The Galician People's Union () is a
Galician
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
and
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
political party
A political party is an organization that coordinates candidates to compete in a particular area's elections. It is common for the members of a party to hold similar ideas about politics, and parties may promote specific political ideology, ...
, and is one of the registered political parties of
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. The party publishes the magazine ''Terra e Tempo'', and the secretary general is
Néstor Rego
Néstor Rego Candamil (born 2 April 1962) is a Galicians, Galician teacher, politician and a member of the Congress of Deputies of Spain. He is leader of the Galician People's Union.
Early life
Rego was born on 2 April 1962 in O Vicedo, Galicia ...
.
It was founded in 1964 with the intention of the independence of Galicia and its transformation into a socialist state. It caused the creation of nationalist fronts such as the
Galician National-Popular Assembly and the
Bloque Nacionalista Galego
The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( , BNG) is a political party from Galicia, formed with the merger of a series of left-wing Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic front".
Founded in 1982 under the guidance of historical ...
. Since 1982 it is one of the parties in the coalition. The current National Spokesperson (
Ana Pontón
Ana Belén Pontón Mondelo (born 27 July 1977) is a Spanish political scientist and politician for the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG). She has served in the Parliament of Galicia since 2004, and in 2016 was the first woman to be elected spokespe ...
) of the BNG is a member of the UPG.
History
First foundation
In November 1963,
Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín
Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín (Ourense, 7 August 1938) is a Galician writer and poet and is widely considered the highest representative of contemporary Galician literature. A doctor in philology, he studied philosophy at the University of Santia ...
,
Bautista Álvarez
Bautista Goyel Álvarez Domínguez (1933 – 16 September 2017) was a Galician nationalist politician and historian. He was born in San Amaro, Spain. Álvarez, who was a founding member of the Galician People's Union in 1964, also served as ...
,
Reimundo Patiño and
Xosé Antonio Arjona, members of the literary group
Brais Pinto, founded Unión do Pobo Galego as a communist and nationalist political party.
Refoundation
In 1964 the Youth Council, under the direction of
Ramón Piñeiro
Ramón Piñeiro (born 29 October 1991 in Barcelona) is a Spanish racing driver.
Career
Formula BMW
Piñeiro began his formula racing career in 2008 in Formula BMW Europe with Fortec Motorsport. He finished twentieth in standings, taking five ...
, expelled the
leftist
Left-wing politics describes the range of political ideologies that support and seek to achieve social equality and egalitarianism, often in opposition to social hierarchy either as a whole or of certain social hierarchies. Left-wing politi ...
sector, which proceeded to refound the UPG in
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...
on July 25, 1964, integrating the Brais Pinto group, former militants of the
Federation of the Galicianist Youth
A federation (also called a federal state) is an entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing status of the co ...
(as
Celso Emilio Ferreiro
Celso Emilio Ferreiro Míguez (1912–1979) was a Galicianism (Galicia), Galicianist activist, writer, poet, and political journalist.
Early years
Ferreiro was born in Celanova, into a well-off Galicianist family. In 1932, at the age of twenty, ...
) and the
Communist Party of Spain
The Communist Party of Spain (; PCE) is a communist party that, since 1986, has been part of the United Left coalition, which is currently part of Sumar. Two of its politicians are Spanish government ministers: Yolanda Díaz (Minister of L ...
(
Luís Soto
Luis is a given name. It is the Spanish form of the originally Germanic name or . Other Iberian Romance languages have comparable forms: (with an accent mark on the i) in Portuguese and Galician, in Aragonese and Catalan, while is archaic ...
) and independent
left nationalists, a total no more than 25 people. In the first two years the party activities are reduced to sporadic contacts of its members and the publication of the journal ''Terra e Tempo'', in which its first program was published in 1965:
At first the UPG had a line of collaboration with the
PCE, but this collaboration did not last long, and the UPG and the PCE became rivals for the hegemony in the galician
communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
movement. The PCE was accused by the UPG of ''españolismo'' (
Spanish nationalism
The creation of the tradition of the political community of Spaniards as common destiny over other communities has been argued to trace back to the Cortes of Cádiz. From 1812 on, revisiting the previous history of Spain, Spanish liberalism tende ...
