Democratic Convergence of Catalonia - Ideology and Policies

Ideology and Policies

CDC is usually considered as Catalan nationalist party; this is also the term it uses to describe itself. Both the Spanish and Catalan media perceive it as a moderate nationalist force. However, CDC has a current which advocated Catalan independence from Spain. This current has grown stronger after 2006. The main exponents of the independentist current within CDC are Felip Puig, Oriol Pujol, David Madí, and Àngel Colom. The party's president Artur Mas has stated he would vote in favor of Catalan independence in a theoretical referendum of independence, but he added this would not be his official policy if elected as President of Catalonia.

In economic issues, CDC takes a liberal stance, defending a favourable business environment. However, it also supports welfare policies, and it's generally considered more pro-welfare than the People's Party, the major liberal conservative party elsewhere in Spain. The party's founder, Jordi Pujol, was strongly influenced by the Swedish welfare model, and tries to apply some of its features in Catalonia in the 1980s. However, by the late 1990s, a younger party leadership moved closer to Neo-liberal stances.

In social issues, CDC tends to be more socially liberal than its coalition partner, UDC. In the past decade, CDC has supported gay marriage, stem cell research and the extension of abortion rights. In these issues, CDC has been closer to the Spanish left than to the right. It was also one of the three parties that voted for the Ban on bullfighting in Catalonia (the other two were the Catalan Republican Left and the Greens).