1979 Catalan Statute of Autonomy referendum explained

1979 Catalan Statute of Autonomy referendum
"Do you approve of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia Bill?"
Location:Catalonia
Date:25 October 1979
Yes Text: Yes
No Text: No
Yes:2327038
No:204957
Total:2639951
Electorate:4451796

A referendum on the approval of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy was held in Catalonia on Thursday, 25 October 1979. Voters were asked whether they ratified a proposed Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia bill organizing the provinces of Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida and Tarragona into an autonomous community of Spain. The final draft of the bill had been approved by the Catalan Assembly of Parliamentarians on 29 December 1978,[1] and by the Congress of Deputies on 13 August 1979,[2] but it required ratification through a binding referendum and its subsequent approval by the Spanish Cortes Generales, as established by Article 151 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978. The referendum was held simultaneously with a similar vote in the Basque Country.

The referendum resulted in 91.9% of valid votes in support of the bill on a turnout of 59.3%.[3] [4] Once approved, the bill was submitted to the consideration of the Cortes Generales, which accepted it on 29 November (in the Congress of Deputies) and 12 December (in the Spanish Senate), receiving royal assent on 18 December and published in the Official State Gazette on 22 December 1979.[5] [6]

Legal framework

Articles 143 and 151 of the Spanish Constitution of 1978 provided for two ordinary procedures for regions to access autonomy status:[7]

Once initiated, failure in securing the requirements laid out in each of these procedures determined a five-year period during which the corresponding provinces or islands would not be able to apply for autonomy under the same Article.[7] Additionally, Article 144 provided for an exceptional procedure under which the Cortes Generales could, because of "national interest reasons": a) Authorize the constitution of an autonomous community when its territorial scope did not exceed that of a province and did not meet the requirements of Article 143; b) Authorize the approval of statutes of autonomy for territories not integrated into the provincial organization; and c) Replace the local councils' initiative referred to in Article 143.[12]

Draft statutes of autonomy approved under the procedure outlined in Article 151 of the Constitution required for its subsequent ratification in referendum, once ruled favourably by the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of Deputies. Under such Article, the ratification required the affirmative vote of at least a majority of those validly issued.[7]

The electoral procedures of the referendum came regulated under Royal Decree-Law 20/1977, of 18 March, and its related legal provisions. Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the provinces of Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida and Tarragona and in full enjoyment of their civil and political rights.[13] The question asked was "Do you approve of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia Bill?" (Spanish; Castilian: ¿Aprueba el proyecto de Estatuto de autonomía de Cataluña?).[14] [15]

Background

Historical precedents for Catalan autonomy after the Nueva Planta decrees of 1714 dated back to the Spanish Draft Constitution of 1873, with Catalonia as one out of the seventeen projected states within the Spanish federal state; the Commonwealth of Catalonia established in 1914 as the only such provincial association that came to exist; and finally as an autonomous region during the Second Spanish Republic.[5] In 1931, the Government of Catalonia (Catalan; Valencian: Generalitat de Catalunya) was restored, followed by the approval of a Statute of Autonomy in 1932 which was of application until the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War and the disestablishment of the Second Republic, when Catalan autonomy was suppressed by the Francoist regime.[16]

The death of dictator Francisco Franco in 1975 and the start of the Spanish transition to democracy led to negotiations between the Spanish government under then Prime Minister Adolfo Suárez and Catalan president-in-exile Josep Tarradellas over the issue of Catalan autonomy.[17] [18] [19] Political conflict arose between the Catalan opposition, which aimed at re-establishing the 1932 Statute, and Josep Tarradellas, who still considered himself the valid representative of the Government of Catalonia and aimed for its restoration with himself at its helm.[20] [21] After the 1977 Spanish general election an agreement was reached between the Spanish government, Tarradellas and the newly constituted Assembly of Parliamentarians,[22] [23] resulted in the second restoration of the regional Catalan government on 5 October 1977[24] [25] and in Tarradella's return to Catalonia on 23 October.[26] The new Catalan statute of autonomy would be drafted throughout 1978,[27] [28] [29] and on 29 December the so-called "Statute of Sau" (Catalan; Valencian: Estatut de Sau) was submitted to the Constitutional Commission of the Congress of Deputies for its review as outlined under Article 151.[1] The period was dominated by numerous disagreements within the Government of Catalonia—where an all-party cabinet had been formed—between President Tarradellas and the parties commanding a majority in the Assembly of Parliamentarians, the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) and the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC),[30] [31] which had seen attempts from Tarradellas to delay the Statute's submittal to the Cortes until after the first ordinary Spanish general election in 1979.[32] [33]

