The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( gl, Bloque Nacionalista Galego, BNG ) is a political alliance of left-wing
Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic
front
Front may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Films
* ''The Front'' (1943 film), a 1943 Soviet drama film
* ''The Front'', 1976 film
Music
*The Front (band), an American rock band signed to Columbia Records and active in the 1980s and ea ...
".
Formed in 1982, under the guidance of historical leader
Xosé Manuel Beiras, the BNG calls for further
devolution
Devolution is the statutory delegation of powers from the central government of a sovereign state to govern at a subnational level, such as a regional or local level. It is a form of administrative decentralization. Devolved territories ...
of powers to the
Parliament of Galicia and the official and unambiguous recognition of
Galicia as a nation. The BNG also promotes
affirmative action for the
Galician language. The current leader – president of the National Council and national spokesperson – is
Ana Pontón.
The BNG has strong ties with the Galician Trade Union Confederation (
Confederación Intersindical Galega, CIG), with the student union
Erguer-Estudantes da Galiza (Stand Up - Students of Galiza), the agrarian unions Galician Peasant Union (
Sindicato Labrego Galego, SLG) and Galician Rural Federation (
FRUGA), and with environmentalist,
feminist
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male poi ...
and
Galician language organizations.
From 2005 to 2009, BNG was part of a
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome i ...
along with the
Socialists' Party of Galicia, in which its leader,
Anxo Quintana, served as the vice-president of the Galician regional government.
Ideology
The BNG is composed of a majority of
grassroots
A grassroots movement is one that uses the people in a given district, region or community as the basis for a political or economic movement. Grassroots movements and organizations use collective action from the local level to effect change at t ...
independent members and a number of political parties. Traditionally, the largest party and main ideological influence has been the
Galician People's Union (''Unión do Povo Galego'', UPG).
In origin, the UPG, and consequently the BNG, were strongly
left-wing
Left-wing politics describes the range of Ideology#Political%20ideologies, political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy. Left-wing politics typically in ...
and even supported the idea of
Galician independence. However, since 1990 BNG had gradually abandoned the secessionist discourse and claims for
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It sta ...
were rarely produced, especially since the moderate nationalist party
Galician Unity (''Unidade Galega'') joined the coalition. According to its former leader, Anxo Quintana, BNG at that time was not a
pro-independence party, although some individuals and organizations within it continued to express a sympathy for the idea.
Nonetheless, the hegemonic UPG has supported independence again since 2011 while preserving its left-wing core. Following the National Assembly of Amio (2012), the whole front readopted the idea of independence and the creation of a Galician republic. That same year, the BNG adopted a critical position towards the
European Union
The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...
.
History
Origins and formation
The
Galician People's Union (UPG) and the
Galician Socialist Party (PSG), left-wing Galician nationalist parties, were founded in the early 1960s by
anti-Francoist activists. In 1975 the
Galician National-Popular Assembly (AN-PG) was founded, as a "mass front" of the UPG to organize protests and preparate a future electoral candidacy. In 1977 the UPG and the AN-PG created the
Galician National-Popular Bloc (BN-PG), that run for the
first democratic elections since 1936.
In October 1981 the first
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process by which a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operate ...
for the
Parliament of Galicia were held. These elections were won by the conservative and Spanish
People's Alliance, while the Galician nationalist parties had a relatively low electoral result. The three MPs of the joint BN-PG and PSG list were expelled from Parliament after they refused to take the oath to the
Spanish constitution.
The UPG and the AN-PG agreed in early 1982 to reformulate their project, in the form a left-wing nationalist front that would cover a greater political spectrum, with different currents and parties inside it. The first meeting was held on 15 May, with the participation of AN-PG, UPG, PSG, Galiza Ceibe-OLN, Assembly of Galician Nationalists, Libertarian Collective "Arco da Vella" and independents of
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
and
A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and ...