/Hispanocentrism). The opposition to the construction of the dam of
Castrelo de Miño
Castrelo de Miño is a small municipality in the province of Ourense, in the autonomous community of Galicia, Spain. It belongs to the comarca
A ''comarca'' (, , , ) is a traditional region or local administrative division found in Portugal, ...
(1966) was the first major public action of the UPG. The UPG organized the local peasants in ''Assault brigades'' that torched and burned the machinery. The UPG also helped the local peasants through an advocate of the organization.
In 1971 the expulsion of Xosé Torres and his followers, who joined the
Communist Movement of Spain
Communist Movement (in Spanish: ''Movimiento Comunista'', in Basque: ''Mugimendu Komunista'', in Catalan: ''Moviment Comunista'', in Galician: ''Movemento Comunista'', in Asturian: ''Movimientu Comunista'') was a political party in Spain. It was ...
, left the organization almost without militants in
Ferrol and
Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...
.
Vigo
Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...
thus became the core of an organization which at that time did not exceed 50 members.
Expansion
It is not until the formation of
Galician Revolutionary Students
Galician Revolutionary Students (in Galician: ''Estudantes Revolucionarios Galegos'') was a leftwing nationalist students organization in Galicia, Spain. ERGA functioned as the students wing of the Galician People's Union (UPG). ERGA was founded ...
(ERGA) by
Manuel Mera
Manuel may refer to:
People
* Manuel (name), a given name and surname
* Manuel (Fawlty Towers), Manuel (''Fawlty Towers''), a fictional character from the sitcom ''Fawlty Towers''
* Manuel I Komnenos, emperor of the Byzantine Empire
* Manuel I ...
in 1972 when the UPG started to increase its social base. The same year, the 10 of march, the
Spanish police
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas
**Spanish cuisine
** Spanish history
**Spanish culture ...
killed 2 workers in a demonstration in
Ferrol. This led to a series of strikes and demonstrations in all
Galiza
Galicia ( ; or ; ) is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, and Pontevedra.
Galicia is located in A ...
in solidarity with the
Ferrol workers. This movement culminate in the
1972 General Strike in Vigo, when the city was paralyzed for 20 days. The UPG was very involved in the strike and took contact with two organizations of
Vigo
Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...
:
Galicia Socialista and
Organización Obreira. The first one was a
marxist
Marxism is a political philosophy and method of socioeconomic analysis. It uses a dialectical and materialist interpretation of historical development, better known as historical materialism, to analyse class relations, social conflic ...
group that organized workers in some factories in the city and the second one was a radical split from
CCOO
The Workers' Commissions () since the 1970s has become the largest trade union in Spain. It has more than one million members, and is the most successful union in labor elections, competing with the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), which is ...
.
Galicia Socialista and a sector of
Organización Obreira joined the UPG. This helped the UPG to have a far more important role among the working class and helped the organization to increase its membership significantly. The strike ended the 26 of September, with the final result of 6,000 workers fired. After a new wave of protest finally the number of fired workers went down to 400. Although the strike failed in its goals, the UPG left this period significantly strengthened, more militants, more prestige among the workers and much more experience. This helped the UPG to become the main alternative to the
Communist Party of Galicia among the opposition to the
Francoist State
Francoist Spain (), also known as the Francoist dictatorship (), or Nationalist Spain () was the period of History of Spain, Spanish history between 1936 and 1975, when Francisco Franco ruled Spain after the Spanish Civil War with the title . ...
in
Galicia.
This was followed in the spring of 1973 by the formation of the ''Fronte Obreira'' (Workers Front), directed by
Moncho Reboiras
Ramón Marcos Enrique Monserrat (born 4 March 1988), better known by his stage name Moncho, is a Swedish rapper, singer, and songwriter. He competed in Melodifestivalen 2018 with the song "Cuba Libre", and qualified to andra chansen. He is the bro ...
and that acted as a union liked to the party. The following year
Comisións Labregas was created to organiza the peasants.