The parliamentary transaction of the proposed Statute bogged down for some months as a result of the dissolution of the Cortes Generales to hold the 1979 general election on 1 March and electoral campaigning for the subsequent local elections on 3 April,[34] and again after the governing Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) sought to amend the proposed text in June 1979 to limit the extent of devolution on a number of issues, such as language, justice, education, economy, electoral system and public order.[35] [36] [37] The final draft would be passed by the Constitutional Commission on 13 August 1979 after lengthy negotiations between the Catalan parties and Adolfo Suárez's government;[2] [38] the resulting text would be described by most Catalan politicians as improving on the level of devolution of that of 1932,[39] [40] though Tarradellas would express his disagreement over it.[41]

Date

The date for the referendum of ratification of the Statute was set immediately after its approval in the Cortes Generales, being approved by decree by the Council of Ministers on 14 September 1979 and published in the Official State Gazette on 24 September.[42] The referendum date was scheduled for Thursday, 25 October 1979,[15] to be held concurrently with the referendum on the Basque Statute of Autonomy.[43] [44]

Campaign

Party policies
PositionParties
YesSocialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE)[45]
bgcolor=Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD)[46]
bgcolor=Union of the Centre of Catalonia (UCC)[47]
bgcolor=Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC)[48]
bgcolor=Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC)[49]
bgcolor=Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)[50]
Party of Labour of Catalonia (PTC–PTE)
Catalan State (EC)
NoLeft Bloc for National Liberation (BEAN)[51]
New Force (FN)
Communist Movement of Catalonia (MCC)
AbstentionRevolutionary Communist League (LCR)[52]

President Josep Tarradellas was initially opposed to supporting the Statute, affirming that it had been drafted "by some gentlement from the [political] parties and by Prime Minister Suárez" and that it was "not an agreement, but a diktat";[41] [53] however, pressure from several regional ministers led to Tarradellas reluctantly accepting that the Executive Council recommended a "Yes" vote for the text ahead of the referendum.[54] [55] The regional Government launched an institutional campaign for the referendum under the "Vote the Statute" slogan (Spanish; Castilian: Vote el Estatuto).[56] The People's Alliance (AP) did not recommend any explicit choice for the Statute and gave freedom of vote to its supporters.[57] [58] The Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) issued a manifesto during the campaign where it aimed for the Andalusian community in Catalonia to "have their rights guaranteed as a community with their own personality".[59]

Opinion polls

The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading choice's colour. The "Lead" columns on the right show the percentage-point difference between the "Yes" and "No" choices in a given poll.

Results

Results by province

ProvinceElectorateTurnoutYesNo
Votes%Votes%
Barcelona3,463,13559.511,813,65791.67164,8648.33
Gerona337,62963.36191,22393.4913,3226.51
Lérida265,08358.23139,30894.158,6585.85
Tarragona385,94954.58182,85090.9918,1139.01
Total4,451,79659.302,327,03891.91204,9578.09
Sources

Aftermath

The referendum resulted in the Statute being ratified by a wide margin,[63] [64] but the low turnout of 59.3%—partly attributed to bad weather during voting day[65] —and the perceived poor preparations on the referendum logistics from the Government of Catalonia were met with disappointment within the Catalan political class.[66] The Statute was brought to the Cortes Generales for its final ratification: the Congress would pass it on 29 November,[67] [68] [69] the Senate would do likewise on 12 December,[70] and the text would receive royal assent on 18 December to be published in the Official State Gazette on the 22nd.[71] [72] After speculation on whether President Tarradellas would choose to trigger a government crisis that could delay the first regional election indefinitely,[73] [74] negotiations with the central government resulted in it being scheduled for 20 March 1980.[75]

