Democratic Coalition ( es, Coalición Democrática, CD) was a Spanish electoral coalition formed in December 1978 to contest the general election the following year, after the approval of the Constitution.

History

In the first weeks, the coalition -after its foundation on 16 December 1978- adopted the names Spanish Democratic Confederation ( es, Confederación Democrática Española) or Progressive Democratic Confederation ( es, Confederación Demócrata Progresista) before changing its name to Democratic Coalition on 9 January 1979.

Alfonso Osorio Alfonso Osorio García (13 December 1923 – 27 August 2018) was a Spanish politician. Born in Santander on 13 December 1923, Osorio studied law at the University of Oviedo. He joined the State Lawyers Corps in 1953, serving in Cuenca and Toledo. ...

and

José María de Areilza José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

had been ministers in the UCD governments, who resigned from them at different times because of disagreements with President

Adolfo Suárez Adolfo Suárez González, 1st Duke of Suárez (; 25 September 1932 – 23 March 2014) was a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister since the Second Spanish Republic and a key figure in th ...

. The presidential candidate of the government was

Manuel Fraga Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician in Francoist Spain, who was also the founder of the People's Party. Fraga was Minister of Information and Tourism between 1962 and 1969, Amba ...

. It won nine seats in the Congress of Deputies, nearly half of its predecessor, People's Alliance, had obtained in the 1977 elections. Given the dismal results, Fraga resigned as leader of the coalition and went solo in front of People's Alliance. In the case of the 1979 municipal elections, Democratic Coalition withdrew in March of that year their lists of candidates for Madrid, Aviles, Cordoba, Bilbao and other cities. The parliamentary group of Democratic Coalition continued as such until the 1982 general elections. In that year, People's Alliance formed with other parties a broad coalition that would later be known as the People's Coalition.

Composition

The coalition brought together at the time of the 1979 election to various center-right parties: * People's Alliance (AP) of

Manuel Fraga Iribarne Manuel Fraga Iribarne (; 23 November 1922 – 15 January 2012) was a Spanish professor and politician in Francoist Spain, who was also the founder of the People's Party. Fraga was Minister of Information and Tourism between 1962 and 1969, Ambas ...

. * Liberal Citizens Action (ACL) of

* Progressive Democratic Party (PDProg) of Alfonso Osorio. * Spanish Renewal (RE) *

People's Party of Catalonia The People's Party of Catalonia ( ca, Partit Popular de Catalunya, es, Partido Popular de Cataluña, PP or PPC) is a conservative, Christian-democratic political party in Catalonia. It is the Catalan affiliate of the Spanish People's Party an ...

(PPC) of Luis Montal. * Environmentalist and Social Change * Action for Ceuta (APC) * Association of Basque Independent Democrats (DIV) * Confederation of Conservative Parties.

Electoral performance

Notes

References

{{reflist Defunct political party alliances in Spain 1978 establishments in Spain 1982 disestablishments in Spain