0.07	3 / 5,742
2019	177,330	5.07	335 / 9,069	489	0.02	2 / 5,716
2023	133,043	4.43	313 / 9,139	499	0.02	0 / 5,760	901	0.00	0 / 938

Parliament of Catalonia

Logo used while standing with Guanyem Catalunya in the 2021 Catalan regional election

Logo used for the 2024 Catalan regional election

Parliament of Catalonia
Election	Votes	%	#	Seats	+/–	Leading candidate	Status in legislature
2012	126,435	3.48%	7th	3 / 135	3	David Fernàndez	Opposition
2015	337,794	8.21%	6th	10 / 135	7	Antonio Baños	Confidence and supply
2017	195,246	4.46%	6th	4 / 135	6	Carles Riera	Opposition
2021	189,814	6.67%	6th	9 / 135	5	Dolors Sabater	Confidence and supply
2024	127,850	4.10%	7th	4 / 135	5	Laia Estrada	Opposition

Cortes Generales

Nationwide

Cortes Generales
Election	Congress					Senate		Leading candidate	Status in legislature
	Votes	%	#	Seats	+/–	Seats	+/–
Nov. 2019	246,971	1.02%	11th	2 / 350	2	0 / 208	0	Mireia Vehí	Opposition
2023	98,794	0.40%	12th	0 / 350	2	0 / 208	0	Albert Botran	Extra-parliamentary

Regional breakdown

Election	Catalonia
	Congress					Senate
	Votes	%	#	Seats	+/–	Seats	+/–
Nov 2019	246,971	6.37%	6th	2 / 48	2	0 / 16	0
2023	99,644	2.81%	7th	0 / 48	2	0 / 16	0