. All this organizations and independents had signed an appeal for the unity of
Galician nationalism
Galician nationalism is a form of nationalism found mostly in Galicia, which asserts that Galicians are a nation and that promotes the cultural unity of Galicians. The political movement referred to as modern Galician nationalism was born at ...
; under the basic principles of recognition of the multinational character of the Spanish State, right of
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It sta ...
,
anti-imperialism
Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is a term used in a variety of contexts, usually by nationalist movements who want to secede from a larger polity (usually in the form of an empire, but also in a multi-ethni ...
,
self-government
__NOTOC__
Self-governance, self-government, or self-rule is the ability of a person or group to exercise all necessary functions of regulation without intervention from an external authority. It may refer to personal conduct or to any form of ...
, self-organization, internal pluralism and democracy. This meeting would lead to the establishment of a Permanent National Managing Commission, with 22 members. In addition to the previous groups,
Galician Revolutionary Students (ERGA), Nationalist Advance and independents of
Vigo
Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...
and
O Condado would also join the new project.
In spite of the unity, there were great ideological and tactical differences between the different parties. PSG gave great importance to the unity of nationalist trade-unionism and to participating in the institutions. on the other hand, Galiza Ceibe-OLN defended an active boycott of all the elections and a full rupture with the constitutional system. Nationalist Advance defended that the new organization should reject all laws and seek full
national independence. At a meeting held on 27 June the political program of the organization was approved, without explicitly mentioning
independence
Independence is a condition of a person, nation, country, or state in which residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory. The opposite of independence is the st ...
, although the creation of a Galician state was considered the main final goal. The new organization also wanted to balance institutional presence and social mobilization, to better defend the "popular and national interests". In subsequent meetings, local and regional assemblies were established. Those assemblies discussed the document adopted before the celebration of the founding Assembly. On 11 July, the Assembly of Galician Nationalists (ANG) decided to leave the Permanent Managing Commission, on the grounds that the new front was at the service of the individual parties and lacked a serious minimum political program. Despite this, ANG members continued to work individually on the creation of the new front.
1st National Assembly (1982–1984)
On 25 and 26 September 1982 the founding assembly took place on the Fronton Municipal of
Riazor,
A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and ...
. This new force was defined as "interclassist", seeking to defend all the Galician "popular classes". The
Estreleira was chosen as the official flag, and (after a very close voting) "Galician Nationalist Bloc" was chosen as the new name. This assembly also approved the five basic principles of BNG:
1. Galiza
alicia as a nation, has the rights of
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It sta ...
and of exercising its
national sovereignty
Westphalian sovereignty, or state sovereignty, is a principle in international law that each state has exclusive sovereignty over its territory. The principle underlies the modern international system of sovereign states and is enshrined in the ...
.
2. Defense of democracy and popular interests.
3. The need for political and social self-organization, and
non-dependency in the relations of Galiza.
4. Solidarity,
anti-imperialism
Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is a term used in a variety of contexts, usually by nationalist movements who want to secede from a larger polity (usually in the form of an empire, but also in a multi-ethni ...
, peace and international disarmament.
5. A social model that promotes the socioeconomic development without
dependence and on behalf of the welfare of the whole people.
Finally, AN-PG (which will cease to exist de facto after this Assembly), UPG, PSG and various independents joined the front. Galiza Ceibe-OLN decide to leave after the Assembly decided that to participate in all elections, while the Libertarian Collective "Arco da Vella" also left due to their disagreement with the name and part of the political line.
In the
general elections of 1982 the BNG (still a coalition between the BN-PG and the PSG, since the new front had not yet been registered) gained 38,522 votes and no seats. These election results generated an internal debate within the PSG, which lead to an extraordinary Congress in January 1983, in which the party decided to leave the BNG. Despite this, a large group of members of the PSG split and continued to work inside the BNG with the name
Socialist Collective (CS). In 1984 the PSG merged with
Galician Left (EG), to create a new party:
Galician Socialist Party-Galician Left (PSG-EG). The
National Day of Galicia of 1983 the BNG called for a demonstration in Santiago de Compostela, attended by between 7,000 (according to the
Spanish Police) and 15,000 (according to the BNG) people, with the main slogans of "Nationalism: the solution for Galicia" and "Unity in the Anti-imperialist Struggle" .
