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Together for Yes Junts pel Sí
Abbreviation	JxSí
Leader	Raül Romeva, Carme Forcadell, Muriel Casals, Artur Mas, Oriol Junqueras
Founded	20 July 2015 (2015-07-20)
Dissolved	28 October 2017 (2017-10-28)
Preceded by	Convergence and Union Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes
Succeeded by	Together for Catalonia Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes
Headquarters	C/ Còrsega, 333 08037, Barcelona
Ideology	Catalan independence
Political position	Big tent
Colors	Turquoise   Purple   Red   Yellow
Members	See list of members
Website
www.juntspelsi.cat
Politics of Catalonia Political parties Elections

Junts pel Sí (IPA: [ˈʒuns pəl ˈsi]; English: "Together for Yes", sometimes translated as "Together for the Yes"; JxSí) was a Catalan electoral, political and parliamentary alliance focused on achieving the independence of Catalonia from Spain. Established ahead of the 2015 Catalan regional election, it was formed by Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), Democrats of Catalonia (DC), Left Movement (MES) and Independence Rally (RI.cat), as well as a number of independent personalities from pro-independence sectors of civil society, including the pro-independence organizations Catalan National Assembly, Òmnium and the Association of Municipalities for Independence. The Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) had been invited to participate in the alliance, but refused to do so and ran on its own instead, citing its disagreement with the presence of politicians in the list.

The constituent parties of JxSí formed a minority government after the 2015 election with confidence and supply support from the CUP, and it was responsible for organising the 2017 Catalan independence referendum and overseeing the subsequent constitutional crisis that it sparked. On 4 November 2017, ERC chose not to renew the alliance with the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT)—CDC's successor—for the 2017 Catalan regional election, having conditioned such event on it having been joined by the CUP, DC and disaffected members from Catalunya en Comú, a hypothesis which did not materialize.

History

Background

Prospects for the establishment of a unitary electoral list comprising the major pro-Catalan independence forces kicked off following the events of 2012, namely the 11 September independence demonstration in Barcelona, the 25 November regional election and the subsequent confidence and supply agreement between Convergence and Union (CiU)—the party federation comprising Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)—and Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) following Catalan president Artur Mas's failure to secure an extended parliamentary majority in the election. Throughout 2013, CiU and ERC considered forming an electoral alliance of parties supporting self-determination for the 2014 European Parliament election, a proposal that also received the support of minor parties such as Ernest Maragall's New Catalan Left (NECat). The list did not materialize because of its rejection by Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) and the reluctance of ERC and UDC.

The issue of the unitary list rose up again in 2014, being proposed by CDC within the context of the self-determination vote on 9 November and discussions about holding a "plebiscitary" regional election at some point during the next year. The idea was rejected by ERC and the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), who demanded a snap election, but President Mas replied by pressuring them into a national unity candidacy as a necessary condition for calling an early election. Mas attempted to look for independents from the civil society to incorporate into his electoral list, allegedly as part of his pro-independence plan, in what came to be regarded as an attempt to dilute the CDC/CiU brand after the damage caused to it by the unveiling of major corruption scandals affecting the party, particularly those involving former president and CDC founder Jordi Pujol.

Contacts were established by both CDC and ERC with the pro-independence civil organizations Catalan National Assembly (or ANC) and Òmnium to probe their willingness to have their members join their candidacies ahead of such a plebiscitary election. Some media outlets and political actors also attributed CDC's insistence on the joint list proposal to "Mas's fears of losing re-election" to ERC, amid opinion polling showing both parties vying for victory in an eventual regional election; these rumours were cast off by CDC members defending that Mas was "not afraid" of running on his own, but that his plan still contemplated the establishment of such an electoral alliance with him at its helm. On the other hand, ERC advocated for all pro-independence parties agreeing on a common election manifesto and maintaining separate electoral lists but under a common umbrella, such as using the electoral formulas ERC–Ara es l'hora and CiU–Ara es l'hora (Catalan for "Now is the time").

Finally on 14 January 2015, Mas announced that he had reached an agreement with ERC to hold a "plebiscitary" election on 27 September—turned into an alternative vote on independence—with parties supporting self-determination including independence as a goal in their manifestos and with the issue of the unitary list still up.

