En Comú Podem (English: "In Common We Can", ECP) was an electoral coalition in Catalonia, originally formed in October 2015 by Podemos, Barcelona en Comú, Initiative for Catalonia Greens, United and Alternative Left, and Equo, and led by the Mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, to contest the 2015 Spanish general election.[1][2][3]

In Common We Can
En Comú Podem
AbbreviationECP
LeaderAina Vidal
Jéssica Albiach
SpokespersonJaume Asens
Founded28 October 2015 (2015-10-28)
Dissolved27 March 2024
Preceded byCatalunya Sí que es Pot
Catalunya en Comú–Podem
Succeeded byComuns Sumar
HeadquartersC/ Marina, 131
08013, Barcelona
Youth wingConfluència Jove
Ideology
Political positionLeft-wing
National affiliationPodemos (2015–2016, confluence)
Unidas Podemos (2016–2023, confluence)
Sumar (2023–2024, confluence)
MembersSee list of members
Website
encomupodem.cat

For the 2016 general election, it was then registered as a party under the En Comú Podem−Guanyem el Canvi label (Catalan for "In Common We Can−Let's Win Change").[4][5] Ahead of the 2019 Spanish general election, the alliance maintained its 2016 label, but was reforged as a continuation of the Catalunya en Comú–Podem alliance, the coalition of Catalunya en Comú and Podemos in the 2017 Catalan regional election.[6][7] For the 2021 Catalan regional election, ran under the En Comú Podem−Podem en Comú label (English: "In Common We Can−We Can In Common"). The alliance was dissolved ahead of the 2024 Catalan regional election.

History

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Following the negative results of the Catalunya Sí que es Pot alliance in the 2015 Catalan regional election, Podemos, Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) and United and Alternative Left (EUiA) started negotiations with Barcelona en ComúBarcelona mayor Ada Colau's party—to form a joint list to contest the upcoming general election in Catalonia.[8][9] An agreement was reached on 28 October 2015 to constitute an alliance under the "En Comú Podem" label, aiming at mirroring Colau's success in the 2015 Barcelona local election.[3][10] If successful, the alliance was planned to be maintained in a permanent level ahead of future electoral contests.[11] The candidacy was to be led into the election by historian Xavier Domènech,[12] comprising members from Podemos, ICV, EUiA, Barcelona en Comú and Equo and featuring Colau herself in a "symbolic" position in the list for Barcelona.[13]

Under the promise of holding a legal and binding referendum on independence if accessing the national government,[14][15] En Comú Podem emerged as the largest force in Catalonia in the 20 December general election, securing 24.7% of the share and 12 seats in the Congress of Deputies.[16][17] The alliance was renewed for the 2016 general election, with an unsuccessful attempt to incorporate Pirates of Catalonia into the lists despite the party having initially expressed interest in doing so.[18][19][20] ECP maintained its status as the largest political list in Catalonia on 26 June, but fell short of achieving a landslide victory at the scale predicted by opinion polls.[21][22]

ECP initially aimed at forming its own parliamentary group, separately from Podemos.[23][24] However, this move was blocked by the board of the Congress of Deputies as a result of ECP being a coalition comprising Podemos—which had also contested the general election elsewhere in Spain—and due to the legal impossibility for parties "not competing each other in the election" to form separate groups, forcing ECP-elected deputies to join a "confederal" group with Podemos.[25][26][27] In the electoral repetition of 2016, and in order to try to circumvent this legal clause, the newly-established Unidos Podemos alliance signed that it would not be running in Catalonia as ECP would stand as a political party within an "instrumental" coalition, in order to preserve its previous electoral rights.[28] This ultimately proved to not be enough, and in July 2016, ECP renounced to form its own group and joined Unidos Podemos's one,[29] though it would attempt to reform the Congress's regulations for them to allow the formation of such group throughout the term of the resulting parliament.[30]

After the launching of Más País by former Podemos founder Íñigo Errejón ahead of the November 2019 Spanish general election and his announcement of a general agreement with Equo to run in alliance in a number of constituencies, including Barcelona,[31] Equo's branch in Catalonia refused to join Errejón's lists and pledged its support to the En Comú Podem alliance.[32]

Composition

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Party Notes
We Can (Podemos/Podem)
Catalonia in Common (CatComú) Founded in April 2017.
Barcelona in Common (BComú) Integrated within CatComú in April 2017.
Equo (Equo) Integrated within CatComú in April 2017.
Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) Integrated within CatComú in April 2017, dissolved in 2019.
United and Alternative Left (EUiA) Integrated within CatComú in April 2017, expelled in 2019

Electoral performance

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Parliament of Catalonia

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Parliament of Catalonia
Election Leading candidate Votes % Seats +/– Government
2021 Jéssica Albiach 195,462 6.87 (#5)
8 / 135
 0[a] Opposition

Cortes Generales

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Cortes Generales
Election Catalonia
Congress Senate
Votes % Seats +/– Seats +/–
2015 929,880 24.71 (#1)
12 / 47
 9[b]
4 / 16
 3[b]
2016 853,102 24.53 (#1)
12 / 47
 0
4 / 16
 0
Apr. 2019 615,665 14.85 (#3)
7 / 48
 5
0 / 16
 4
Nov. 2019 549,173 14.17 (#3)
7 / 48
 0
0 / 16
 0
2023 497,617 14.04 (#2)
7 / 48
 0
0 / 16
 0

Symbols

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See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ Compared to Catalunya en Comú–Podem totals in the 2017 regional election.
  2. ^ a b Compared to ICV–EUiA totals in the 2011 general election.