[Ánxel Vence]
Varios contusionados al disolver la policía una manifestación del Bloque Galego.
El País, Santiago de Compostela 26 JUL 1983. The demonstration was dissolved by the police, leaving various protesters injured.
Local elections were held in April of the same year (1983), being the first ones to be run by the BNG. The front obtained 50,491 votes, 117 local councilors and 6 mayors (
Corcubión,
Fene
Fene is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located to the northeast of Galicia on the Ria of Ferrol.
Economy
The Navantia Shipyards and services in the parts whi ...
,
Moaña,
Malpica de Bergantiños and
Carnota).
2nd National Assembly (1984–1986)
The II National Assembly took place in December 1984 in
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
. This assembly defined the political position of the BNG in fundamental aspects of its political project, such as
environmentalism
Environmentalism or environmental rights is a broad philosophy, ideology, and social movement regarding concerns for environmental protection and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seek ...
,
feminism
Feminism is a range of socio-political movements and ideologies that aim to define and establish the political, economic, personal, and social equality of the sexes. Feminism incorporates the position that society prioritizes the male poi ...
, education,
Galician language or Galician culture.
Throughout that year, BNG developed an enormous political activity against the
deindustrialization
Deindustrialization is a process of social and economic change caused by the removal or reduction of industrial capacity or activity in a country or region, especially of heavy industry or manufacturing industry.
There are different interpr ...
caused by the policy of "restructuring", actively participating in the three general strikes that took place in Galicia that year. The front also developed actions of protest against what was considered the appropriation and manipulation of the remains of historic Galician nationalist
Alfonso Daniel Rodríguez Castelao, receiving in response a tough police crackdown. Defending the memory of the nationalist politician and intellectual was the main reason for the National Day of Galicia of that year, gaining (for the first time in many years) a permit to enter the historic center of
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
.
In the
Galician elections of 1985 the front only gained one seat (occupied by
Xosé Manuel Beiras). This time, the MP was allowed to take the seat in exchange for "promising" to comply with the constitution (but not taking the Oath).
Extraordinary National Assembly (1985–1987)
The bad electoral results culminated in an internal debate which ended with the convening of an extraordinary National Assembly, held at Santiago on 15 December. BNG ratified its political tactic of accepting the Parliamentary requirement of accepting the constitution. This led to some new internal tensions, particularly inside the UPG. In 1986 this tensions culminates in a split in the UPG, with the more radical sector forming a new political group: Collective 22 March. This collective would create a new organization in July, the
Communist Party of National Liberation (PCLN), an independentist and communist party. The PCLN would remain within the BNG, despite not agreeing with its new political line.
The same year (1986) the
Spanish NATO membership referendum took place, and the Galician Nationalist Bloc campaigned in favor of leaving. Remaining would have won in Spain and in Galicia. In the
Spanish elections of 1986 BNG gained 27,049 votes (2.11 of the Galician vote) and no seats. The same year, the party boycotted the official acts of remembrance of the
1936 statute of autonomy, demanding
self-determination
The right of a people to self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international law (commonly regarded as a ''jus cogens'' rule), binding, as such, on the United Nations as authoritative interpretation of the Charter's norms. It sta ...
and an end to "historical manipulation". The BNG also campaigned against the entry of Galicia in the
European Economic Community
The European Economic Community (EEC) was a regional organization created by the Treaty of Rome of 1957,Today the largely rewritten treaty continues in force as the ''Treaty on the functioning of the European Union'', as renamed by the Lis ...
.
