Left Bloc for National Liberation

Political party in Spain

Left Bloc for National Liberation (Catalan: Bloc d'Esquerra d'Alliberament Nacional, BEAN) was a coalition and, later, political party in Catalonia and Valencia, Spain. BEAN was an independentist and socialist party, that defended a Socialist Federal Republic of the Catalan Countries.[1]

History

Formed in 1979 as a coalition between the Catalan Workers Bloc (BCT)[2] and the Socialist Party of National Liberation (PSAN), along with some independents, like Lluís Maria Xirinacs. In the local elections of that year the coalition gained 19 town councillors and 2 mayors (Arbúcies and Sant Pere de Ribes[3]). In the city of Barcelona the Bloc withdrew the candidacy, supporting the PSUC and the Socialists' Party of Catalonia.[4] In the general elections of the same year the coalition obtained 46,962 votes for Congreso de los Diputados in Catalonia (1.59%) and 9,620 votes (0.51%) in the Valencian Country. For Senate BEAN supported the successful independent candidacy of Lluís Maria Xirinacs in Barcelona.

In 1980, after the departure of PSAN and POUM, the coalition became a party. In the Catalan autonomic elections of that year BEAN only obtained 14,077 votes (0.52%), failing to gain any seat. The party disappeared in 1982, with many of its members joining either Left Nationalists or the Movement for Defence of the Land.[5]

References

  1. ^ «Bloc d'Esquerra d'Alliberament Nacional». L'Enciclopèdia.cat.
  2. ^ BCT www.marxists.org
  3. ^ In Sant Pere the coalition was known as Unitat Municipal 9.
  4. ^ El Bloc d'Esquerra se retira en Barcelona y recomienda el voto a PSC y PSUC.
  5. ^ Del BEAN, NE i la Crida a l'MDT i Terra Lliure (1978-1988). L'independentisme sociològic emergeix.