CiU breakup and negotiations

In the lead up to the 27 September election, tensions heightened between CDC and UDC over their stances on Catalan independence, which the former favoured and the latter opposed, as well as on the issue of the unitary list with ERC, to which UDC had never voiced support. As a result, UDC announced that it would hold a vote among its membership following the May 2015 local elections on whether it should keep supporting Mas's independence plan, intending to strengthen its negotiating position and force CDC to slow down its independentist drift. The vote was held on 14 June, resulting in a narrow 51–46 win for the "No" choice supported by the UDC leadership which weakened its position, leading to CDC issuing an ultimatum to UDC to commit itself to the independence plan. UDC's rejection led his members stepping down from Mas's cabinet, as well as to the breakup of the historical CiU alliance which had dominated Catalan politics since the 1980s. Concurrently, UDC's stance would lead to a schism within its ranks, seeing the foundation of Democrats of Catalonia (DC) by UDC members supportive of independence.

The termination of the CiU federation allowed Mas to fully embrace his plan of forming a unitary list ahead of the September election, concerned on the weakening of the CDC brand after the CiU's negative results in the May local elections had seen it losing control of Barcelona to Podemos's supported Ada Colau and her Barcelona en Comú platform. He engaged in talks with ANC and Òmnium to pressure ERC into finally accepting the alliance, which he proposed would not be topped by him but would rather see the leaders of the civil entities comprising the leading posts in the candidacy's lists. However, the ANC and Òmnium pushed for an independent list without politicians, a proposal which was well-received by the CUP—which announced their willingness to support such an electoral ticket on the condition that a "constituent election" was held within few months—and subsequently supported by ERC in an attempt to outmaneuver CDC and to put Mas's plan on jeopardy, who did not foresee an electoral list which he was not a member of.

After long negotiations, a CDC–ERC agreement was finally announced on 13 July for a list comprising both politicians and independents from civil society. The agreement, subsequently approved by the leaderships of both parties, provided that the main list for the Barcelona constituency would be led by three independent personalities—former ICV member and MEP Raül Romeva, former ANC president Carme Forcadell and Òmnium chairwoman Muriel Casals—followed by Artur Mas and Oriol Junqueras. Both CDC and ERC agreed that they would distribute politician-reserved posts among themselves at a 60–40 ratio, respectively, with the agreement also providing for Mas to remain the alliance's choice for president, even though he would not be topping the electoral ticket as a result of the power balance achieved by the parties during the negotiations. Places were also reserved in the list for DC and Left Movement (MES), as well as for other pro-independence organizations—such as the Association of Municipalities for Independence—and non-party personalities. The final agreement, as well as former ICV Romeva's pick up to top the list, were said to have been motivated out of opinion polls showing a strong performance by both Podemos and Citizens in the 27 September election. The CUP eventually chose to run separately after its proposal for an independent-only had fallen out of favour. The candidacy was publicly presented on 20 July 2015, and its name revealed to be Junts pel Sí (English: "Together for Yes").

Composition

Electoral performance

Parliament of Catalonia

Parliament of Catalonia
Election	Votes	%	#	Seats	+/–	Leading candidate	Status in legislature
2015	1,628,714	39.59%	1st	62 / 135	9	Artur Mas	Minority

Symbols

• Teal logo.
• Purple logo.
• Red logo.
• Yellow logo.

Notes

1. Compared to the combined totals of Convergence and Union and Republican Left of Catalonia–Catalonia Yes in the 2012 regional election.