In the context of the relationships established with other
nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
parties without
states
State most commonly refers to:
* State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory
**Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country
**Nation state, a ...
in
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
, the UPG signed in February 1974, with the
Breton Democratic Union
Breton Democratic Union (, , UDB) is a Breton nationalist, autonomist, and regionalist political party in Brittany () and Loire-Atlantique. The UDB advocates devolution for Brittany as well as the promotion of its regional languages ( Breton a ...
and the
Irish republican movement
The republican movement refers to the Irish Republican Army (IRA) and other political, social and paramilitary organisations and movements associated with it. It can refer to:
*Republican Movement, which consisted of the IRA and Sinn Féin prio ...
(which comprised the
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army (Provisional IRA), officially known as the Irish Republican Army (IRA; ) and informally known as the Provos, was an Irish republican paramilitary force that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland ...
and the
Sinn Féin
Sinn Féin ( ; ; ) is an Irish republican and democratic socialist political party active in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
The History of Sinn Féin, original Sinn Féin organisation was founded in 1905 by Arthur Griffit ...
) the
Charter of Brest. In that chart the signing organizations defended the right to
self-determination
Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage.
Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...
of the peoples of
Europe
Europe is a continent located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east ...
to a future Socialist Europe of the Peoples. The document was later also signed by
Herriko Alderdi Sozialista,
Cymru Goch
; ) was a left-wing Welsh nationalist political party, founded in 1986 and fought for what it described as a ''Free Socialist Wales''.
Background
Following the collapse of the Welsh Socialist Republican Movement, a number of former members, ...
,
PSAN-Provisional,
Esquerra Catalana dels Treballadors,
Su Populu Sardu and
Lucha Occitana. The UPG also developed contacts after the
Carnation Revolution
The Carnation Revolution (), code-named Operation Historic Turn (), also known as the 25 April (), was a military coup by military officers that overthrew the Estado Novo government on 25 April 1974 in Portugal. The coup produced major socia ...
(April 25, 1974) with forces of the Portuguese
radical left, specially the
Liga de Unidade e Ação Revolucionária (LUAR), the
Revolutionary Party of the Proletariat – Revolutionary Brigades (PRP-BR) or the
Movement of the Armed Forces
230px, A mural dedicated to the MFA, it reads: "Towards freedom. Long live the 25th of April!"
The Armed Forces Movement (; MFA) was an organization of lower-ranking officers in the Portuguese Armed Forces. It was responsible for instigating th ...
(MFA).
Moreover, since 1970 there were voices within the party that postulated the need for an
armed phase in the context of the national-popular revolution and with the support of
ETA (pm) the UPG formed the ''Fronte Armada'' (FA, ''Armed Front''. No more than 10 people). The FA did some robberies and some minor armed actions, but in August 1975 the police killed
Moncho Reboiras
Ramón Marcos Enrique Monserrat (born 4 March 1988), better known by his stage name Moncho, is a Swedish rapper, singer, and songwriter. He competed in Melodifestivalen 2018 with the song "Cuba Libre", and qualified to andra chansen. He is the bro ...
and arrested 4 members of the armed group. After these events the party abandoned the
armed struggle
War is an armed conflict between the armed forces of states, or between governmental forces and armed groups that are organized under a certain command structure and have the capacity to sustain military operations, or between such organiz ...
.
Transition
After the
Ferrol events the party leadership exiled in
Portugal
Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic, is a country on the Iberian Peninsula in Southwestern Europe. Featuring Cabo da Roca, the westernmost point in continental Europe, Portugal borders Spain to its north and east, with which it share ...
and although some joint events still be carried with
ETA
Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
, the UPG stopped the
armed actions, giving priority to the political action. The UPG supported the
Galician National-Popular Assembly (AN-PG), which was presented publicly in January 1976 and was intended to unite the different left-wing
galician nationalist
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 ...
organizations and to lead the formation of a provisional Galician government after taking power. At the same time, also in January 1976, on the initiative of the UPG, the Galician Political Forces Council was formed, and was joined by the
PSG, the
Galician Social Democratic Party
The Galician Social Democratic Party (PGSD, ''Partido Galego Social Demócrata'' in Galician language) was a Galician political party with a Galician nationalist and social democratic ideology.
