Convergence and Union

Convergence and Union (Catalan: Convergència i Unió, CiU; ) is a centre-right electoral alliance in Catalonia, Spain. CiU is technically a federation of two constituent parties, the larger Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and its smaller counterpart, the Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC). It is currently led by Artur Mas, who is the current President of the Catalan Government.

CiU is a Catalan nationalist party. It is usually seen as a moderate nationalist party, both in Catalonia and in the rest of Spain. Depending on the observer it is regarded as either conservative or centrist. Still, liberal leanings may be found in the larger CDC, while Union is a Christian democratic party. As for its position in the nationalist debate, it is deliberately ambiguous so as to appeal to the broadest spectrum possible, from voters who seek full independence from Spain to those who are generally satisfied with the present self-government status. In general, the CDC tends to be more supportive of Catalan sovereignty, while the UDC is considered closer to traditional Catalan autonomism and more nuanced nationalism. Its leader, Mas, recently declared that he did not support full independence from Spain.

In the most recent regional elections, held on 28 November 2010, CiU won by 38.5% of the vote. It gained 14 seats in the Catalan Parliament, which brought them to a total of 62 deputies. While they hold more than twice as many seats as any other party, they are still 6 seats short of a majority in the 135 member body. Although they have stated the determination to rule without a formal coalition, in certain issues they seek external support from other political parties, especially Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and People's Party (PPC).