Junts pel Sí

Junts pel Sí (IPA: [ˈʒuns pəl ˈsi]; English: "Together for Yes",[4] sometimes translated as "Together for the Yes";[5] JxSí) was a Catalan electoral, political and parliamentary alliance focused on achieving the independence of Catalonia from Spain.[6] Established ahead of the 2015 Catalan regional election, it was formed by Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), Democrats of Catalonia (DC), Left Movement (MES) and Independence Rally (RI.cat),[7][8] as well as a number of independent personalities from pro-independence sectors of civil society, including the pro-independence organizations Catalan National Assembly, Òmnium and the Association of Municipalities for Independence.[9] The Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) had been invited to participate in the alliance, but refused to do so and ran on its own instead, citing its disagreement with the presence of politicians in the list.[10]

This article is about the pro-Catalan independence alliance. For the Irish abortion rights campaign group, see Together for Yes.
Not to be confused with Together for Catalonia (2017) or Together for Catalonia (2020).
Together for Yes

Junts pel Sí
AbbreviationJxSí
LeaderRaül Romeva, Carme Forcadell, Muriel Casals, Artur Mas, Oriol Junqueras
Founded20 July 2015 (2015-07-20)
Dissolved28 October 2017 (2017-10-28)
Preceded byConvergence and Union
Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes
Succeeded byTogether for Catalonia
Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes
HeadquartersC/ Còrsega, 333
08037, Barcelona[1]
IdeologyCatalan independence[2]
Catalan nationalism
Political positionBig tent[3]
Colors  Turquoise
  Purple
  Red
  Yellow
MembersSee list of members
Website
www.juntspelsi.cat

The constituent parties of JxSí formed a minority government after the 2015 election with confidence and supply support from the CUP, and it was responsible for organising the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and overseeing the subsequent constitutional crisis that it sparked. On 4 November 2017, ERC chose not to renew the alliance with the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT)—CDC's successor—for the 2017 Catalan regional election, having conditioned such event on it having been joined by the CUP, DC and disaffected members from Catalunya en Comú, a hypothesis which did not materialize.[11]

History

Background

Prospects for the establishment of a unitary electoral list comprising the major pro-Catalan independence forces kicked off following the events of 2012, namely the 11 September independence demonstration in Barcelona, the 25 November regional election and the subsequent confidence and supply agreement between Convergence and Union (CiU)—the party federation comprising Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)—and Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) following Catalan president Artur Mas's failure to secure an extended parliamentary majority in the election. Throughout 2013, CiU and ERC considered forming an electoral alliance of parties supporting self-determination for the 2014 European Parliament election,[12][13] a proposal that also received the support of minor parties such as Ernest Maragall's New Catalan Left (NECat).[14] The list did not materialize because of its rejection by Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) and the reluctance of ERC and UDC.[15][16]

The issue of the unitary list rose up again in 2014, being proposed by CDC within the context of the self-determination vote on 9 November and discussions about holding a "plebiscitary" regional election at some point during the next year.[17][18] The idea was rejected by ERC and the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), who demanded a snap election,[19][20] but President Mas replied by pressuring them into a national unity candidacy as a necessary condition for calling an early election.[21] Mas attempted to look for independents from the civil society to incorporate into his electoral list, allegedly as part of his pro-independence plan, in what came to be regarded as an attempt to dilute the CDC/CiU brand after the damage caused to it by the unveiling of major corruption scandals affecting the party, particularly those involving former president and CDC founder Jordi Pujol.[22][23]

Contacts were established by both CDC and ERC with the pro-independence civil organizations Catalan National Assembly (or ANC) and Òmnium to probe their willingness to have their members join their candidacies ahead of such a plebiscitary election.[24] Some media outlets and political actors also attributed CDC's insistence on the joint list proposal to "Mas's fears of losing re-election" to ERC, amid opinion polling showing both parties vying for victory in an eventual regional election; these rumours were casted off by CDC members defending that Mas was "not afraid" of running on his own,[25][26] but that his plan still contemplated the establishment of such an electoral alliance with him at its helm.[27] On the other hand, ERC advocated for all pro-independence parties agreeing on a common election manifesto and maintaining separate electoral lists but under a common umbrella, such as using the electoral formulas ERC–Ara es l'hora and CiU–Ara es l'hora (Catalan for "Now is the time").[28]

Finally on 14 January 2015, Mas announced that he had reached an agreement with ERC to hold a "plebiscitary" election on 27 September—turned into an alternative vote on independence—with parties supporting self-determination including independence as a goal in their manifestos and with the issue of the unitary list still up.[29][30]