3rd National Assembly (1987–1989)
On 7 and 8 February 1987 the III National Assembly took place at
O Carballiño. Party members approved the mechanisms that allowed the "updating" of the tactics and forms of political work of the front, by starting the process of opening the BNG to Galician society. The party also chose a new corporate image.
The party tried to form a unitary Galician nationalist candidacy to the
European elections of that year, but the talks failed. BNG then rejected a coalition offer made by
Herri Batasuna
Herri Batasuna (; en, Popular Unity; HB) was a far-left Basque nationalist coalition in Spain. It was founded in 1978 and defined itself as abertzale, left-wing, socialist, and supported the independence of the Greater Basque Country. It was ...
, and decided to run alone, gaining 53,116 votes. The PCLN was expelled from the BNG for supporting Herri Batasuna in the election campaign, instead of its own list. After their expulsion, PCLN would create (along with
Galiza Ceibe-OLN and local groups) the
Galician People's Front (FPG).
Later, on the same year,
local elections were held, with the front obtaining 61,256 votes, 139 local councilors and 7 mayors (
Corcubión,
Carnota,
Noia,
Ares
Ares (; grc, Ἄρης, ''Árēs'' ) is the List of Greek mythological figures, Greek god of war god, war and courage. He is one of the Twelve Olympians, and the son of Zeus and Hera. The Greeks were ambivalent towards him. He embodies the p ...
,
Fene
Fene is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located to the northeast of Galicia on the Ria of Ferrol.
Economy
The Navantia Shipyards and services in the parts whi ...
,
Ribadeo and
Malpica de Bergantiños).
In July 1988
Galiza Nova, a new
youth organization
The following is a list of youth organizations. A youth organization is a type of organization with a focus upon providing activities and socialization for minors. In this list, most organizations are international unless noted otherwise.
...
, is founded, fully becoming part of the BNG, and replacing
Galician Revolutionary Students (ERGA) as its youth-wing. The front celebrated the National Day of Galicia of that year with a demonstration (attended by 10,000 people) with the slogan "Common project", that wanted to summarize the renewed political line of the 3rd National Assembly. Due to the wave of forest fires that inundated Galicia that year, the BNG boosted, along with several environmentalist associations and groups, the first
popular legislative initiative in Galicia, in order to defend the Galician forests.
4th National Assembly (1987–1989)
The 4th National Assembly of the organization took place in February 1989 in
Lugo
Lugo (, ; la, Lucus Augusti) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is the capital of the province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 98,025 in 2018, making it the fourth most populous city in ...
. The discussions focused on setting a political strategy to answer the economic crisis that was affecting Galicia at the time.
Xosé Manuel Beiras was elected as the candidate for the
presidency of Galicia. In the
Galician elections of 1989 BNG gained 105,703 votes and 5 MPs. The
Galician Nationalist Party-Galicianist Party (PNG-PG) and FPG failed in their attempt to get representation.
Galician Socialist Party-Galician Left (PSG-EG) obtained two seats. In June of the same year the
second European elections in the history of Spain were held, with the BNG running alone again, as the only Galician candidacy, and gaining 46,052 votes. In October
general elections were held, with the BNG gaining 47,763 and failing to win any seat again. In 1989 there was a popular movement of protest in the town of
Allariz, against the mayor Leopoldo Pérez Camba (
People's Party), which evolved into a full revolt and ended with the resignation of the local government. After the resignation
Anxo Quintana, a BNG local councilor, was elected as the mayor of the town. Since then Allariz has been the main stronghold of the BNG (which has won all local elections since 1993 with more than the 60% of the vote).
In June 1990 the Permanent Commission made public an economic document, with an analysis on the crisis of Galicia and the solutions to it proposed by the front. In July the BNG held a common march in
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
with the PNG-PG.
5th National Assembly (1991–1993)
In January 1991 the V National Assembly was held in
Vigo
Vigo ( , , , ) is a city and municipality in the province of Pontevedra, within the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest of the Iberian Peninsula, it sits on the southern shore of an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, the ...