The Statute of Sau would allow Catalonia to acquire one of the highest levels of autonomy in Comparative Law,[76] but it would also eventually lead to political conflict as other regions would attempt to achieve the same level of autonomy as that of the "historical regions".[77] In January 1980, seeking to "rationalize" the autonomic process of all future autonomous regions over concerns that all would attempt to achieve maximum devolution within a short timeframe,[78] the governing UCD officially would make public that it would not support the route of Article 151 for regions other than Catalonia, the Basque Country and Galicia, instead suggesting the application of the "slow-track" route of Article 143,[79] [80] which would eventually to the party's defeat in the Andalusian autonomy initiative referendum,[81] as well as to the signing of the first autonomic pacts between UCD and PSOE on 31 July 1981, would see the agreement for a joint calendar of devolution for the remaining regions.[82] This would be embodied through the approval, in 1982, of the Organic Law of Harmonization of the Autonomic Process (LOAPA).[83] [84]

See also

References

Opinion poll sources
Other

Notes and References

  1. News: 30 December 1978 . Tarradellas cedió ante la unidad de los parlamentarios catalanes . Spanish . . 25 December 2019.
  2. News: 14 August 1979 . La Comisión Constitucional aprueba el proyecto de Estatuto de Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  3. Web site: Catalonia (Spain), 25 October 1979: Autonomy Statute . German . sudd.ch . Direct Democracy . 1 September 2019.
  4. Web site: Referéndum sobre el proyecto de Estatuto de Autonomía para Cataluña . Spanish . congreso.es . . 1 September 2019.
  5. Web site: Sinopsis del Estatuto de Cataluña . https://web.archive.org/web/20160804133546/http://www.congreso.es/consti/estatutos/sinopsis.jsp?com=67 . dead . 4 August 2016 . congreso.es . Congress of Deputies . Spanish . 1 September 2019.
  6. Ley Orgánica 4/1979, de 18 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña . Organic Law . 4 . . Spanish . 18 December 1979 . 1 September 2019.
  7. Constitución Española . Constitution . Boletín Oficial del Estado . Spanish . 29 December 1978 . 1 September 2019.
  8. Web site: Constitución española. Sinopsis artículo 143 . congreso.es . Congress of Deputies . Spanish . 19 December 2019.
  9. Web site: Constitución española. Sinopsis artículo 151 . congreso.es . Congress of Deputies . Spanish . 19 December 2019.
  10. News: 31 October 1979 . Los estatutos de autonomía de las nacionalidades históricas . Spanish . El País . 1 September 2019.
  11. News: 9 December 1979 . El referéndum de iniciativa, barrera no exigida a las nacionalidades históricas . Spanish . El País . 1 September 2019.
  12. Web site: Constitución española. Sinopsis artículo 144 . congreso.es . Congress of Deputies . Spanish . 19 December 2019.
  13. Real Decreto-ley 20/1977, de 18 de marzo, sobre Normas Electorales . Royal Decree-Law . 20 . Boletín Oficial del Estado . Spanish . 18 March 1977 . 14 December 2019.
  14. Web site: Referendos . congreso.es . Congress of Deputies . Spanish . 1 September 2019.
  15. Boletín Oficial del Estado . 229 . 24 September 1979 . 22243–22251 . 0212-033X . Real Decreto-ley 14/1979, de 14 de septiembre, por el que se somete a referéndum el proyecto de Estatuto de autonomía de Cataluña . Spanish . 25 December 2019.
  16. News: June 2005 . La España de las Autonomías. Cataluña. Breve historia . Spanish . . 25 December 2019.
  17. News: 9 December 1976 . Contactos oficiosos entre el Gobierno y el presidente de la Generalitat . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  18. News: 21 December 1976 . Se elaborará un estatuto para Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  19. News: 7 January 1977 . Tarradellas propone pactar con Madrid el Gobierno autónomo de Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  20. News: 20 February 1977 . Tarradellas sigue considerándose único representante válido . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  21. News: 31 May 1977 . Proponen restablecer la Asamblea de Parlamentarios de Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  22. News: 11 September 1977 . Acuerdo firme para el restablecimiento de la Generalitat . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  23. News: 30 September 1977 . Tres meses de negociaciones . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  24. Real Decreto-ley 41/1977, de 29 septiembre, sobre restablecimiento provisional de la Generalidad de Cataluña . Royal Decree-Law . 41 . Boletín Oficial del Estado . Spanish . 29 September 1977 . 25 December 2019.
  25. Real Decreto 2543/1977, de 30 de septiembre, por el que se desarrolla el Real Decreto-ley 41/1977, de 29 de septiembre, que restablece la Generalidad de Cataluña . Royal Decree . 2543 . Boletín Oficial del Estado . Spanish . 30 September 1977 . 25 December 2019.
  26. News: 23 October 1977 . Tarradellas llega esta tarde a Barcelona . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  27. News: 4 July 1978 . Los parlamentarios catalanes, decididos a acelerar la elaboración del estatuto . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  28. News: 7 November 1978 . Finalizada la redacción del anteproyecto del Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  29. News: 17 December 1978 . Diputados y senadores catalanes aprueban el proyecto de Estatuto . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  30. News: 26 December 1978 . La izquierda catalana acusa a Tarradellas de intentar retrasar la aprobación del Estatuto . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  31. News: 18 April 1979 . Nuevo intento de Tarradellas de relanzar la derecha catalana . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  32. News: 19 December 1978 . Tarradellas podría estar preparando una operación electoralista . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  33. News: 24 December 1978 . Tarradellas impedirá que el Estatuto sea presentado en las Cortes antes de las nuevas elecciones . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  34. News: 13 March 1979 . Los estatutos de autonomía para el País Vasco y Cataluña pueden retrasarse . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  35. News: 5 June 1979 . El Parlamento inicia hoy la tramitación de los estatutos vasco y catalán . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  36. News: 26 June 1979 . UCD "enmienda" todo lo relativo a la Hacienda autónoma catalana . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  37. News: 28 June 1979 . Tribunales propios y alta participación en los impuestos, puntos clave del Estatuto catalán . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  38. News: 8 August 1979 . Aprobado el Estatuto de Cataluña, tras una maratoniana negociación en la Moncloa . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  39. News: 8 August 1979 . Satisfacción generalizada entre los políticos catalanes . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  40. News: 29 September 1979 . No existe antijuridicidad en el proyecto de Estatuto para Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  41. News: 9 September 1979 . Tarradellas, descontento con el Estatuto catalán . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  42. News: 15 September 1979 . Los estatutos vasco y catalán, a referéndum el 25 de octubre . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  43. News: 16 September 1979 . Inminente publicación de los decretos leyes de referéndum . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  44. News: 25 September 1979 . El Congreso convalidará hoy los decretos-leyes sobre los referendos vasco y catalán . Spanish . El País . 25 December 2019.
  45. News: 16 October 1979 . Las razones del "sí" socialista . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  46. News: 16 October 1979 . UCD el partido con más presupuesto para la campaña . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  47. News: 2 September 1979 . La "Diada", convocada en apoyo del Estatut . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  48. News: 16 October 1979 . "Los que piensan que España se rompe tiemblan por sus privilegios" . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  49. News: 7 October 1979 . Jordi Pujol, optimista respecto al referéndum . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  50. News: 14 August 1979 . Esquerra Republicana pedirá el voto afirmativo al Estatuto . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  51. News: 14 October 1979 . Ausencia de un verdadero clima electoral en Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  52. News: 12 October 1979 . El próximo día 21, "Diada del Estatut" en Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  53. News: 30 September 1979 . Tarradellas niega el apoyo de la Diputación de Barcelona al Estatuto de Sau . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  54. News: 3 October 1979 . Tarradellas accede a que la Generalitat recomiende el "sí" en el referéndum . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  55. News: 20 October 1979 . La Diputación de Barcelona pide el "sí" para el Estatuto . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  56. News: 5 October 1979 . La campaña pro Estatuto vasco se inició ayer en completa calma . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  57. News: 3 October 1979 . Alianza Popular, más favorable al Estatuto catalán que al vasco . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  58. News: 10 October 1979 . Alianza Popular deja libertad a sus afiliados . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  59. News: 20 October 1979 . Rojas Marcos: "Se acuerdan de los emigrantes a la hora del voto" . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  60. News: El 67% de los catalanes votará "sí" . Spanish . El País . 19 October 1979. Canals . Enric .
  61. Web site: Referéndum Estatuto de Cataluña (II) (Estudio nº 1.202. Octubre 1979) . Spanish . CIS . 18 October 1979.
  62. Web site: Referéndum Estatuto de Cataluña (I) (Estudio nº 1.198. Octubre 1979) . Spanish . CIS . 14 October 1979.
  63. News: 26 October 1979 . Se estima que la participación en los referendos catalán y vasco rebasa ampliamente el 50% . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  64. News: 9 November 1979 . Proclamados los resultados de los referendos vasco y catalán . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  65. News: 26 October 1979 . El mal tiempo, protagonista de la jornada en Cataluña . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  66. News: 27 October 1979 . Triunfalismo en la Generalitat y sentimiento de fracaso entre la clase política catalana . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  67. News: 21 November 1979 . La ratificación de los estatutos vasco y catalán, al Pleno del día 27 . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  68. News: 29 November 1979 . El Congreso ratifica hoy los estatutos vasco y catalán . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  69. News: 30 November 1979 . AP, andalucistas y extrema derecha negaron el "sí"' al Estatuto catalán . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  70. News: 13 December 1979 . El Senado ratificó por gran mayoría los estatutos de autonomía vasco y catalán . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  71. News: 21 December 1979 . El Rey sancionó los estatutos de Cataluña y el País Vasco . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  72. News: 13 December 1979 . Publicados los estatutos de autonomía de Cataluña y Euskadi . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  73. News: 28 December 1979 . El 13 de marzo, elecciones al Parlamento . Spanish . . 26 December 2019.
  74. News: 30 December 1979 . Sin acuerdo sobre la fecha de las elecciones al Parlamento . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  75. News: 18 January 1980 . Elecciones al Parlamento catalán el 20 de marzo . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  76. News: 1 November 1979 . El techo financiero catalán y vasco, el más alto dentro del derecho comparado . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  77. News: 9 December 1979 . La negociación constitucional de las autonomías estuvo condicionada por el "problema vasco" y la "cuestión catalana" . Spanish . El País . 26 December 2019.
  78. News: 9 December 1979 . UCD y PSOE estudian una fórmula para "racionalizar" reivindicaciones autonómicas . Spanish . El País . 18 December 2019.
  79. News: 17 January 1980 . El artículo 143 de la Constitución, vía adecuada para alcanzar un sistema autonómico racional . Spanish . El País . 18 December 2019.
  80. News: 17 January 1980 . Socialistas y comunistas critican la postura centrista . Spanish . El País . 18 December 2019.
  81. News: 1 March 1980 . Los resultados se interpretan en Andalucía como una derrota del partido del Gobierno . Spanish . El País . 18 December 2019.
  82. News: 1 August 1981 . El Gobierno y el PSOE firman los acuerdos autonómicos, tras la retirada del PCE y AP . Spanish . El País . 20 December 2019.
  83. News: 1 July 1982 . La LOAPA, eje de los pactos autonómicos . Spanish . El País . 20 December 2019.
  84. News: June 2005 . La España de las Autonomías. La transferencia de competencias. Los pactos autonómicos . Spanish . El Mundo . 20 December 2019.

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