Socialist Party of Majorca

Socialist Party of Majorca
Partit Socialista de Mallorca
General Secretary Biel Barceló Milta
Founded 1976
Headquarters C/Isidoro Antillón, nº 9, baixos, 07006 - Palma de Mallorca
Ideology Democratic socialism
Green politics
Catalan nationalism
Regional affiliation More for Majorca
European affiliation European Free Alliance
Parliament of the Balearic Islands (Mallorcan seats)
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Island Council of Mallorca
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Website
www.psm-entesa.cat

The Socialist Party of Majorca (Catalan: Partit Socialista de Mallorca, (PSM); IPA: [pərˈtit sosiəˈɫistə ðə məˈʎɔrcə]) is a political party in Majorca, Spain. The PSM defines itself as socialist, environmentalist, and Catalan nationalist, from a Majorcan point of view.

Ideology

It advocates the self-determination and the freedom of the Balearic Islands, with social justice, to increase the identity and the self-government of the archipelago. It also calls for a closer relationship with the other Catalan Countries, now forbidden to be achieved in a confederation of three Spanish autonomous communities by the Spanish constitution(art.145). Therefore, its political ascription is a Majorcan political party, regionalist or progressive-stateless nationalist, environmental, socialist and democratic.

History

PSM emerged from a split in the Socialist Party of the Islands in December 1977. Unlike most of the other Spanish socialist parties, PSM refused to join the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE).

In 1989 it strengthened an alliance with other progressive and nationalist parties of Minorca and Ibiza, Partit Socialista de Menorca (Socialist Party of Minorca) and l'Entesa Nacionalista Ecologista de Eivissa (Environmental and Nacionalist Agreement of Ibiza), gathering together other local progressive and nationalist parties. The name of the alliance was PSM-Entesa Nacionalista (PSM-Nationalist Agreement). Its representation in the autonomous parliament was between 7% and 15% of the votes.[1]

Usually as an opposition party, PSM belonged in the Majorca Government from 1995 until 2003 and from 2007 until 2011, and in the Balearic Islands Government from 1999 until 2003 and from 2007 until 2011. In both governments, with other progressive Spanish parties.[1]

In the 2004 Spanish general elections, PSM was in a coalition in the Balearic Islands electoral district with United Left-Esquerra Unida, Balearic Islands' Green Party-Els Verds de les Illes Balears, and Republican Left of Catalonia, as the Balearic Island's Progressive coalition (Progressistes per les Illes Balears) This coalition obtained 40,289 votes (12%). However, no representation in the Spanish central parliament was obtained.

In 2007, this coalition was enlarged, making up the new coalition "Majorca's Bloc" (Bloc per Mallorca) with the same allies of the former Balearic Island's Progressive coalition. The coalition got 4 MPs (14%) in the Balearic Parliament (2 of them PSM). After negotiations, PSM and the other Bloc's parties, decided to enter in the autonomous government, with PSOE and Majorcan Union (liberal regionalists), leaving the People's Party (conservatives) in the opposition.[1]

In 2008, the party decided to change their allies for the Spanish general elections. Its allies were then Majorcan Union, Republican Left of Catalonia and Entesa per Mallorca (former PSM members). The coalition United Left-Esquerra Unida refused to include them in its electoral lists. However 29% of the members wanted to follow the former alliance with Esquerra Unida and the Green Party. Most of them were members of the PSM-Left Nationalist Youth (Joves d'Esquerra Nacionalista-PSM). With less than 30,000 votes, no representation in the Spanish central parliament was obtained.

In 2011, the Bloc broke and the party decided to form an electoral coalition with IniciativaVerds (a new party formed by the Green party and former United Left members) and Entesa per Mallorca (former PSM members) for the autonomic elections. The coalition got 36,149 votes and 4 seats at the Parliament. Later that year, the coalition was enlarged by the addition of the new Spanish-wide ecologist party EQUO and participated at the general election of that year. The coalition managed to get 31,378 votes, just 10,000 votes lesser than the minimum needed to get a seat at the Congress of Deputies.

In 2008, PSM became a full member of the European Free Alliance (EFA).

PSM-Balearic Government candidates

Congress of Deputies candidates

References

  1. 1 2 3 Balearic Islands election results, Historiaelectoral.com accessed 18 April 2011
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