.
Galiza Nova was fully integrated into the structures of the front. BNG developed an intense campaign that year with the slogan "Galiza self-determination", which culminated on 6 December with a rally in
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela is the capital of the autonomous community of Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city has its origin in the shrine of Saint James the Great, now the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela, as the destination of the Way of S ...
attended by more than 10,000 people. Later on that same year,
Inzar and
PNG-PG joined BNG.
Local elections of 1991
In May 1991
local elections were held. BNG ran in 162
municipalities
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the g ...
(out of 311), getting 107,932 votes, 8 mayors (
Allariz,
Malpica de Bergantiños,
Noia,
Corcubión,
Vilar de Santos,
Ribadeo,
Fene
Fene is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located to the northeast of Galicia on the Ria of Ferrol.
Economy
The Navantia Shipyards and services in the parts whi ...
, and
Carnota) and 241 town councilors.
In 1992 the front supported and actively participated in the national general strike on 2 April. During that year the front also campaigned against the
Maastricht Treaty
The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the ...
and a group of independents within BNG created the collective
Nationalist Left (IN), in an attempt to gain internal power and to lower the influence of the
Galician People's Union.
6th National Assembly (1993–1995)
The 6th National Assembly was held in March 1993 at
A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and ...
, with no relevant changes. BNG run for the
Spanish elections of 1993 with the slogan "Galiza with its own strength", obtaining 126,965 votes and getting very close to gaining seats at
A Coruña
A Coruña (; es, La Coruña ; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality of Galicia, Spain. A Coruña is the most populated city in Galicia and the second most populated municipality in the autonomous community and ...
and
Pontevedra
Pontevedra (, ) is a Spanish city in the north-west of the Iberian Peninsula. It is the capital of both the ''Comarca'' (County) and Province of Pontevedra, and of the Rías Baixas in Galicia. It is also the capital of its own municipality w ...
. Later in the same year, BNG participated in an international conference in
Denmark
)
, song = ( en, "King Christian stood by the lofty mast")
, song_type = National and royal anthem
, image_map = EU-Denmark.svg
, map_caption =
, subdivision_type = Sovereign state
, subdivision_name = Danish Realm, Kingdom of Denmark
...
of parties and individuals that opposed the
Maastricht Treaty
The Treaty on European Union, commonly known as the Maastricht Treaty, is the foundation treaty of the European Union (EU). Concluded in 1992 between the then-twelve member states of the European Communities, it announced "a new stage in the ...
.
In the
Galician elections of October, the front gained 269,233 votes and 13 seats.
Galician Unity, the old PSG-EG, would also join BNG after his electoral failures of that year. In the
European elections of 1994 the front won a record 139,221 votes, but failed again to gain any seats. This positive electoral trend would continue in the
local elections of 1995, in which the Bloc obtained 208,098 votes, 428 local councillors and 12 mayors (
Allariz,
Vilar de Santos,
Fene
Fene is a municipality in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia in northwestern Spain. It is located to the northeast of Galicia on the Ria of Ferrol.
Economy
The Navantia Shipyards and services in the parts whi ...
,
Corcubión,
As Pontes de García Rodríguez
As Pontes de García Rodríguez is a municipality in the Comarca of Eume in northwestern Spain in the province of A Coruña in the autonomous community of Galicia. It is situated in the northwest of the province. It is the largest council in th ...
