Democratic Convergence of Catalonia
The Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (Catalan: Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya; IPA: [kumbəɾˈʒɛnsi.ə ðəmuˈkɾatikə ðə kətəˈluɲə], CDC), frequently shortened as Convergence (Catalan: Convergència; Catalan pronunciation: [kumbəɾˈʒɛnsi.ə]) was a Catalan nationalist, liberal political party in Catalonia (Spain), currently still existing without any political activity.
Democratic Convergence of Catalonia Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya | |
|---|---|
| Abbreviation | CDC |
| Founder | Jordi Pujol |
| Founded | 17 November 1974 |
| Registered | 23 February 1977 |
| Dissolved | 10 July 2016 (refoundation) |
| Succeeded by | Catalan European Democratic Party |
| Headquarters | Historical: C/ Còrsega, 331-333 08037, Barcelona Current: C/ Consell de Cent, 113-115, bjs. 08015, Barcelona |
| Youth wing | Nationalist Youth of Catalonia (1980–2016) |
| Ideology | Catalan independence Catalan nationalism Liberalism Conservative liberalism Social democracy (minority) |
| Political position | Centre-right |
| National affiliation | Democratic Pact for Catalonia (1977–78) Democracy and Catalonia (1977–78) Convergence and Union (1978–2015) Catalonia in the Senate (1982–83) Junts pel Sí (2015–16) Democracy and Freedom (2015–16) Together for Catalonia (2017–19) |
| European affiliation | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| European Parliament group | Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe |
| Colors | Blue Orange |
| Website | |
| www.convergencia.cat | |
| |
The party was originally created around the figure of Jordi Pujol in 1974, but it was not legally registered until February 1977. Between 1978 and 2015, the party was a member of the Convergence and Union (CiU) alliance that dominated Catalan politics for almost the entirety of its existence; first as an electoral alliance with the christian democratic Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC), then as a party federation on 2 December 2001. For 37 years, both parties contested all elections under the CiU umbrella, being the first political group in the Parliament of Catalonia for its entire history and forming the regional government for nearly three decades (1980–2003 and 2010–2015). In June 2015, the CiU federation split over the issue of Catalan independence.
On 8–10 July 2016, the party was refounded into the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT), with CDC's political activity being passed to the new party, though CDC has remained active as a way to preserve its public funding and electoral rights in favour of the PDeCAT and the Together for Catalonia alliance. At the time of the party's refoundation in July 2016, it had 15,019 members.