It was founded under the name of ''Galician Social ...
and the UPG itself. The ''Consello'' published in April 1976 the ''Bases Constitucionais'' (Constitutional Bases), in which the right to
self-determination
Self-determination refers to a people's right to form its own political entity, and internal self-determination is the right to representative government with full suffrage.
Self-determination is a cardinal principle in modern international la ...
of
Galicia was demanded. Later, the
Carlist Party
The Carlist Party (, , , , ; PC) is a Spanish political party that considers itself as a successor to the historical tradition of Carlism. The party was founded in 1970, although it remained illegal until 1977 following the death of the caudill ...
and the
Communist Movement of Galicia
Communist Movement of Galicia ( Galician: ''Movemento Comunista de Galiza'', ''MCG'') was a communist
Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a ...
(MCG) entered the ''consello''. In November the CFPG entered in a crisis after the inclusion of the
MCG
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as the 'G, is a sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hemisphere, the el ...
, which refused to leave
CCOO
The Workers' Commissions () since the 1970s has become the largest trade union in Spain. It has more than one million members, and is the most successful union in labor elections, competing with the Unión General de Trabajadores (UGT), which is ...
to enter the
Sindicato Obreiro Galego
The Galician Workers Union (SOG, ''Sindicato Obreiro Galego'' in Galician language), was a Galician nationalist and anticapitalist union in Galiza.
Its official publication was ''O Eixo'', editing at the same time other comarcal and sectorial p ...
as requested by the UPG. As a result, the UPG and the
PGSD left the CFPG.
To concur to the
first democratic elections in 1977, the UPG articulated a nationalist front, the
Galician National-Popular Bloc
The Galician National-Popular Bloc (BNPG or BN-PG, ''Bloque Nacional-Popular Galego'' in Galician language) was a Galician people, Galician electoral candidacy. It had as the national sovereignty for Galiza as its main objective and
as an altern ...
(BN-PG), that was integrated by the UPG and the
AN-PG. The
BN-PG gained only 22,771 votes (2.02%). After the
elections
An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office.
Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...
the sector headed by
Camilo Nogueira Román
Camilo Nogueira Román (born 22 November 1936) is a Spanish politician and engineer. He was a Member of the European Parliament between 1999 and 2004. He was part of the Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) and the European Free Alliance, Democratic ...
who formed the
Galician Workers' Party split. Previously, the hardline militant
Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín
Xosé Luís Méndez Ferrín (Ourense, 7 August 1938) is a Galician writer and poet and is widely considered the highest representative of contemporary Galician literature. A doctor in philology, he studied philosophy at the University of Santia ...
, who had been expelled from the direction of UPG, left the party and accused the UPG of rightism, progressive compliance with the Spanish institutions and interclassism.
Méndez Ferrín founded in 1977 a new party: the
Galician People's Union-Proletarian Line. In the
Spanish constitutional referendum of 1978 the UPG supported a ''No'' vote.
In the
1979 elections the UPG supported again the
BN-PG, gaining 60,889 votes, the 6% of the vote in
Galiza
Galicia ( ; or ; ) is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, and Pontevedra.
Galicia is located in A ...
, making a hughe gain since the first elections, although, again the
BN-PG didn't get representants in the
Spanish Congress
The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
Congress has 350 members elected from fifty-two constituencie ...
. The progressive growth of the popular support to the
BN-PG was confirmed by the results of the
local elections of the same year. The
BN-PG won the 7.32% of the vote in all
Galiza
Galicia ( ; or ; ) is an autonomous community of Spain and historic nationality under Spanish law. Located in the northwest Iberian Peninsula, it includes the provinces of A Coruña, Lugo, Ourense, and Pontevedra.
Galicia is located in A ...
(78,216 votes) and gained 258 town councillors and 9 mayors.
The results in Galicia.
Results by province of the BN-PG:
* A Coruña (province)
A Coruña (; ; also informally called just Coruña; historical English: Corunna or The Groyne) is a city and municipality in Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. It is Galicia's second largest city, behind Vigo. The city is the provincial capital o ...
