Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
Catalan Alliance
Political party in Spain From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
Catalan Alliance (Catalan: Aliança Catalana) is a far right[25] political party in Catalonia. It is a Catalan pro-independence, anti-immigration and ultranationalist party currently governing the municipality of Ripoll.[26][20][27]
At the 2024 Catalan regional election, the party entered the Parliament of Catalonia for the first time, with two seats.[24]
Remove ads
History
Summarize
Perspective
The party was founded in 2020 by Ripoll Councilor Sílvia Orriols, who left the National Front of Catalonia (FNC) due to her opposition to moderating the party's stance on immigration. All FNC members in Ripoll joined Orriols in forming the Catalan Alliance.[28]
In May 2023, the party won the municipal elections in Ripoll, receiving the most votes in the town and obtaining six councilors.[26] On 12 June, the other political forces in the municipality of Ripoll tried to make a pact to prevent Catalan Alliance from governing the municipality,[29] but Together for Catalonia (Junts) ultimately did not participate in the agreement and Orriols was invested as mayor on 17 June 2023.[30]
In the other two municipalities where the party ran, they obtained two more councilors, one in Manlleu and another in Ribera d'Ondara. In the latter municipality, the party's representative, Albert Puig, became mayor in 2024 following a no-confidence motion against the minority government of Francesc Sabanés of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC). Elisabet Jové of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) succeeded Sabanés as mayor, but she stepped down shortly after assuming the role due to maternity leave, handing the mayoralty to Puig.[31] Puig held the position for four months, from March to July 2024, until Jové returned from maternity leave. Puig governed with the support of councilors elected under the ERC banner.[31] After the agreement between Catalan Alliance and the ERC was announced, ERC leadership severed all ties with the Ribera d'Ondara branch of the party.[32]
On 25 March 2024, Orriols confirmed that Catalan Alliance would be presenting a list for the 2024 Catalan regional election, with Orriols as the lead candidate.[32] Ahead of the elections, PSC, ERC, Junts, Comuns Sumar, and Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) announced that they would not enter into any coalition agreement with Catalan Alliance or Vox.[33] Catalan Alliance would ultimately win two seats in the election, entering the Parliament of Catalonia for the first time as the smallest party.[24] The party would win Ripoll and the bordering municipalities of Les Llosses, Campdevànol, and Gombrèn.[34] In Ribera d'Ondara, Catalan Alliance would finish second behind Junts.[35]
Remove ads
Ideology
Summarize
Perspective
Catalan Alliance is generally considered to be far-right on the political spectrum.[20][21] The party stands for a security policy of zero-tolerance on crime, linking it to illegal immigration. The party supports increased police presence.[36] It stands for deporting all irregular migrants and applying stricter requirements to immigrate legally to Catalonia as well as promoting anti-Muslim rhetoric, with party leader Sílvia Orriols stating that Muslims "do not integrate in our country but rather they attack our rights and freedoms".[37][38] Orriols claims that Islam is incompatible with western values and has called for the closure of mosques and bans on the burqa in public.[39] The party has been described as anti-immigration.[40]
On international affairs, Catalan Alliance is soft Eurosceptic, saying that being part of the EU has good as well as bad consequences. It believes that Catalonia should remain in the EU but "Catalans should have interests, not friendships in Europe", so that the aim should be to negotiate agreements and policies according to Catalan interests, instead of accepting and having to adapt to anything coming from Brussels. Diplomatically, the party "supports the free world", showing steadfast support for Israel.[41] It also aims to create a military for Catalonia in case of becoming an independent State.[39]
On cultural issues, the party, overwhelmingly Catalan nationalist, has criticized bilingualism in Catalonia, with prominent member Jordi Aragonès stating that newcomers usually learn Spanish instead of Catalan, and that knowing Catalan language should be a condition to live in Catalonia. Furthermore, the party states Catalan should be the only official language in Catalonia and that Spanish should be an optional subject at schools. Catalan Alliance is liberal-conservative in outlook, stating that defending western values and Catalan traditions is necessary to accomplish a free, tolerant and respectful society. On that line, Catalan Alliance is moderate on social issues such as LGBTQ rights or feminism, and has been described as homonationalist.[41] On issues like abortion, euthanasia, drug legalisation or AI the party has no official position.
The party takes a neoliberal stance on economic issues.[36][39] It calls for cuts on both public spending and taxation,[39] including the abolition of the wealth and the inheritance tax.[36] The party supports rental deregulation.[36]
Remove ads
Electoral performance
Parliament of Catalonia
Municipalities
See also
References
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads