Advanced Spanish Parliament Council Background Document Debating Regional Independence Movements 2016 Boulder H.S. Model United Nations Conference Evan Laugen, Boulder High School

Part 1: Council Structure

The objective of this council is to debate the possibility of secession by two culturally distinct regions within the Kingdom of Spain: Catalonia and the Basque Country. These regions have seen independence movements with varying popularity promote secession through both violent and peaceful means for much of Spain’s recent past. The goal of this council is to reach an agreement on autonomy for these regions which will satisfy all concerned parties. However, this council is different from many councils you have experienced at Colorado MUN conferences in that it will not be a mock United Nations council. As delegates, you will be representing individual legislators in the Spanish parliament, which is called the Cortes Generales. Rather than represent diplomats of many different states/countries, you will be a legislator and representative of people of your region of the same state - Spain. You will need to have knowledge of the region of Spain you represent and the position of your voters, as well as the position of the political party to which you belong, on the issue of Catalan and/or Basque secession. As a member of the Cortes Generales, you will choose from a provided list of Spanish electoral districts, each matched with a political party (some districts will have multiple representatives from multiple parties). The proportion of representatives from each party and each geographic area will not exactly match the true distribution. Some liberties have been taken to ensure that parties and areas relevant to the issue have sufficient representation, but in general the distribution is fairly similar to reality. Because the council is not representing a body of the United Nations but a national legislature, resolutions passed by the council will represent either new laws or amendments to the Spanish Constitution. However, in order to avoid confusion, parliamentary procedure will otherwise be the same as a normal Model United Nations council.

Structure of the Cortes Generales : The Cortes Generales is a bicameral legislature with an upper and lower chamber, similar to the Congress of the United States. The upper chamber is called the Senate and has 257 members. The lower chamber is called the Congress of Deputies and has between 300 and 400 members (usually 350). The chambers usually meet separately just like the U.S. House and Senate, but our council will function as a joint session, both because of the national importance of the issue and in order to simplify procedure. To avoid confusion, delegates will not be

1 distinguished between members of the Senate or the Congress of Deputies. All will have equal voting and speaking rights. Delegates in the Cortes represent their electoral districts, but, unlike the American system in the House of Representatives, a district may have more than one representative in the Cortes. In fact, the largest district, Madrid, has 36 representatives. Representatives are assigned based on the percentage of the vote won by each party, rather than by winner-take-all, so one district could have multiple representatives from different parties (in fact this is normal). As delegates, do not be confused if another delegate is representing your same district, this is supposed to happen.

Regional Governments: Spain has a federal system similar to that of the United States. It has 17 autonomous communities, which are like U.S. states, and two autonomous cities (Ceuta and Melilla, both in North Africa). Each autonomous community has its own unicameral legislature elected by universal adult suffrage, its own executive responsible to the legislature, and its own constitution (which must be ratified by the national government). The autonomous communities were created between 1979 and 1983, shortly after the ratification of the Spanish Constitution. Catalonia, the Basque Country, and Galicia, having the benefit of being designated as “historic nationalities,” were given a more rapid path to autonomy and were the first autonomous communities to be recognized. However, all autonomous communities in Spain have equal rights under the constitution. The Spanish Constitution very specifically outlines the powers of autonomous communities in Section 148. They have jurisdiction over issues of public works and infrastructure within their own territory, business, the environment, agriculture and forestry, public health, tourism, and teaching of official languages other than Spanish, among others. They have the authority to maintain their own police forces. The federal government has the power to regulate civil liberties, citizenship, trade, money, criminal justice, national defense, labor rights, welfare, public works and infrastructure spanning multiple autonomous communities, and protection of Spanish cultural heritage, among others, as outlined in Section 149. The constitution does not permit the secession of any autonomous community

2 from the state. Therefore, complete secession would require a constitutional amendment to be accomplished in a lawful way. For our purposes, a constitutional amendment will require a three-fifths majority to be ratified.

The full, English language-version of the 1978 Spanish Constitution which I have referenced can be found here: https://www.constituteproject.org/constitution/Spain_2011.pdf?lang=en

A Note on the King and the Prime Minister: Spain is a parliamentary monarchy. The current king is Felipe II. As king, he has the power to convene and dissolve the Cortes, appoint the Prime Minister (with consultation from the Cortes), propose legislation, and ratify civil and military appointments. For this council, it is not necessary to have a delegate represent the king because the king has no vote. The chair will play his role in convening the Cortes. As in all parliamentary systems, Spain has a prime minister, typically the leader of the majority party. The current prime minister is Mariano Rajoy. The prime minister is chosen by the Cortes and controls the agenda. Having a delegate represent the prime minister would give them unfair power in the council. For this reason, no delegate will be designated to represent Mariano Rajoy, even though a delegate may represent his district (Madrid), and his party (People’s Party, PP).

Major Political Parties:

The largest party in the Cortes Generales is currently the People’s Party (Partido Popular), abbreviated PP. The PP held a majority in the legislature from 2011 to 2015. Its leader, Mariano Rajoy, was prime minister during that period and is currently acting prime minister. The PP is a center right party, emphasizing Christian values. The second largest party in the Cortes Generales is the Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), abbreviated PSOE. The PSOE formed the government from 2004 to 2011 and has historically formed the opposition to the PP. Despite its name and its merger with the Spanish Communist Party, the PSOE is a moderate, center-left party and doesn’t tend to be extremely liberal. The Podemos Party (technically called Unidos Podemos, “United we can”) was formed only in 2014 and burst onto the scene during the 2015 parliamentary elections. It is a left-wing party formed mostly in response to the economic crisis in the Eurozone - that badly hurt the Spanish economy. It emphasizes welfare measures to overcome the economic recession, environmental protection, tax reform, and connection to the European Union. The Ciudadanos Party (“Citizens”) is the smallest of the major parties in the Cortes Generales. It is a secular, center-left party formed to offer an alternative to the PSOE that emphasizes welfare programs, governmental and bureaucratic reform, and post-nationalism.

Current Political Controversy:

3 Congressional elections occur every four years in Spain, and the most recent occurred in December of 2015. However, no party was able to win a majority in the Congress of Deputies, which is necessary to form a government and name a prime minister. The People’s Party (PP) had formed the government prior to the election and won a plurality of seats. Mariano Rajoy of the PP continued on as acting prime minister until a coalition could be formed. The Spanish Socialist Worker’s Party (PSOE), Podemos party, and Ciudadanos party were the other large parties in the parliament. Unfortunately, ideological differences kept any of the three from forming a coalition government with the PP. For this reason, new elections were called in June of 2016. In the June elections, the PP won more seats but is still short of a majority. Although Ciudadanos has now signaled willingness to form a coalition with the PP, that would still leave Rajoy short of the necessary majority. As of now, a coalition has still not been formed, but Rajoy still has the power as acting prime minister to bring legislation to the floor for debate.

Part 2: Background on the Issue

Catalonia: Catalonia has existed as a distinct political entity since the 11th century when Barcelona (its capital) gained prominence as a port city and naval power. It was assimilated into the Kingdom of Spain in 1496 when King Ferdinand of Aragon married Queen Isabella of Castilla-León. In the 19th century, there was a resurgence of Catalan identity and a strong movement to revive the Catalan language in literature instead of using Castilian Spanish. Under the Second Spanish Republic (1930- 36), Catalonia was given broad autonomy by the central government. This led the region to strongly support the Republicans against the Francoist Nationalist forces during the Spanish Civil War. After Franco’s victory, the region was stripped of its autonomy and use of the Catalan language was highly restricted. After the return to democracy in 1978, Catalonia became an autonomous community within Spain, but has equal privileges with all others, unlike the Basque Country. For nearly all of its history as an autonomous community, Catalonia’s regional parliament has been dominated by nationalist, pro- independence parties, but independence was not a major movement until 2003, when then Spanish Prime Minister José Zapatero (PSOE) promised in a rally in Barcelona “I will support any reform of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy approved by the Catalan Parliament.” In 2006 the Catalan Parliament did in fact reform its Statute of Autonomy, in a move approved by over ¾ of Catalan voters, which called Catalonia a “nation,” (ethnic/linguistic group without it's own state/country) but conservative pressure in the Cortes Generales forced the removal of that term, and the Spanish Constitutional Court further restricted the new statute in 2010. In November, 2014, Catalonia held a non-binding referendum on independence. Eighty percent of voters supported independence (though only 2.2 million of an eligible 5.4 million voted), but the Constitutional Court of Spain ruled the vote illegal. The Catalan Parliament then announced the September, 2015 regional elections would be a de-facto independence vote. When pro-independence parties won an absolute majority in the regional legislature, they initiated an 18-month plan to begin the

4 process of secession. The Spanish government, led by PM Mariano Rajoy (PP), declared the move unconstitutional and vowed not to recognize Catalonia’s actions, citing Section 2 of the 1978 Constitution (“The Constitution is based on the indissoluble unity of the Spanish Nation, the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards”). There has been little action on independence since the indecisive national elections last December, as the pro-independence factions wait to see whether PM Rajoy stays in power and as the new Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, establishes himself as successor to longtime leader Artur Mas. Current polling suggests that a little over half of the population of Catalonia favors independence, but an overwhelming majority favors a referendum. The Catalan language is a major unifying factor in Catalonia. Despite restrictions during the Franco dictatorship, today nearly all Catalan’s can speak it, and it is co-official with Castilian Spanish (Castellano), meaning that it can be used alongside Spanish in education and government. It has about 9 million speakers today in Spain, not only in Catalonia but also in Valencia and the Balearic Islands. These three regions are sometimes referred to as the “Catalan Region.” Catalonia was hit very hard by the post-2008 economic crisis, at times experiencing up to 19% unemployment, but it remains one of the strongest of Spain’s autonomous communities economically. While it comprises only 16% of Spain’s population, it generates about 19% of Spain’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and 25% of Spain’s exports, largely from the industrial sector. In 2013, Catalonia had Spain’s highest GDP, and Spain’s 4th highest GDP per capita (behind Madrid, the Basque Country, and Navarre). However, Catalonia also has more debt than any other region of Spain, and 60% is owned by the Spanish central government. Catalonia has long demanded the right to collect and distribute its own taxes, instead of having the central government collect them because a large percentage of Catalan taxes are used for the benefit of other autonomous communities in Spain. Spanish government data from 2011 (the most recent year that it is available) shows that Catalonia paid €8.5 billion more to the central government than it received in state investment. (Catalonia

puts the figure at closer to €11 billion.) Most of the “missing” funds are going to economic recovery in regions like Andalucía, but many Catalans charge that they are also in need of money for infrastructure, education, and economic recovery.

Basque Country: The Basque Country has a unique history and culture and has often been isolated from the rest of the country. The region’s inhabitants pre-date the arrival of the Celtic (and later Germanic and Roman) people who populated the rest of the Iberian Peninsula. This is known because the Basque language is unrelated to any other language in Europe. The region’s geography kept it largely isolated from other

5 areas and allowed it to develop a distinct culture. For much of the early history of Spain, the Basque Country existed as the independent Kingdom of Navarre, which was incorporated into the Kingdom of Spain in 1515, although the region remained insular. During the Spanish Civil War (1936- 39), the inhabitants of the Basque Country for the most part supported the Spanish Republic, which had given the region significant autonomy. The Basque Country was bombed heavily by the Nationalist (Fascist) forces of Francisco Franco. The town of Guernica, inspiration for the masterpiece by Picasso, is located there, and it was harshly repressed during Franco’s dictatorship (1939-75). The Basque language was forbidden and Basque identity was vilified. It was under the dictatorship that the modern Basque independence movement was born. The most well-known pro-independence Basque group is ETA (which stands for Euskadi Ta Askatasuna, or “Basque Country and Freedom”), a militant group which was created in 1959. It initially attacked security personnel of the Franco regime, but after the return to democracy in 1978 it began targeting civilians as well. ETA has killed 829 people in the Basque Country since its founding. Tentative negotiations between ETA and the national government (led by the PSOE) began in 2004 but did not produce any results. In 2011, when the PP was elected to a majority in the government, it promised not to negotiate with ETA, which is classified as a terrorist organization, or its affiliates. ETA declared a ceasefire in 2011, which is still in place, and many (though not all) ETA militants have handed in their weapons. In addition to ETA, there are many non-violent groups that advocate Basque nationalism and independence. The Basque language is a major component of the region’s cultural heritage. Today the language, called Euskara, is co-official with Spanish in both the Basque Country and Navarre. There are an estimated 715,000 speakers in Spain, which is only about 27% of the Basque population The Basque Country and Navarre (which has a large Basque population) enjoy slightly more autonomy than other autonomous communities in Spain. Most importantly, the regions have the authority to collect their own taxes (a privilege much-demanded by Catalans), giving a portion to the national government, rather than having the national government collect taxes and then distribute to the regional government, as occurs in all other autonomous communities. While Spain’s economy has been devastated since the global financial crisis beginning in 2008, the Basque Country stands as an exception. Current levels of unemployment in the region are around 14%, which isn’t good until one considers that the figure for the rest of the country is about 10 points higher. GDP per capita is roughly 40% higher than that of the E.U. or Spain as a whole. The region, although comprising merely 4.5 % of Spain’s population, accounts for over 10% of Spain’s exports, mostly in the manufacturing sector. Economic success has led many Basques to feel that they may be better-off independent than connected to Spain’s other struggling provinces. Recent polling suggests that a minority (around 30%) of Basques are in favor of independence, but over 50% are in favor of a referendum on independence, something that Basques have been demanding for years but that the national government refuses to give.

6 Available Council Positions:

Guide: Autonomous Community Electoral District, Party

Basque Country Viscaya, EAJ-PNV (“Basque Nationalist Party”) Álava, EAJ-PNV Gipuzkoa, EAJ-PNV

Navarre Navarre, Podemos

Catalonia Barcelona, ERC (“Republican Left of Catalonia”) Barcelona, CiU (“Convergence and Union”) Barcelona, Unidos Podemos (“United We Can”) Barcelona, PP (“People’s Party”)

Madrid Madrid, PP Madrid, PSOE (“Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party”) Madrid, Ciudadanos (“Citizens”) Madrid, Unidos Podemos

Valencia Valencia, PP Valencia, Unidos Podemos Alicante, PSOE

Andalucía Cádiz, PP Córdoba, PP Málaga, PP Sevilla, Unidos Podemos Sevilla, PSOE Granada, PSOE

Extremadura Badajoz, PP

Castilla-León

7 Salamanca, PP

Cantabria Cantabria, Ciudadanos

Castilla-la Mancha Toledo, PP Ciudad Real, PP

Galicia A Coruña, PP Pontevedra, Unidos Podemos (coalition En Marea)

Murcia Murcia, Ciudadanos

Canary Islands Santa Cruz de Tenerife, PSOE

Spanish Electoral Districts

8 Works Cited

Carrera, Xavier Vilá. "The Domain of Spain: How Likely Is Catalan Independence?" World Affairs. N.p., Jan. 2014. Web. 23 Aug. 2016. .

Casla, Koldo. "Why Does the Basque Country Seem So Quiet About Independence Nowadays?" Can Europe Make It? Open Democracy, 16 Feb. 2016. Web. 16 Aug. 2016. .

Cassel, Matthew, and Olivia Dehez. "The Fight for the Basque." Aljazeera, n.d. Web. 16 Aug. 2016. .

"Catalonia Profile." BBC News. N.p., 21 Apr. 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2016. .

9 "Catalonia's Push for Independence From Spain." BBC News. N.p., 11 Nov. 2015. Web. 20 Aug. 2016. .

Hedgecoe, Guy. "Calls for ‘Independentzia’ Revived in Basque Country."Politico. N.p., 18 Mar. 2016. Web. 25 Aug. 2016. .

Hedgecoe, Guy. "Pro-independence Basque Leader's Candidacy Blocked."The Irish Times. N.p., 24 Aug. 2016. Web. 25 Aug. 2016. .

Michelena, Luis, and Rudolf P.G. De Rijk. "Basque Language." Encyclopedia Britannica. Encyclopedia Britannica, n.d. Web. 20 Aug. 2016. .

Moffett, Matt. "Catalonian Separatists Hope Brexit Fallout Will Spur Their Secession From Spain." The Wall Street Journal. N.p., 24 June 2016. Web. 15 Aug. 2016. .

"Reconquista." New World Encyclopedia. N.p., 26 June 2015. Web. 16 June 2016. .

Solsten, Eric, and Sandra W. Meditz. "Spain." Spain. Library of Congress, n.d. Web. 15 Aug. 2016. .

"Spain's Constitution of 1978 with Amendments through 2011." Constituteproject. N.p., 23 May 2016. Web. 12 June 2016. .

"Spain - Government and Society." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica, 12 Aug. 2016. Web. 20 Aug. 2016. .

"Spanish PM Dismisses Catalan Secession Proposals as Act of Provocation."The Guardian. N.p., 27 Oct. 2015. Web. 20 Aug. 2016. .

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