Union of the Democratic Centre (Spain)
You can help expand this article with text translated from the corresponding article in Spanish. (January 2020) Click [show] for important translation instructions.
|
This article needs additional citations for verification. (October 2012) |
Union of the Democratic Centre Unión de Centro Democrático | |
---|---|
Constitutional monarchism[3] Christian democracy[4][5] Liberalism[4][5] Reformism[6] Factions: Liberal conservatism[7][8] Social democracy[4][5] | |
Political position | Centre[4] to centre-right[3][9][10] |
European affiliation | European Democrat Union (observer)[5] |
Colours | Orange, Green |
The Union of the Democratic Centre (Spanish: Unión de Centro Democrático, UCD, also translated as "Democratic Centre Union") was an electoral alliance, and later political party, in Spain, existing from 1977 to 1983. It was initially led by Adolfo Suárez.
History
Formation
The coalition, in fact a federation of parties, was formed on 3 May 1977, during the transition to democracy from the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, with the involvement of leaders from a variety of newly formed centrist and rightist factions, under the leadership of Suárez, then Prime Minister. The principal components of the UCD defined themselves as Christian democrats, liberals, social democrats, or "independents", the latter frequently comprising conservative elements which had been part of the Franco regime.
The parties that made the UCD coalition were:
- Christian democrats:
- Social democrats:
- Social Democratic Federation (FSD) of José Ramón Lasuén Sancho. It comprised ten regional parties.
- Social Democratic Party (PSD) of Francisco Fernández Ordóñez and Rafael Arias-Salgado. It comprised six regional parties.
- Independent Social Democratic Party (PSI) of Gonzalo Casado.
- Spanish Social Democratic Union (USDE) of Eurico de la Peña.
- Governmentalists:
- José Pedro Pérez Llorca. It comprised seven regional parties.
- Liberals:
- Federation of Democratic and Liberal Parties (FPDL) of Joaquín Garrigues Walker and Antonio Fontán. It comprised nine regional parties.
- People's Democratic Party (PDP) of Ignacio Camuñas Solís.
- Liberal Party (PL) of Enrique Larroque.
- Liberal Progressive Party (PPL) of Juan García Madariaga.
- Regional parties:
- Extremaduran Regional Action (AREX) of Enrique Sánchez de León.
- Independent Galician Party (PGI) of José Luis Meilán.
- Andalusian Social Liberal Party (PSLA) of Manuel Clavero.
- Lorenzo Olarte.
- Murcian Democratic Union (UDM) of Antonio Pérez Crespo.
- Later the Independent Social Federation (FSI) of Jesús Sancho Rof was also added to the coalition.[11]
Some months later, all these parties were merged and UCD constituted itself as a party on 4 August 1977.
In government
In the
In 1979, the Socialist Workers' Party moderated its outlook by dropping the references to Marxism from its programme. At the same time, the right-wing People's Alliance increasingly moved to the political centre (and, by undergoing a generational change, could overcome its Francoist image), thus the space for the centrist UCD shrank.[12] Despite this, the UCD was returned for a second term in the 1979 general election, with a slight increase in vote share but could not attain a majority, with 34.8% of the vote and 168 deputies.
Internal divisions and defections
The demise of the UCD began when an internal conflict emerged between its diverse factions. Many believe that the only factor that had kept the party together was the writing of the constitution. With that work done, the party became increasingly unpopular due to the growth of unemployment, inflation and the general economic crisis affecting the country.
During the course of the 1979–1982 legislature the party suffered a number of serious splits and defections. On 7 March 1980,
Meanwhile, Suárez resigned as prime minister in January 1981. He was replaced by
On 10 November 1981
In Summer 1982 the party splintered further. Two deputies Modesto Fraile and Carlos Gila quit the party and in August they along with 11 other UCD deputies (Óscar Alzaga, Mariano Alierta, Joaquín Galant, Julen Guimon, María Josefa Lafuente, José Luis Moreno, Francisco Olivencia, José Manuel Otero, José Pin Arboledas, José Luis Ruiz Navarro and Luis Vega) formed the People's Democratic Party (PDP). This party allied itself with the AP for the 1982 election.