References

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2. Nordsieck, Wolfram (2017). "Catalonia/Spain". Parties and Elections in Europe. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021.
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4. Nordsieck, Wolfram (15 May 2020). Parties and Elections in Europe: Parliamentary Elections and Governments Since 1945, European Parliament Elections, Political Orientation and History of Parties. BoD – Books on Demand. p. 646. ISBN 978-3-7504-8134-3.
5. Closa, Carlos (7 September 2017). Secession from a Member State and Withdrawal from the European Union: Troubled Membership. Cambridge University Press. p. 142. ISBN 9781107172197.
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29. Gil del Olmo, Clara; Ríos, Pere (14 January 2015). "Mas gana el pulso a ERC y convoca elecciones para el 27 de septiembre". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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31. Pi, Jaume (22 January 2013). "Máxima tensión entre CDC y UDC". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
32. "Duran carga contra CDC por plantear plebiscitarias con una lista unitaria y por hacer seguidismo de la ANC y Òmnium". Crónica Global (in Spanish). 17 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
33. "Homs niega "tensión" entre CDC y UDC en el Govern". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
34. Fernández, Antonio (2 February 2015). "Unió, dispuesta a romper con Convergència si Mas no reduce la hoja de ruta con ERC". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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38. Noguer, Miquel (15 June 2015). "Mas da tres días a Duran para que decida si apoya la independencia". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
39. Noguer, Miquel (17 June 2015). "Unió sale del Gobierno de Mas como rechazo al plan de independencia". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 3 February 2020.
40. Oms, Javier (18 June 2015). "CiU se desintegra: 'El proyecto político de la federación se ha acabado'". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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49. "La CUP avalaría una lista sin políticos si se convocan después "elecciones constituyentes"". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 7 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
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51. Puente, Arturo (10 July 2015). "La propuesta de la 'lista civil' independentista pone a Mas contra las cuerdas". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
52. "ERC defiende que la lista sin políticos refuerza a Mas y pide cerrar un acuerdo esta semana". eldiario.es (in Spanish). Europa Press. 13 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
53. "Mas desconvoca la cumbre de partidos y entidades independentistas del viernes por la tarde". 20 minutos (in Spanish). Europa Press. 9 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
54. "Rull y Junqueras anuncian un principio de acuerdo Convergència-ERC sobre la lista unitaria". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 13 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
55. "El Consell Nacional de ERC ratifica la lista unitaria con CDC por asentimiento". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
56. "Raül Romeva, Forcadell y Casals encabezarán la lista de Mas del 27-S". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. 15 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
57. "CDC y ERC se reparten candidatos al 60-40 y prevén reelegir a Artur Mas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. EFE. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
58. Masreal, Fidel (24 July 2015). "El Govern y ERC desautorizan a Romeva para blindar a Mas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
59. "MES donarà suport a la candidatura Junts pel Sí el 27-S". Ara (in Catalan). Barcelona. Europa Press. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
60. Sorolla, José Antonio (16 July 2015). "Una lista contra podemos y las encuestas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 July 2020.
61. "CDC y ERC pactan la lista al 60 y 40% e investirán a Mas". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Agencias. 14 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.
62. "La lista unitaria soberanista se presentará como Junts pel Sí". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Agencias. 20 July 2015. Retrieved 11 July 2020.

External links

• Junts pel Sí on Twitter
• Junts pel Sí on Facebook
• Junts pel Sí on Instagram

v t e Catalan nationalism and independence movement
Events	¡Cu-Cut! incident 1918-1919 autonomy campaign Plot of Prats de Molló Catalan Republic (1931) Events of 6 October Operation Garzón Fresno Case 2009–2011 independence referendums support 2010 autonomy protest 2012 independence demonstration 2013 Catalan Way 2014 Catalan Way 2014 self-determination referendum 2015 Free Way 2016 We are ready 2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis 2017 National Day for Yes 2017 Yes Campaign 2017 Operation Anubis 2017 independence referendum reactions 2017 Catalan general strike 2017 Wake Up Europe! 2017 Catalan regional election 2019 trial of independence leaders 2019–2020 protests 2019 Catalan general strike
Concepts	Catalan Countries Principality of Catalonia Republican Generalitat Anti-Catalan sentiment Federalism
Documents	Bases de Manresa (1892) Draft Constitution of the Catalan Republic (1928) Declaration of Sovereignty (23 Jan 2013) White Paper on the National Transition of Catalonia (Sep 2014) Initiation of the Process of Independence (9 Nov 2015) Let Catalans Vote (May 2017) Law on the Referendum on Self-determination (6 Sep 2017) Law of juridical transition (8 Sep 2017) Catalan declaration of independence (10/27 Oct 2017)
People	Valentí Almirall Enric Prat de la Riba Josep Puig i Cadafalch Francesc Macià Lluís Companys Joan Comorera Josep Irla Josep Tarradellas Jordi Pujol Guillem Agulló Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira Artur Mas Oriol Junqueras Muriel Casals Carme Forcadell Jordi Sànchez Jordi Cuixart Carles Puigdemont Roger Torrent Anna Gabriel Quim Torra Elisenda Paluzie Pere Aragonès Lluís Llach
Organisations	Pro-independence Association of Municipalities for Independence Assemblea Nacional Catalana Òmnium Cultural Committees for the Defense of the Republic Estat Català Socialist Party of National Liberation† Catalan European Democratic Party† Republican Left of Catalonia Sobiranistes Junts per Catalunya DC MES Popular Unity Candidacy Endavant Poble Lliure Més per Mallorca PSM Més per Menorca PSMe Catalan Solidarity for Independence Reagrupament Republican Left of the Valencian Country Democratic Tsunami Catalan Alliance Autonomist and federalist Assembly of Catalonia† Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia† Democratic Convergence of Catalonia† Catalonia in Common Proposta per les Illes Youth Young Republican Left of Catalonia Nationalist Youth of Catalonia Arran La Forja Maulets†
Sign † marks defunct organisations.

• 2015 establishments in Catalonia
• 2017 disestablishments in Catalonia
• Defunct political party alliances in Spain
• Defunct political parties in Catalonia
• Political parties established in 2015
• Political parties disestablished in 2017