References

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  1. ^ Rico, José (28 October 2015). "La coalición impulsada por Colau para el 20-D se llamará 'En Comú Podem'". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  2. ^ Font, Marc (28 October 2015). "Barcelona en Comú aprueba ir a las generales junto a Podem, ICV y EUiA". Público (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  3. ^ a b Puente, Arturo (28 October 2015). "La apuesta de Colau para las generales se llamará En Comú Podem". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  4. ^ "Registradas 12 coaliciones ante la Junta Electoral Central para el 26J". La Razón (in Spanish). Madrid. 14 May 2016. Retrieved 14 May 2016.
  5. ^ "Elecciones generales 2016. Constitución de coalición electoral. "En Comú Podem-Guanyem el Canvi"". juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  6. ^ "Catalunya en Comú y Podemos concurrirán juntos a las generales bajo la marca En Comú Podem". Expansión (in Spanish). Servimedia. 16 March 2019. Retrieved 17 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Elecciones generales 2019. Constitución de coalición electoral. "En Comú Podem-Guanyem el Canvi"". juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 27 September 2019.
  8. ^ Mármol, Iolanda; Rico, José (15 October 2015). "Colau negocia con Podemos un pacto para ir juntos al 20-D". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Madrid/Barcelona. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  9. ^ Ivan, Gil (20 October 2015). "Colau toma las riendas de la candidatura de Podemos en Cataluña y se cierra a primarias". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  10. ^ Riveiro, Aitor (29 October 2015). "Ada Colau y Pablo Iglesias pactan la marca para Cataluña: En Comú Podem-Podem en Comú". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  11. ^ Mármol, Iolanda (1 December 2015). "Pablo Iglesias y Ada Colau buscan sellar una coalición permanente en Catalunya tras el 20-D". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  12. ^ Carvajal, Álvaro (29 October 2015). "Ada Colau impone a Pablo Iglesias su candidato y la marca 'En Comú' por delante del nombre de Podemos". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  13. ^ "Ada Colau cerrará la lista de En Comú Podem por Barcelona el 20D". eldiario.es (in Spanish). EFE. 17 November 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  14. ^ "En Comú Podem antepone el referéndum a una posible reforma constitucional". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 27 November 2015. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  15. ^ Gutiérrez, Maite (4 December 2015). "En Comú Podem anima a sumarse al cambio iniciado el 15-M". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  16. ^ Puente, Arturo (21 December 2015). "Catalunya pone su futuro en manos de Podemos". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  17. ^ Pascual, Roger (21 December 2015). "Colau: "Vamos a poner la política patas arriba"". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  18. ^ Pascual, Roger (3 May 2016). "Pirates de Catalunya se suben al barco de la confluencia En Comú Podem". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  19. ^ "Fracasa la negociación para incorporar Pirates de Catalunya a En Comú Podem". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 June 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  20. ^ "Pirates de Catalunya y En Comú Podem no irán juntos a las elecciones del 26-J". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 8 June 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  21. ^ Ruiz Marull, David (26 June 2016). "En Comú Podem mantiene un amargo liderazgo en Catalunya". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  22. ^ Rubio, Cristina (26 June 2016). "En Comú Podem se erige como "la alternativa de país" a Convergència". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  23. ^ Molina, Jordi (16 October 2015). "Barcelona en Comú impulsará una candidatura catalana para las elecciones generales". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  24. ^ Puente, Arturo (6 November 2015). "¿Qué debe hacer En Comú Podem para tener el grupo propio que persigue?". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  25. ^ Carracelas, Pilar (8 January 2016). "El grupo propio de En Comú Podem en el Congreso, en peligro". El Nacional (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  26. ^ Mármol, Iolanda; Ruiz Sierra, Juan (14 January 2016). "Las tres alianzas de Podemos plantean formar un grupo propio en el Congreso". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Podemos forma un grupo confederal sin los diputados de Compromís". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Madrid. 19 January 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  28. ^ Mármol, Iolanda; Pascual, Roger (13 May 2016). "En Comú Podem cierra su fórmula para tener grupo propio". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  29. ^ "En Comú Podem renuncia a pedir grupo propio en el Congreso". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 26 July 2016. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  30. ^ "Podemos volverá a intentar que los comunes y el resto de sus confluencias tengan grupo propio". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Madrid. Europa Press. 4 November 2018. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
  31. ^ Marcos, Ana (26 September 2019). "Más País y Equo llegan a un preacuerdo para presentarse en diez provincias". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 26 September 2019.
  32. ^ "Equo Catalunya se desmarca de Errejón y se declara fiel a los comunes". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 27 September 2019. Retrieved 10 July 2020.
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