Also in August, 16 deputies, headed by the former leader and Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez formed the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS).[13] Among the founding members were deputies such as Agustín Rodríguez Sahagún, Jaume Barnola, León Buil, Rafael Calvo Ortega, José María Mesa, Josep Pujadas, José Javier Rodríguez Alcaide and Manuel de Sàrraga and Alejandro Rebollo Álvarez-Amandi. The CDS fought the 1982 election in direct competition with the UCD.
Although the UCD had been joined by
1982 election and disbanding
Following the
Most of the UCD's electorate became supporters of the AP-PDP alliance, which later became the People's Party, today Spain's principal conservative party. The AP-PDP displaced the UCD as the main alternative to the PSOE.
Many ex-ministers and leaders of the UCD also joined the AP ranks. Subsequently, the UCD was disbanded on 18 February 1983.
Electoral performance
Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales | |||||||||
Election | Congress | Senate | Leading candidate | Status in legislature | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Votes | % | # | Seats | +/– | Seats | +/– | |||
1977 | 6,310,391 | 34.44% | 1st | 165 / 350
|
— | 106 / 207
|
— | Adolfo Suárez | Minority |
1979 | 6,268,593 | 34.84% | 1st | 168 / 350
|
3 | 118 / 208
|
12 | Adolfo Suárez | Minority |
1982 | 1,425,093 | 6.77% | 3rd | 12 / 350
|
156 | 4 / 208
|
114 | Landelino Lavilla
|
Opposition |
Regional parliaments
Region | Election | Votes | % | # | Seats | Status in legislature |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Andalusia | 1982 | 371,154 | 13.03% | 3rd | 15 / 109
|
Opposition |
Basque Country | 1980 | 78,095 | 8.49% | 5th | 6 / 60
|
Opposition |
Catalonia | 1980 | Within CC–UCD | 18 / 135
|
Confidence and supply | ||
Galicia | 1981 | 274,191 | 27.80% | 2nd | 24 / 71
|
Confidence and supply |
Navarre | 1979 | 68,040 | 26.69% | 1st | 20 / 70
|
Mandatory coalition |
Literature
- Hopkin, Jonathan (1999), Party Formation and Democratic Transition in Spain: The Creation and Collapse of the Union of the Democratic Centre, Macmillan Press, ISBN 0312219121
See also
References
- ^ "La crisis de UCD culmina con la decisión de disolverse como partido político". El País (in Spanish). 19 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ "Exito y fracaso sin precedentes en la historia de las democracias". El País (in Spanish). 19 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
- ^ a b Bozóki, András; Lomax, Bill (1996), "The revenge of history: The Portuguese, Spanish and Hungarian transitions — some comparisons", Stabilising Fragile Democracies: Comparing new party systems in Southern and Eastern Europe, Routledge, p. 197
- ^ a b c d Story, Jonathan (1995), "Spain's external relations redefined: 1975–1989", Democratic Spain: Reshaping External Relations in a Changing World, Routledge, p. 33
- ^ a b c d Steed, Michael; Humphreys, Peter (1988), "Identifying liberal parties", Liberal Parties in Western Europe, Cambridge University Press, pp. 425–426
- ^ Matuschek, Peter (2004), "Who Learns from Whom?: The Failure of Spanish Christian Democracy and the Success of the Partido Popular", Christian Democratic Parties in Europe since the End of the Cold War, Leuven University Press, p. 244
- ISBN 9783751934565
- ^ Schäfer, Thilo (5 June 2020), "Wie sich Spaniens Regierung an einem Nato-Gipfel abarbeitet", Mallorca Zeitung
- ^ Encarnación, Omar G. (2008), Spanish Politics, Polity Press, p. 55
- ^ Montero, José Ramón (1999), "Stabilising the Democratic Order: Electoral Behaviour in Spain", Politics and Policy in Democratic Spain, Frank Cass, pp. 62–63
- ^ Ministerio del Interior de España. "Partidos políticos que integraron "Unión de Centro Democrático"" (in Spanish). Retrieved May 22, 2015.
- ^ Haas, Melanie (2006). "Das Parteiensystem Spaniens". Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas. VS Verlag: 433.
- ^ Haas, Melanie (2006), "Das Parteiensystem Spaniens", Die Parteiensysteme Westeuropas, VS Verlag, p. 436