: 69 town councillors and 27,737 votes (6.73%)
* Lugo (province)
Lugo is a province of northwestern Spain, in the northeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Ourense, Pontevedra, and A Coruña, the principality of Asturias, the State of León, and in the nor ...
: 77 town councillors and 18,509 votes (9.97%)
* Ourense (province)
Ourense (; ) is a province of Spain, in the southeastern part of the autonomous community of Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of Pontevedra to the west, Lugo to the north, León and Zamora, (which both belong to Castile and León) t ...
: 67 town councillors and 10,767 votes (7.28%)
* Pontevedra (province)
Pontevedra is a Provinces of Spain, province of Spain, located in the southwestern part of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is bordered by the provinces of A Coruña (province), A Coruña, ...
: 45 town councillors and 21,203 votes (6.56%)
Between the months of April and May in 1981 the UPG experienced an internal crisis between the supporters of professionalizing and giving more weight to the BN-PG, that were the minority, and those who opposed them, the majority. The crisis ended with the expulsion of the minority sector (they were the majority, however, in Vigo
Vigo (, ; ) is a city and Municipalities in Spain, municipality in the province of province of Pontevedra, Pontevedra, within the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. Located in the northwest ...
), led by Francisco García Montes, Secretary General of the INTG; Requeixo Bernardo Fernandez, general secretary of Comisións Labregas and Agustín Malvido.
After these dissensions, the UPG turned left
Left may refer to:
Music
* ''Left'' (Hope of the States album), 2006
* ''Left'' (Monkey House album), 2016
* ''Left'' (Helmet album), 2023
* "Left", a song by Nickelback from the album ''Curb'', 1996
Direction
* Left (direction), the relativ ...
and supported campaigns for the ETA
Eta ( ; uppercase , lowercase ; ''ē̂ta'' or ''ita'' ) is the seventh letter of the Greek alphabet, representing the close front unrounded vowel, . Originally denoting the voiceless glottal fricative, , in most dialects of Ancient Greek, it ...
prisoners, increased its relations with Herri Batasuna
Herri Batasuna (; ; HB) was a Far-left politics, far-left Basque nationalist coalition in Spain. It was founded in 1978 and defined itself as abertzale left, abertzale, left-wing, socialism, socialist, and supported the independence of the Basque ...
and even made joint events with the Communist Party of Spain (Reconstituted)
The Partido Comunista de España (Reconstituido) (, ''PCE(r)'') is a Spanish clandestine communist party that broke away from the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). The general secretary of the PCE(r) is Manuel Pérez Martínez ('Comrade Arenas') wh ...
, the political wing of the GRAPO
The First of October Anti-Fascist Resistance Groups () was a Spanish clandestine Marxist–Leninist group aiming for the formation of a Spanish Republican state.
The group was anti-capitalist, anti-imperialist, and strongly opposed Spain's me ...
. In February 1982 the centrist wing of the party left the UPG, led by Pedro Luaces (former secretary general) and strong in Lugo
Lugo (, ) is a city in northwestern Spain in the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia. It is the capital of the Lugo (province), province of Lugo. The municipality had a population of 100,060 in 2024, ...
. After the victory of the PSOE
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party ( , PSOE ) is a Social democracy, social democratic Updated as required.The PSOE is described as a social-democratic party by numerous sources:
*
*
*
* List of political parties in Spain, political party ...
in the elections of 1982, the UPG declared himself opposed to any cooperation, since they saw the socialist government as the kind face of capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their use for the purpose of obtaining profit. This socioeconomic system has developed historically through several stages and is defined by ...
. In this environment, in December 1983 Mariano Abalo was elected secretary general of the UPG.
Acceptance of the institutions
In 1986, the UPG, and the Galician Nationalist Bloc
The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( , BNG) is a political party from Galicia (Spain), Galicia, formed with the merger of a series of left-wing Galician nationalism, Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic Popular front, front" ...
