United to Advance

United to Advance
Units per Avançar
AbbreviationEls Units
PresidentOriol Molins
Vice PresidentIgnasi Rafel
Secretary-GeneralRamon Espadaler
Founded19 June 2017 (2017-06-19)
Registered26 June 2017 (2017-06-26)
Preceded byDemocratic Union of Catalonia
HeadquartersC/ Tuset, 23, 4ª
08006, Barcelona
IdeologyChristian humanism
Christian democracy
Catalanism
Political positionCentre-right[1]
National affiliationCEUS (2019–2024)
Regional affiliationIn coalition with PSC
Parliament of Catalonia[a]
1 / 135
Local seats
6 / 9,077
Website
www.unitsperavancar.cat

United to Advance (Catalan: Units per Avançar, Els Units) is a Catalan centrist and Christian democratic political party founded in June 2017 by former members of the defunct Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) and non-independentist Catalan nationalists.[3][4] The party defines itself as moderate Catalan nationalist and opposes Catalan independence.[5]

History

The party, promoted by former members of the extinct Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC), was publicly presented in Barcelona on 19 June 2017.[4] In its founding congress held in October 2017, the party proposed forming an electoral platform together with the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) and other actors from moderate Catalanism opposed to Catalan independence.[6]

Units reached an electoral agreement with the PSC ahead of the 2017 Catalan regional election, under which party leader Ramon Espadaler would run as the list's third candidate for the Barcelona constituency.[7][8] After the election, the party joined PSC's parliamentary group.[9] The party renewed their alliance with the PSC for of the upcoming 2019 Spanish local elections.[10][11] Concurrently, it joined the Coalition for a Solidary Europe alliance together with the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Canarian Coalition (CCa) and other regionalist political parties in Spain ahead of the 2019 European Parliament election.[12]

As of March 2020, the party was in talks for an electoral alliance ahead of the 2021 Catalan regional election with "The Country of Tomorrow" think tank, which had split with the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT) in September 2019.[13] After the latter established the Nationalist Party of Catalonia (PNC), both Els Units and the PNC did not rule out any prospective alliance.[14][15]

Electoral performance

Parliament of Catalonia

Parliament of Catalonia
Election Votes % # Seats +/– Leading candidate Status in legislature
2017 Within PSC–PSOE
1 / 135
 1 Ramon Espadaler[b] Opposition
2021 Within PSC–PSOE
1 / 135
 0 Ramon Espadaler[c] Opposition
2024 Within PSC–PSOE
1 / 135
 0 Government

Notes

  1. ^ Within the parliamentary group of the Socialist Party of Catalonia.[2]
  2. ^ Espalader was the leader of United to Advance in the Catalan Parliament, the leader of the PSC-Units coalition was Miquel Iceta.
  3. ^ Espalader was the leader of United to Advance in the Catalan Parliament, the leader of the PSC-Units coalition was Salvador Illa.

References

  1. ^ "El PSC mira a izquierda y derecha para muscular su candidatura". La Razón (in Spanish). 2020-12-03. Retrieved 2024-08-11.
  2. ^ "Grup Parlamentari Socialistes i Units per Avançar". www.parlament.cat (in Catalan). Parliament of Catalonia. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Registro de Partidos Políticos". sede.mir.gob.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Nace Units per Avançar, partido catalanista y liberal que rechaza el referéndum". El Mundo (in Spanish). EFE. 19 June 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Carlos Losada: "L'endemà de la independència tindrem molts més problemes"". El Món (in Catalan). 9 July 2017. Archived from the original on 12 August 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Units per Avançar echa a andar proponiendo al PSC una plataforma electoral". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 21 October 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  7. ^ Pascual, Roger (7 November 2017). "El PSC cierra un acuerdo para ir al 21-D con Units per avançar". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  8. ^ "Ramon Espadaler irá de número tres de la lista del PSC liderada por Iceta". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 November 2017. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  9. ^ "El PSC incorpora a Espadaler en la dirección del grupo y propone a Pérez en la Mesa". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 11 January 2018. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  10. ^ "PSC y Units per Avançar reeditarán su pacto de cara a las elecciones de mayo". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 4 January 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  11. ^ "Units per Avançar concurrirá a las municipales de Barcelona en coalición con el PSC". El Mundo (in Spanish). 2 March 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  12. ^ "Units y Coalición Canaria se alían para las europeas y esperan al PNV". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 January 2019. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Units avanza en sus conversaciones con El País de Demà de cara a las elecciones catalanas" (in Spanish). Europa Press. 5 March 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  14. ^ "La Crida, sobre el nuevo PNC: "No hacen falta más partidos, sino más unidad"". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 14 May 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.
  15. ^ "Dilema catalanista: emular al PNV con Marta Pascal o una plataforma con Albert Batlle". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 24 June 2020. Retrieved 9 July 2020.