Elections to the Catalan Parliament 2012-2017: An accelerated process of electoral realignment?

Abstract

The article analyzes the dynamics of electoral competition that take place in Catalonia between 2012 and 2017. The objective is to validate the hypothesis that the Catalan party system changes its logic of competition as a result of an electoral realignment process. The electoral behavior guidelines and the structure of the party system in Catalonia are reviewed from the first elections after the recovery of the Generalitat (1980) until 2017. Also, the most relevant studies on the matter are reviewed. Since 2012, partisan fragmentation and competition have increased. It has gone from being centripetal to centrifugal. At the same time, the dispute around the national matter has been imposed on the ideological axis.  The analytical framework used is that of electoral realignment and the methodology is the diachronic comparison based on a dense case description. In the conclusions, it is stated that an accelerated electoral realignment process has been carried out in Catalonia. The six elements indicated by the literature appear in the case: a large electoral participation, the appearance of conflicts in the nomination of candidates, the emergence of "third" parties, the increase in volatility, the appearance of new issues of conflict and an increase of political-ideological polarization.