New Catalan Left

New Catalan Left (Catalan: Nova Esquerra Catalana, NECat) was a Catalanist and pro-independence political party founded in December 2012 as a split from the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) by Ernest Maragall, brother of former Catalan president Pasqual Maragall.[2] In November 2014, the party was merged into the Left Movement (MES).[3][4]

New Catalan Left
Nova Esquerra Catalana
LeaderErnest Maragall
PresidentMagda Casamitjana
Founded15 December 2012 (2012-12-15)
Dissolved30 November 2014 (2014-11-30)
Split fromSocialists' Party of Catalonia
Merged intoLeft Movement
HeadquartersAvda. Diagonal, 449, 4ª
08036, Barcelona[1]
IdeologySocial democracy
Catalanism
Catalan independence
Political positionCentre-left
SloganPer una esquerra catalana forta i majoritària
("For a strong and majoritarian Catalan left")
Website
www.novaesquerracatalana.cat

History

Following the 11 September 2012 independence demonstration, in which many high-ranking members from the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) participated—such as Ernest Maragall, Antoni Castells, Marina Geli, Àngel Ros, Laia Bonet or Joan Ignasi Elena, among others[5]—a severe party crisis unveiled within the PSC over a manifesto signed by 145 members of the party's Catalanist faction in favour of a self-determination referendum and the establishment of a Catalan state,[6] contrary to the party's official stance of favouring asymmetric federalism within Spain.[7][8] Ernest Maragall, former regional education minister between 2006 and 2010 and brother of former Catalan president Pasqual Maragall, understood the manifesto as an attempt to open up a debate on the establishment of a new political space.[9] Maragall had already ruled out running within the PSC's lists for the upcoming 2012 Catalan regional election,[10] after a history of breaking party discipline throughout the legislature in favour both of President Artur Mas's proposal of a fiscal agreement with Spain on 25 July 2012,[11] and of a referendum on self-determination to be held during the next legislature on 27 September.[12]

On 11 October 2012, Maragall announced his intention to leave the PSC and resume the Catalan Party of Europe, and old party founded in 1998 by his brother Pasqual, with the aim of putting together a strong leftist, Catalanist and sovereignist force, joined by other members from the PSC and from the late Citizens for Change platform that supported Pasqual Maragall and later José Montilla's bids in 1999, 2003 and 2006.[2][13] On 5 November, a public meeting was held under the Esquerra i País slogan (English: "Left and Country") and attended, among others, by Maragall himself, former Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) leader Josep Lluís Carod-Rovira, Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) MEP Raül Romeva and secretaries-general from ERC and ICV Marta Rovira and Joan Herrera, where there was a vindication for creation of a political project uniting the Catalan left—in a similar fashion to The Olive Tree coalition in Italy—following the 25 November regional election.[14]

Maragall's new party was publicly presented on 15 December under the "New Catalan Left" name as a "genuinely" Catalan left-from-centre alternative, articulated around social democracy and the right to decide.[15][16] Maragall also advocated for his party supporting a "Yes" choice in the event of a self-determination referendum being held in Catalonia,[17] and supported the formation of an "unitary list" of pro-Catalan independence parties ahead of the 2014 European Parliament election.[18]

In February 2014, Maragall stepped down from the party's presidency in favour of a collective leadership.[19] Shortly after, the party reached an agreement with ERC to form an electoral alliance for the 2014 European Parliament election under the umbrella of The Left for the Right to Decide,[20] after which Maragall proposed in June "an agreement for the reconstruction of the Socialist space and reuniting the Catalan left" including ERC, ICV and dissidents from the PSC, but also the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP).[21] In August 2014, NECat entered talks with Avancem, the political party founded by former PSC deputy Joan Ignasi Elena, to merge into a new party with the intention of running together in the 2015 Spanish local elections.[22][23] The talks were joined by another PSC split, Moviment Catalunya,[24][25] but ended up in Avancem rejecting the merger,[26][27] leading to the new party—which would be branded as Left Movement on 30 November 2014—being formed by NECat and Moviment only.[28][29]