,
Cangas do Morrazo,
Noia,
Vilariño de Conso,
Moaña,
Bueu,
Poio
Poio is a municipality in Galicia, Spain in the province of Pontevedra. Poio is located in the North shore of the Ría de Pontevedra, between Sanxenxo and the provincial capital, Pontevedra. The municipality is adjacent with Meaño, Meis, Pont ...
and
Rairiz de Veiga)
The increasing unity of
Galician nationalism
Galician nationalism is a form of nationalism found mostly in Galicia, which asserts that Galicians are a nation and that promotes the cultural unity of Galicians. The political movement referred to as modern Galician nationalism was born at ...
in the political arena also had consequences in other sectors. One of those sectors were unionism, were the old unions
National Inter-Union of the Galician Workers (INTG) (aligned with the
Galician People's Union-BNG) and
General Confederation of Galician Workers (CXTG) (aligned with PSG-EG) merged to create
Confederación Intersindical Galega (CIG).
2012 split
In 2012 several parties and individuals abandoned the front, dissatisfied with its political line and the control exercised by the UPG.
Encontro Irmandiño abandoned the bloc and joined with
Galician Workers' Front (Fronte Obreira Galega), the
Galician People's Front (FPG),
Movemento pola Base and other collectives to form
Anova-Nationalist Brotherhood. Anova obtained four seats in the
2012 Galician election as part of the
Galician Left Alternative coalition. Anova is a pro-independence,
anticapitalist,
anti-globalization
The anti-globalization movement or counter-globalization movement, is a social movement critical of economic globalization. The movement is also commonly referred to as the global justice movement, alter-globalization movement, anti-globalis ...
,
republican and
anti-imperialist
Anti-imperialism in political science and international relations is a term used in a variety of contexts, usually by nationalist movements who want to secede from a larger polity (usually in the form of an empire, but also in a multi-ethnic ...
organization.
Other groups that split were the more moderate social-democratic and autonomist
Máis Galiza,
Nationalist Left and the
Galician Nationalist Party-Galicianist Party (PNG-PG). They formed
Commitment to Galicia (CxG), a
social-democratic
Social democracy is a political, social, and economic philosophy within socialism that supports political and economic democracy. As a policy regime, it is described by academics as advocating economic and social interventions to promot ...
and autonomist organization. No CxG deputies were elected at the
2012 Galician election.
Electoral performance
BNG began its electoral history in a modest way. However, it quickly progressed from a single seat in the
Galician Parliament
The Parliament of Galicia () is the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It is formed by 75 deputies (). Deputies are elected every four years in ordinary period, or extraordinarily upon dissolution and call of ...
to its best results in 1997 when, under the leadership of
Xosé Manuel Beiras, it won almost 25 per cent of the total vote and 18 seats (out of 75) at the Parliament.
After the 2001 Galician elections, the BNG still was the second-largest political group in the Galician Parliament with 17 seats, slightly ahead of the
Socialists' Party of Galicia (PSdG) in total votes. Yet it was not until 2005 that BNG could force a
coalition government
A coalition government is a form of government in which political parties cooperate to form a government. The usual reason for such an arrangement is that no single party has achieved an absolute majority after an election, an atypical outcome i ...
, despite losing four seats and slipping to the third place. The BNG vice-president Anxo Quintana became then the vice-president of Galicia, and BNG could directly appoint a number of ''conselleiros'' (ministers) for some government departments. Prior to that, the other major Galician party, the conservative
People's Party (PPdeG), had remained in control of the overall majority and therefore of the
Galician government. In the 2009 elections, a sharp reduction in votes for the PSdG, together with poor results for the BNG (12 seats), forced the left-wing coalition out of government to the benefit of the PPdeG.
Results of the 2009 Galician elections
Meanwhile, the BNG won 208,688 votes (11.37 per cent of the Galician vote, 0.8 of the Spanish total) in the 2004 Spanish general election, gaining two of the 350 seats in the Spanish Congress of Deputies. Results in the 2008 Spanish general election were slightly improved (+0.7% in Galicia), although resulting in the same number of seats. Results in local elections have traditionally been good, with a constant increase in the number of seats won, allowing BNG to govern or to, at least, take part in the government coalitions of most Galician large urban centres.
