National Democracy (Spain)

National Democracy (Spanish: Democracia Nacional, DN) is a far-right[3] political party in Spain, founded in 1995. It is modelled on the National Rally (RN) of France, and grew indirectly out of several defunct parties like the Spanish Circle of Friends of Europe (CEDADE) group and Juntas Españolas. Until 2018, its leader was Manuel Canduela Serrano, a former member of Acción Radical, a group active in the Valencian Community. He was also a vocalist in the so-called "identity" rock group Division 250.[4] The party's current leader is Pedro Chaparro.

National Democracy
Democracia Nacional
LeaderLuis Mateos
Founded1995
HeadquartersPeña Francia Street, 13, Valladolid
Youth wingDemocracia Nacional Joven
IdeologySpanish nationalism
Right-wing populism[1]
Hard Euroscepticism
Anti-globalism
Nouvelle Droite[2]
Political positionFar-right
National affiliationADÑ–Spanish Identity
European affiliationAlliance for Peace and Freedom
Party flag
Website
democracianacional.org

In the 2004 general election, the party got 15,180 votes throughout Spain, amounting to 0.06% of the total vote. In the 2008 general election, it got 12,588 votes, amounting to 0.05% of the vote. That dropped to 0.01% of the vote in the 2011 general election, with 1,876 votes.

In 2007 the party gained three town councillors: two in Tardajos and one in Herradón de Pinares. In Tardajos it governed with the People's Party. In the 2011 local elections, one town councillor was elected under the DN banner in Tardajos. In the 2015 local elections, the DN lost the seat in Tardajos but gained a new town councillor in Cuenca de Campos, which it lost in 2019.[5]

History

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National Democracy rally, 2014.
 
Manuel Canduela, who led of the party, in 2011

The party was formed in January 1995 by members of the far-right groups CEDADE and the Juntas Españolas. CEDADE had been a neo-Nazi group led by the prominent fascist figure and Nazi collaborator Léon Degrelle. The Juntas Españolas had been a far-right party, which attempted to copy the image and strategy of the French National Front.[6]

The party's first president was Juan Enrique Peligro Robledo. Later, Manuel Canduela, a founding member of the neo-Nazi musical group Division 250, became président in 2004. He had previously directed the party's youth wing, the Democracia Nacional Joven.

In July 2013, the ND joined forces with La Falange, Alianza Nacional, Nudo Patriota Español and the Spanish Catholic Movement in the La España en Marcha initiative; that year, on Catalonia's national day, members of those parties staged altercations at the Blanquerna Cultural Center of Catalonia to protest Catalan independence.[7]

The party was a founding member of the far-right European political party, the Alliance for Peace and Freedom, which was founded in 2015 with other members including Forza Nuova and the National Democratic Party of Germany.

In 2019, National Democracy formed an electoral coalition, ADÑ Identidad Española, with FE-JONS, Spanish Alternative and La Falange to contend in the 2019 European Parliament election in Spain.[8]

Ideology

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The party has been described by Spanish political observers as far-right,[9] adopting many of the features of the Nouvelle Droite movement.[10] The party espouses anti-immigration rhetoric and xenophobia directed towards non-Spanish citizens. In territorial politics, it defends the unity of Spain, is staunchly nationalist and opposes Catalan independence.[11] The party is eurosceptic and supports the dissolution of the European Union.[citation needed]

Elections results

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Congress of Deputies and Senate

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Election Congress of Deputies Senate Rank Government Leader
Votes % ±pp Seats won +/− Seats won +/−
2000 9,562 0.04%  
0 / 470
±0 #33 No seats Manuel Canduela Serrano
2004 15,180 0.06%  
0 / 470
±0 #27 No seats Manuel Canduela Serrano
2008 12,836 0.05%   0.01
0 / 472
  0 #29 No seats Manuel Canduela Serrano
2011 1,867 0.01%   0.4
0 / 473
  0 #38 No seats Manuel Canduela Serrano
2015 1,704 0.01%
0 / 350
  0
0 / 207
  0 #35 No seats Manuel Canduela Serrano

European Parliament

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Election year # of total votes % of overall vote Rank # of seats won
1999[12][13] 8,053   0.04%   31  
0 / 12
2004[14][15] 6,314   0.04%   17  
0 / 12
2009[16][17] 9,950   0.06%   20  
0 / 12
2014[18][19] 13,079   0.08%   27  
0 / 12
2019[20] Within ADÑ – Spanish Identity.
0 / 54

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Büttner, Frauke (2011). "Right-wing extremism in Spain: Between parliamentary right-wing extremism in Spain: Between parliamentary insignificance, far-right populism and racist violence" (PDF). Is Europe on the "right" path: Right-wing extremism and right-wing populism in Europe. (coordinado por Nora Langenbacher y Britta Schellenberg). p. 185. ISBN 978-3-86872-617-6. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2019-04-18.
  2. ^ Casals, Xavier (1995). Neonazis en España: De las audiciones wagnerianas a los skinheads (1966-1995). ISBN 9788425328046.
  3. ^ Romero, Juanma Los 10.000 hijos de la ultraderecha 18 November 2007 Público, 54 http://www.publico.es/estaticos/pdf/18112007.pdf[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ "Division 250 music, videos, stats, and photos". Archived from the original on 2011-05-23. Retrieved 2010-09-26.
  5. ^ Local election results - 2019 Archived 2019-05-31 at the Wayback Machine. El País.
  6. ^ "ABC MADRID 02-10-1984 página 21 - Archivo ABC". 19 August 2019. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  7. ^ "Los ultras de Blanquerna, al habla con Amanecer Dorado para copiar su éxito". 14 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2019-04-16. Retrieved 2019-06-06.
  8. ^ Congostrina, Alfonso L. (12 October 2018). "La ultraderecha anuncia otro partido para concurrir a las europeas". El País. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
  9. ^ Lagenbacher, Nora (2011). Is Europe on the "Right" Path? Right-wing extremism and right-wing populism in Europe (PDF). Nora Langenbacher and Britta Schellenberg. ISBN 978-3-86872-617-6. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2018-10-05. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  10. ^ Casals, Xavier (1995). Neonazis en España: De las audiciones wagnerianas a los skinheads (1966-1995). Grijalbo. ISBN 9788425328046.
  11. ^ Mammone, Andrea; Godin, Emmanuel; Jenkins, Brian (2012). Mapping the Extreme Right in Contemporary Europe: From Local to Transnational. Routledge. ISBN 9780415502641.
  12. ^ "Electoral Results Consultation. European Parliament. June 1999. National totals". infoelectoral.mir.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on 12 March 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  13. ^ "European election 13 June 1999". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Archived from the original on 3 September 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  14. ^ "Electoral Results Consultation. European Parliament. June 2004. National totals". infoelectoral.mir.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on 9 April 2019. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  15. ^ "European election 13 June 2004". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Archived from the original on 16 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  16. ^ "Electoral Results Consultation. European Parliament. June 2009. National totals". infoelectoral.mir.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  17. ^ "European election 7 June 2009". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Electoral Results Consultation. European Parliament. May 2014. National totals". infoelectoral.mir.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  19. ^ "European election 25 May 2014". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Archived from the original on 24 September 2017. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  20. ^ Resultados Elecciones Europeas 2019 de España - RTVE.es (in Spanish), archived from the original on 2020-05-27, retrieved 2019-08-05
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