Electoral performance

European Parliament
European Parliament
Election Votes  % # Seats +/– Leading candidate
2014 Within EPDD
1 / 54
 1 Josep Maria Terricabras

References
  1. "Informació de contacte". www.novaesquerracatalana.cat (in Catalan). New Catalan Left. Archived from the original on 2013-11-22. Retrieved 19 July 2020.
  2. "El futuro partido de Ernest Maragall empieza a caminar con un acto este jueves" (in Spanish). Barcelona: Europa Press. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  3. Julià, Núria (30 November 2014). "Neix Moviment d'Esquerres, partit del socialisme sobiranista" (in Catalan). VilaWeb. ACN. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  4. "Moviment d'Esquerres cierra 45 listas con ERC para las elecciones municipales". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 24 January 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  5. "El ala catalanista del PSC se desmarca de la dirección y va a la manifestación". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 11 September 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  6. Rico, José (3 October 2012). "El ala catalanista presiona al PSC a favor de una "Catalunya-Estado"". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  7. "Militantes del PSC impulsan un manifiesto por la autodeterminación". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Europa Press. 3 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  8. Fernández, Antonio (4 October 2012). "Los catalanistas del PSC se rebelan: exigen un Estado propio y un referéndum independentista". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  9. "División entre los firmantes del manifiesto soberanista de miembros del PSC". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Agencias. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  10. "Ernest Maragall no irá en las listas del PSC tras sus desplantes a la dirección". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. 28 September 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  11. "Ernest Maragall rompe la disciplina y vota a favor del pacto fiscal". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Europa Press. 25 July 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  12. "Ernest Maragall rompe la disciplina de voto del PSC y apoya la consulta de autodeterminación". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Agencias. 27 September 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  13. "Ernest Maragall rompe el carnet del PSC". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. 11 October 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  14. Rico, José (5 November 2012). "La semilla del Olivo catalán". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  15. "Ernest Maragall presentará el sábado su nuevo partido socialista "genuinamente" catalán" (in Spanish). Barcelona: Europa Press. 11 December 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  16. "Queda constituido el partido Nova Esquerra Catalana, liderado por E. Maragall". La Información (in Spanish). Sitges (Barcelona). 15 December 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  17. "El nuevo partido de Maragall recomendaría el 'sí' en una consulta" (in Spanish). E-Notícies. 3 December 2012. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  18. Neus, Vidal (12 July 2013). "El partido de Ernest Maragall impulsa una lista unitaria para las europeas". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  19. Aduriz, Íñigo (22 February 2014). "Ernest Maragall deja la presidencia de Nova Esquerra Catalana". Público (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  20. Noguer, Miquel (3 March 2014). "ERC ficha a Ernest Maragall como número dos para las europeas". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  21. "Maragall propone una alianza de toda la izquierda independentista que incluya a ERC, ICV, CUP, NECat y los díscolos del PSC". Crónica Global (in Spanish). 3 March 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  22. "Avancem y Nova Esquerra Catalana se fusionarán para crear un nuevo partido". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. ACN. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  23. "Avancem y Necat, escisiones del PSC, preparan su fusión para las municipales de 2015" (in Spanish). Barcelona: Europa Press. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  24. "Moviment Catalunya se inclina por aliarse con Avancem y NECat en las municipales de 2015". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Europa Press. 7 August 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  25. "Avancem y NECat se fusionarán este año y buscarán coaliciones" (in Spanish). Palamós (Girona): Europa Press. 28 August 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  26. "Avancem descarta por ahora fusionarse con NECat y Moviment Catalunya" (in Spanish). Barcelona: Europa Press. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  27. "NECat y Moviment Catalunya confían en recuperar a Avancem para fusionarse en un partido". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Europa Press. 12 November 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  28. "La fusión de NECat y Moviment Catalunya echa a andar con el adelanto electoral en el horizonte" (in Spanish). Barcelona: Europa Press. 21 November 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
  29. "Nace el partido MES, que fusiona a NECat y Moviment Catalunya". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Europa Press. 30 November 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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