CiU breakup and negotiations

In the lead up to the 27 September election, tensions heightened between CDC and UDC over their stances on Catalan independence, which the former favoured and the latter opposed,[31][32] as well as on the issue of the unitary list with ERC, to which UDC had never voiced support.[33][34] As a result, UDC announced that it would hold a vote among its membership following the May 2015 local elections on whether it should keep supporting Mas's independence plan, intending to strengthen its negotiating position and force CDC to slow down its independentist drift.[35][36] The vote was held on 14 June, resulting in a narrow 51–46 win for the "No" choice supported by the UDC leadership which weakened its position,[37] leading to CDC issuing an ultimatum to UDC to commit itself to the independence plan.[38] UDC's rejection led his members stepping down from Mas's cabinet,[39] as well as to the breakup of the historical CiU alliance which had dominated Catalan politics since the 1980s.[40] Concurrently, UDC's stance would led to a schism within its ranks, seeing the foundation of Democrats of Catalonia (DC) by UDC members supportive of independence.[41]

The termination of the CiU federation allowed Mas to fully embrace his plan of forming a unitary list ahead of the September election,[42] concerned on the weakening of the CDC brand after the CiU's negative results in the May local elections had seen it losing control of Barcelona to Podemos's supported Ada Colau and her Barcelona en Comú platform.[43] He engaged in talks with ANC and Òmnium to pressure ERC into finally accepting the alliance,[44][45][46] which he proposed would not be topped by him but would rather see the leaders of the civil entities comprising the leading posts in the candidacy's lists.[47] However, the ANC and Òmnium pushed for an independent list without politicians,[48] a proposal which was well-received by the CUP—which announced their willingness to support such an electoral ticket on the condition that a "constituent election" was held within few months[49][50]—and subsequently supported by ERC in an attempt to outmaneuver CDC and to put Mas's plan on jeopardy,[51][52] who did not foresee an electoral list which he was not a member of.[53]

After long negotiations, a CDC–ERC agreement was finally announced on 13 July for a list comprising both politicians and independents from civil society.[54] The agreement, subsequently approved by the leaderships of both parties, provided that the main list for the Barcelona constituency would be led by three independent personalities—former ICV member and MEP Raül Romeva, former ANC president Carme Forcadell and Òmnium chairwoman Muriel Casals—followed by Artur Mas and Oriol Junqueras.[55][56] Both CDC and ERC agreed that they would distribute politician-reserved posts among themselves at a 60–40 ratio, respectively, with the agreement also providing for Mas to remain the alliance's choice for president, even though he would not be topping the electoral ticket as a result of the power balance achieved by the parties during the negotiations.[57][58] Places were also reserved in the list for DC and Left Movement (MES), as well as for other pro-independence organizations—such as the Association of Municipalities for Independence—and non-party personalities.[7][59] The final agreement, as well as former ICV Romeva's pick up to top the list, were said to have been motivated out of opinion polls showing a strong performance by both Podemos and Citizens in the 27 September election.[60] The CUP eventually chose to run separately after its proposal for an independent-only had fallen out of favour.[10][61] The candidacy was publicly presented on 20 July 2015, and its name revealed to be Junts pel Sí (English: "Together for Yes").[62]

Composition
Party Notes
Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) Refounded as PDeCAT in July 2016.
Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) From July 2016.
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)
Democrats of Catalonia (DC)
Left Movement (MES)
Independence Rally (RI.cat)
Independents from civil society Including members from the ANC, Òmnium and AMI.

Electoral performance

Parliament of Catalonia
Parliament of Catalonia
Election Votes % # Seats +/– Leading candidate Status in legislature
2015 1,628,714 39.59% 1st
62 / 135
 9[lower-alpha 1] Artur Mas Coalition (CDC–ERC)

Symbols
  • Teal logo.
  • Purple logo.
  • Red logo.
  • Yellow logo.

Notes
  1. Compared to the combined totals of Convergence and Union and Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes in the 2012 regional election.

