From Municipal Roots to Parliamentary Kingmaker: The CUP’s Radical Push for Catalan Independence
The Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), a far-left, anti-capitalist party, has carved a unique and influential path in Catalan politics. Initially a network of local, assembly-based groups focused on municipal issues, the CUP’s unwavering pro-independence stance propelled it to the forefront of the region’s political scene, where it has played a pivotal, and often disruptive, role in the push for secession from Spain.
Here is a summary of the CUP’s political history in five key points:
- Founding and Municipal Focus: Established in 1986, the CUP spent its formative years building a grassroots base through a network of local assemblies. Its political action was almost exclusively centered on municipal politics, advocating for social justice, environmentalism, and a radical form of direct democracy at the local level. This long-term strategy allowed the party to steadily increase its presence in town councils across Catalonia.
- Entering the Catalan Parliament: The surge in pro-independence sentiment following the 2010 Spanish Constitutional Court’s striking down of parts of Catalonia’s Statute of Autonomy created a fertile ground for the CUP’s explicitly secessionist platform. In 2012, the party made its inaugural entry into the Catalan Parliament, securing three seats and bringing its radical, anti-capitalist perspective to the regional stage for the first time.
- The “Kingmaker” of the Independence Movement: The 2015 Catalan regional elections marked a watershed moment for the CUP. Winning ten seats, it became the indispensable “kingmaker” for the pro-independence bloc. Its support was crucial for the formation of a government, and it famously wielded this power by refusing to back the incumbent president, Artur Mas, due to his austerity policies. This ultimately forced Mas to step aside in favor of Carles Puigdemont, demonstrating the CUP’s significant influence.
- Navigating the 2017 Independence Crisis: The CUP was a driving force behind the 2017 independence referendum, consistently pushing for a unilateral declaration of independence. However, the subsequent crackdown by the Spanish state and the internal divisions within the pro-independence camp led to a period of turmoil. In the snap election called by the Spanish government in December 2017, the CUP’s representation in the Catalan Parliament saw a significant drop to four seats.
- A Persistent Radical Voice: Since the peak of the independence crisis, the CUP has continued to be a vocal and uncompromising advocate for an independent Catalan republic based on socialist principles. While its parliamentary presence has fluctuated, it has maintained its influence by acting as the conscience of the more radical wing of the independence movement, often criticising the more moderate approaches of its larger pro-independence counterparts and continuing to champion a complete break with the Spanish state.
Five of its key current policies:
- Unilateral Independence and a Catalan Republic: This is the party’s foundational policy.
- Public Control of Strategic Economic Sectors: Nationalization of key industries and services. This includes bringing banks, energy companies, and water management under public ownership to ensure universal access, and redirect profits towards social needs rather than corporate shareholders.
- Radical Housing Reform: To combat the housing crisis, the CUP proposes a drastic intervention in the market. Their policy includes halting all evictions, expropriating empty homes from large corporate landlords (such as banks and investment funds), and creating a large public housing stock with rent prices capped at a small percentage of the tenant’s income.
- Eco-socialist Transition: The party advocates for an urgent and radical green transition that places the burden on large corporations, not the working class. Key policies include a moratorium on major infrastructure projects deemed environmentally damaging (like airport expansions), a rapid shift to publicly owned renewable energy, and the promotion of local, sustainable agriculture to achieve food sovereignty.
- Feminist and LGBTQ+ Liberation: The CUP’s platform is explicitly feminist and transformative. They advocate for dismantling patriarchal and capitalist structures by expanding free, universal public services like childcare, ensuring comprehensive sexual and reproductive rights, and implementing robust policies to fight gender-based violence. They also champion the rights and liberation of LGBTQ+ people through active anti-discrimination laws and public education.