References

1. Tedó, X. (2016) Quin és el partit polític amb més militants de Catalunya?. Ara.cat (In Catalan). 05/08/2017.
2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2021). "Catalonia/Spain". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
3. "Feminisme | Candidatura d'Unitat Popular".
4. "Noticies Populars – Noticies polítiques desquerra". Archived from the original on November 8, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.^{[third-party source needed]}
5. Roland Parry, Roland; Bosque, Daniel (26 September 2019). "Radical left set to decide Catalan independence vote". Yahoo! News. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
6. Arrufat: «Les CUP treballem per construir, des de baix, els Països Catalans». dBalears | 19 juliol 2015.
7. David Fernàndez: ‘Per a la CUP els Països Catalans són indestriables’ David Fernàndez: ‘Per a la CUP els Països Catalans són indestriables’ La Veu del País Valencià. Dimecres, 7 de maig de 2014 a les 17:00h.
8. La CUP no vol formar part d’“aquesta” Unió Europea. El País, ANA GONZÁLEZ LISTE Barcelona 18 SET 2015 - 00:00 CEST
9. La CUP defensa la sortida de la Unió Europea i de l’OTAN. e-noticies. 8 de Setembre de 2015. 17:27h.
10. "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-01-26. Retrieved 2015-04-23.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
11. La CUP tindrà presència al govern d'una quarantena de municipis catalans. CUP.cat, 15/06/2019.
12. "Madrid 'will not discuss' the end of Spain's unity". Al Jazeera. 29 September 2015. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
13. Burgen, Stephen (3 January 2016). "Catalonia plunged into uncertainty as leftwing CUP rejects Mas". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
14. "Spanish police seize pro-Catalan referendum pamphlets". France 24. 17 September 2017. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
15. Burack, Cristina (3 March 2018). "Catalan independence: Challenges ahead for Puigdemont and secessionist political unity". Deutsche Welle. Retrieved 3 November 2019.
16. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2021). "Catalonia/Spain". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 17 February 2021.
17. "Noticies Populars – Noticies polítiques desquerra". Archived from the original on November 14, 2012. Retrieved November 12, 2012.^{[third-party source needed]}
18. "La CUP presentará su candidatura el sábado en un acto con otras fuerzas". El Mundo (in Spanish). 8 January 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
19. "Alternativa Verda s'uneix a la Crida Constituent impulsada per la CUP" (PDF). www.verds-alternativaverda.org (in Catalan). The Greens–Green Alternative. 7 January 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
20. "Tres històrics de l'ecologisme a la candidatura de Junts per Catalunya". Nació Digital (in Catalan). 19 November 2017. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
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22. "Corrent Roig rompe con la CUP por el pacto de investidura con Junts pel Sí". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 7 February 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
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24. "CUP - Alternativa d'Esquerres - Programa Polític". issuu. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
25. Vilallonga, Boaz (18 October 2015). "The Catalan Left: An interview with Boaz Vilallonga". Jacobin Magazine. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
26. "Codi Ètic Dels I Les Candidates I Càrrecs De Confiança De La Candidatura D'unitat Popular" [Code of Ethics of the Candidates and Positions of Trust of the Popular Unit Candidacy] (PDF). cup.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 18 October 2024. La responsabilitat dels càrrecs electes i de confiança de la Candidatura d'Unitat Popular s'entén com una responsabilitat pública de servei a la ciutadania justament retribuïda, sense cap finalitat de lucre més enllà de la retribució públicament acordada. En aquest sentit la retribució neta (en una escala depenent de la situació Familiar de les electes) serà de: 1.671,94 €, 1.794,40 € o 1.894,27 € tenint en compte aquestes circumstàncies personals regulades a la carta d'organització i condicions laborals de la CUP. [The responsibility of the elected and trusted positions of the Popular Unity Candidacy is understood as a public responsibility of service to the citizens fairly remunerated, without any purpose of profit beyond the publicly agreed remuneration. In this sense, the net remuneration (on a scale depending on the family situation of the elected) will be: €1,671.94, €1,794.40 or €1,894.27, taking into account these personal circumstances regulated in the letter of organization and labor conditions of the CUP.]
27. "VilaWeb - El Punt". www.vilaweb.cat. Retrieved 2017-10-18.
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31. Spanish Government (2011-05-23). "Local Elections Official Results". Government of Spain. Retrieved 2012-05-12.
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36. "Resultados provisionales - Elecciones Municipales 2015 - Catalunya 2015". Archived from the original on 2015-05-26. Retrieved 2015-05-27.
37. "El mapa dels alcaldes de Catalunya". Ara. 2015-06-15. Retrieved 2015-06-20.
38. "La CUP entra al Cinturó Roig, territori que l'Estat veu "ètnicament propi"" (in Catalan). Retrieved 2017-10-18.
39. "Resultats Eleccions Municipals 2015". www.naciodigital.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2017-10-18.
40. "La CUP obté els primers regidors al País Valencià". VilaWeb.cat (in Catalan). Retrieved 2017-10-18.
41. "Quines són les organitzacions de la Crida Constituent i què han votat al consell polític?" (in Catalan). VilaWeb. 3 January 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
42. "Resultats Eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya 2015". Nació Digital. 2015-09-28.
43. "Junts pel Sí i la CUP investeixen Puigdemont per avançar cap a la independència". Nació Digital. 2016-01-10.
44. "Vuit dels diputats de la CUP votaran a favor de la investidura de Puigdemont". Vilaweb. 2016-01-10.
45. "Artur Mas dimiteix per desblocar l'acord i avançar cap a la independència. Carles Puigdemont serà el nou president". Vilaweb. 2016-01-10.
46. "La CUP-PR concorrerà al 10N per impugnar el règim i dificultar la governabilitat a l'Estat". cup.cat (in Catalan). Popular Unity Candidacy. 4 October 2019. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
47. "Pirates de Catalunya aprueba concurrir al 10N en coalición con la CUP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 28 September 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
48. "La exdiputada Mireia Vehí encabezará la lista de la CUP al Congreso". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 4 October 2019. Retrieved 5 February 2020.

External links

• National Website (in Catalan)