References
  1. "Aviso legal. Política de privacidad". www.juntspelsi.cat (in Spanish). Junts pel Sí. Archived from the original on 11 August 2016. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Catalonia/Spain". Parties and Elections in Europe. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  3. Kassam, Ashifa (20 September 2015). "Catalonia's separatists: 'The Spanish state has failed. We can change this'". The Guardian. Madrid. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  4. Nordsieck, Wolfram (15 May 2020). Parties and Elections in Europe: Parliamentary Elections and Governments Since 1945, European Parliament Elections, Political Orientation and History of Parties. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 646. ISBN 978-3-7504-8134-3.
  5. Closa, Carlos (7 September 2017). Secession from a Member State and Withdrawal from the European Union: Troubled Membership. Cambridge University Press. p. 142. ISBN 9781107172197.
  6. "Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes): "We are all in, we've reached the end of the line"". Ara. 21 July 2015. Retrieved 13 November 2015.
  7. Rubio, Cristina (15 July 2015). "Mas doblega a ERC y el 27-S liderará la lista independentista". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  8. "Marc Viñolas, Secretari General de Reagrupament, a la candidatura de Barcelona de Junts Pel Sí". www.reagrupament.cat (in Catalan). Reagrupament. 6 August 2015. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. ""If the majority is there, the Catalan Parliament will solemnly declare the start of the independence process", states Romeva". Barcelona: Catalan News. ACN. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  10. Ruiz, David (14 July 2015). "David Fernández: "La última propuesta imposibilitaba cualquier acuerdo" por la lista unitaria". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  11. "ERC descarta reeditar la coalición 'Junts Pel Sí' en las elecciones del 21-D" (in Spanish). Barcelona: Cadena SER. EFE. 4 November 2017. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  12. Roger, Maiol (3 May 2013). "CiU y ERC tantean una lista unitaria para las europeas". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  13. "CDC aboga por una lista unitaria en las europeas con un candidato independiente". La Razón (in Spanish). Barcelona. 7 October 2013. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  14. Vidal, Neus (12 July 2013). "El partido de Ernest Maragall impulsa una lista unitaria para las europeas". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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  20. García Sastre, Daniel (13 November 2014). "ERC enfría la lista única y pide elecciones ya". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  21. Masreal, Fidel (12 November 2014). "Mas solo irá a las urnas con una lista unitaria". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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  24. "CDC y ERC mantienen contactos por separado con ANC y Òmnium sobre una lista unitaria". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. ACN. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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  29. Gil del Olmo, Clara; Ríos, Pere (14 January 2015). "Mas gana el pulso a ERC y convoca elecciones para el 27 de septiembre". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  30. Puente, Arturo (14 January 2015). "Artur Mas anuncia elecciones anticipadas el 27 de septiembre". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  31. Pi, Jaume (22 January 2013). "Máxima tensión entre CDC y UDC". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  32. "Duran carga contra CDC por plantear plebiscitarias con una lista unitaria y por hacer seguidismo de la ANC y Òmnium". Crónica Global (in Spanish). 17 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  33. "Homs niega "tensión" entre CDC y UDC en el Govern". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  34. Fernández, Antonio (2 February 2015). "Unió, dispuesta a romper con Convergència si Mas no reduce la hoja de ruta con ERC". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  35. Fernández Guerrero, David (21 February 2015). "Unió consultará a sus militantes para definirse sobre el proceso soberanista". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  36. Noguer, Miquel (14 June 2015). "Unió somete a votación el compromiso con el plan soberanista". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  37. Noguer, Miquel (14 June 2015). "Duran logra un ajustado apoyo para condicionar el plan de Mas". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  38. Noguer, Miquel (15 June 2015). "Mas da tres días a Duran para que decida si apoya la independencia". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  39. Noguer, Miquel (17 June 2015). "Unió sale del Gobierno de Mas como rechazo al plan de independencia". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
  40. Oms, Javier (18 June 2015). "CiU se desintegra: 'El proyecto político de la federación se ha acabado'". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  41. Tort, Àlex (12 July 2015). "Nace Demòcrates de Catalunya, nuevo partido político independentista escindido de Unió". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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  44. García, Pilar; De Rei, Molins (20 June 2015). "Mas llama a las entidades soberanistas a sumarse a una lista única y se ofrece a no encabezarla". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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  48. Muñiz, L. (5 July 2015). "Las entidades soberanistas piden a CDC y a ERC apoyo a una lista de independientes". La Nueva España (in Spanish). Oviedo/Barcelona. Agencias. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  49. "La CUP avalaría una lista sin políticos si se convocan después "elecciones constituyentes"". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  50. Espanyol, Montse (8 July 2015). "ERC y CUP aceptan una lista civil el 27-S si luego hay "elecciones constituyentes"". La Razón (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  51. Puente, Arturo (10 July 2015). "La propuesta de la 'lista civil' independentista pone a Mas contra las cuerdas". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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  53. "Mas desconvoca la cumbre de partidos y entidades independentistas del viernes por la tarde". 20 minutos (in Spanish). Europa Press. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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  57. "CDC y ERC se reparten candidatos al 60-40 y prevén reelegir a Artur Mas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  58. Masreal, Fidel (24 July 2015). "El Govern y ERC desautorizan a Romeva para blindar a Mas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  59. "MES donarà suport a la candidatura Junts pel Sí el 27-S". Ara (in Catalan). Barcelona. Europa Press. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  60. Sorolla, José Antonio (16 July 2015). "Una lista contra podemos y las encuestas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  61. "CDC y ERC pactan la lista al 60 y 40% e investirán a Mas". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Agencias. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  62. "La lista unitaria soberanista se presentará como Junts pel Sí". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Agencias. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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