BNG lost its single Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
, Camilo Nogueira, in the 2004 European Parliament election
The 2004 European Parliament election was held between 10 and 13 June 2004 in the 25 member states of the European Union, using varying election days according to local custom. The European Parliamental parties could not be voted for, but elect ...
. However, BNG's interests have continued to be represented thanks to alliances established with other parties such as the Basque Nationalist Party
The Basque Nationalist Party (, EAJ ; es, Partido Nacionalista Vasco, PNV; french: Parti Nationaliste Basque, PNB; EAJ-PNV), officially Basque National Party in English,) was rejected by party members in November 2011. Nonetheless, the party did ...
and the Catalan Convergence and Union. BNG maintains regular contact with its European group, the European Greens–European Free Alliance
European, or Europeans, or Europeneans, may refer to:
In general
* ''European'', an adjective referring to something of, from, or related to Europe
** Ethnic groups in Europe
** Demographics of Europe
** European cuisine, the cuisines of Europe ...
, through a permanent representative in the chamber.
Parliament of Galicia
Cortes Generales
Nationwide
Regional breakdown
European Parliament
Local councils
Internal organization
BNG regulates itself through local, regional and national assemblies in which members can vote for and be elected as regional delegates and thereafter members of the National Council. However, the internal functioning of the party has come into criticism in recent years. As a result, several new organizations calling for "transparency and internal democracy" have formed within the BNG, namely the Encontro Irmandinho (led by former BNG president Xosé Manuel Beiras), Movemento Pola Base (formed by grassroots members and backed by the youth section Galiza Nova), and A Alternativa (supported by former Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament (MEP) is a person who has been elected to serve as a popular representative in the European Parliament.
When the European Parliament (then known as the Common Assembly of the ECSC) first met in 1952, its ...
Camilo Nogueira). Furthermore, Anxo Quintana's leadership has been called into question after the poor results of the Galician 2009 elections.
Joint affiliation with other political groups outside the BNG is not allowed. The political groups currently recognised by the BNG (via a lengthy ratification process) are:
Historical parties and currents:
See also
*Galician nationalism
Galician nationalism is a form of nationalism found mostly in Galicia, which asserts that Galicians are a nation and that promotes the cultural unity of Galicians. The political movement referred to as modern Galician nationalism was born at ...
* Xosé Manuel Beiras
* Anxo Quintana
* Camilo Nogueira
* Parliament of Galicia
*Xunta de Galicia
The Xunta de Galicia (; "Regional Government of Galicia") is the collective decision-making body of the government of the autonomous community of Galicia, composed of the President, the Vice-President(s) and the specialized ministers (''Consel ...
References
Notes
Bibliography
* Barreiro, H. et al. (2002): "A Galicia política e o nacionalismo do BNG", in ''Tempos Novos'', no. 59, p. 24–33
* Beramendi, J.G. (2003): "Fin de ciclo no BNG? : Beiras desafía a hexemonía da UPG", in ''Tempos novos'', p. 48–50
* BNG (2004): ''Documento de bases para a elaboración dun novo Estatuto para Galiza''
* Fernández Baz, M.A. (2003): ''A formación do nacionalismo galego contemporáneo (1963–1984)'', Laiovento
* Rodríguez, F. (1999): "Fundación da UPG na frente nacionalista BNG", in ''Terra e tempo'', no. 12, p. 43–45
External links
BNG website
UPG website
Galiza Nova
, youth section of the BNG
''Movemento Galego ao Socialismo''
Isca! website (youth of the MGS)
"Quin TV"
multimedia portal of BNG's ex-president Anxo Quintana
"TeleBNG"
BNG's channel in YouTube
{{Authority control
1982 establishments in Spain
European Free Alliance
Galician nationalist parties
Left-wing nationalist parties
Political parties established in 1982
Political party alliances in Spain
Regionalist parties in Spain
Republican parties in Spain
Secessionist organizations in Europe
Socialist parties in Galicia (Spain)
Ahora Repúblicas