(in which the BN-PG had been transformed) agreed to participate in the institutions, this led Xosé Manuel Beiras
Xosé Manuel Hixinio Beiras Torrado (born 7 April 1936) is a Galician politician, economist, writer and intellectual. He is professor of Structural Economy at the Faculty of Economic Sciences of the University of Santiago de Compostela. He is ...
to 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 o ...
to promise to act according to the Constitution
A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organization or other type of entity, and commonly determines how that entity is to be governed.
When these pri ...
. This led to the split in July 1986 of 13 Central Committee members and a few dozen militants who founded the Communist Party of National Liberation
Communist Party of National Liberation (in Galician language, Galician: ''Partido Comunista de Liberación Nacional'') was a separatist political party in Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. PCLN was founded on 25 July 1986 by the 22 March Communist C ...
. Among the founders of the new party there were Mariano Abalo, Xan Carballo and Ramiro Oubiña. Since that moment, the workplace of the UPG has been the Galician Nationalist Bloc
The Galician Nationalist Bloc ( , BNG) is a political party from Galicia (Spain), Galicia, formed with the merger of a series of left-wing Galician nationalism, Galician nationalist parties. It is self-defined as a "patriotic Popular front, front" ...
. With the BNG the UPG got important institutional positions: Members of the Parliament of Galicia
The Parliament of Galicia () is the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, Spain. It is formed by 75 deputies (). Deputies are elected every four years in ordinary period, or extraordinarily upon dissolu ...
, deputies in the Spanish Congress
The Congress of Deputies () is the lower house of the , Spain's legislative branch, the upper house being the Senate. The Congress meets in the Palace of the Parliament () in Madrid.
Congress has 350 members elected from fifty-two constituencie ...
, provincial deputies, mayors and numerous town council
A town council, city council or municipal council is a form of local government for small municipalities.
Usage of the term varies under different jurisdictions.
Republic of Ireland
In 2002, 49 urban district councils and 26 town commissi ...
members, always under the banner of the BNG.
The party has also focused on social work through the nationalist
Nationalism is an idea or movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the State (polity), state. As a movement, it presupposes the existence and tends to promote the interests of a particular nation,Anthony D. Smith, Smith, A ...
unionism, unified under the banner Confederación Intersindical Galega
The Galician Unions Confederacy () is a trade union that was created after the merge of two previous unions: the Intersindical Nacional dos Traballadores Galegos, INTG and the Confederación Xeral de Traballadores Galegos-Intersindical Nacional, CX ...
(CIG). It held its Eleventh National Congress in January 2005 in Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...
. Being re-elected Secretary General
Secretary is a title often used in organizations to indicate a person having a certain amount of authority, Power (social and political), power, or importance in the organization. Secretaries announce important events and communicate to the org ...
Francisco Rodríguez Sánchez. On 15 and 16 November the XII Congress was held in Santiago de Compostela
Santiago de Compostela, simply Santiago, or Compostela, in the province of Province of A Coruña, A Coruña, is the capital of the autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. The city ...
with the slogan: ''O nacionalismo, a alternativa á globalización. Vivir, traballar e producir na nosa Terra'' ("Nationalism, the alternative to globalization
Globalization is the process of increasing interdependence and integration among the economies, markets, societies, and cultures of different countries worldwide. This is made possible by the reduction of barriers to international trade, th ...
. Living, working and producing in our land").
References
* Fernández Baz, M. A. (2003). ''A formación do nacionalismo galego contemporáneo:(1963-1984)''. Laiovento.
* Beramendi González, J. & Núñez Seixas, X. M. (1996). ''O nacionalismo galego''. Edicions A Nosa Terra, Promocions Culturais Galegas, SA.
* VVAA (2009).
Moncho Reboiras. O nacionalismo galego nos anos 70
'. Fundación Bautista Álvarez.
Notes
External links
*
Terra e Tempo
{{Authority control
Member parties of the Galician Nationalist Bloc
Socialist parties in Galicia (Spain)
Political parties established in 1963
1963 establishments in Spain
Left-wing nationalist parties in Spain
Galician nationalist parties
Communist parties in Spain
Anti-Francoism