1979 Catalan Statute of Autonomy referendum

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.

1979 Catalan Statute of Autonomy referendum
25 October 1979
"Do you approve of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia Bill?"
LocationCatalonia
Results
Response
 Votes %
Y Yes 2,327,038 91.91%
N No 204,957 8.09%
Valid votes 2,531,995 95.91%
Invalid or blank votes 107,956 4.09%
Total votes 2,639,951 100.00%
Registered voters/turnout 4,451,796 59.3%

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]

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

  • The "slow-track" route of Article 143, whose initiative required the approval of the corresponding Provincial or Island Councils as well as two-thirds of all municipalities which comprised, at least, a majority of the population in each province or island. Devolution for autonomous communities constituted through this procedure was limited for a period of at least five years from the adoption of the Statute of Autonomy.[8]
  • The "fast-track" route of Article 151, whose initiative required the approval of the corresponding Provincial or Island Councils; three-fourths of all municipalities which comprised, at least, a majority of the population in each province or island; as well as its subsequent ratification through referendum requiring the affirmative vote of at least the absolute majority of all those eligible to vote.[9] Transitory Provision Second of the Constitution waived off these requirements for the "historical regions" which had statutes of autonomy approved by voters during the Second Spanish Republic, namely: Catalonia (1931), the Basque Country (1933) and Galicia (1936).[10][11]

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: ¿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: 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: 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
Position Parties Ref.
Y Yes Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) [45]
Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) [46]
Union of the Centre of Catalonia (UCC) [47]
Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) [48]
Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) [47][49]
Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) [47]
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) [50]
Party of Labour of Catalonia (PTC–PTE) [47]
Catalan State (EC) [47]
N No Left Bloc for National Liberation (BEAN) [51]
New Force (FN) [49]
Communist Movement of Catalonia (MCC) [51]
Abstention Revolutionary 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: 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

Overall
Question

Do you approve of the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia Bill?

Referendum results
Choice Votes %
Yes 2,327,038 91.91
No 204,957 8.09
Valid votes 2,531,995 95.91
Invalid or blank votes 107,956 4.09
Total votes 2,639,951 100.00
Registered voters and turnout 4,451,796 59.30
Source: Government of Catalonia[60]

Results by province
Province Electorate Turnout Yes No
Votes % Votes %
Barcelona 3,463,135 59.51 1,813,657 91.67 164,864 8.33
Gerona 337,629 63.36 191,223 93.49 13,322 6.51
Lérida 265,083 58.23 139,308 94.15 8,658 5.85
Tarragona 385,949 54.58 182,850 90.99 18,113 9.01
Total 4,451,796 59.30 2,327,038 91.91 204,957 8.09
Sources[60]

Aftermath

The referendum resulted in the Statute being ratified by a wide margin,[61][62] but the low turnout of 59.3%—partly attributed to bad weather during voting day[63]—and the perceived poor preparations on the referendum logistics from the Government of Catalonia were met with disappointment within the Catalan political class.[64] The Statute was brought to the Cortes Generales for its final ratification: the Congress would pass it on 29 November,[65][66][67] the Senate would do likewise on 12 December,[68] and the text would receive royal assent on 18 December to be published in the Official State Gazette on the 22nd.[69][70] After speculation on whether President Tarradellas would chose to trigger a government crisis that could delay the first regional election indefinitely,[71][72] negotiations with the central government resulted in it being scheduled for 20 March 1980.[73]

The Statute of Sau would allow Catalonia to acquire one of the highest levels of autonomy in Comparative Law,[74] 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".[75] 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,[76] 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,[77][78] which would eventually to the party's defeat in the Andalusian autonomy initiative referendum,[79] 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.[80] This would be embodied through the approval, in 1982, of the Organic Law of Harmonization of the Autonomic Process (LOAPA).[81][82]

See also

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