Political parties

To start a political party, the interested organisation has to register with the Ministry of the Interior´s Register of Political Parties.  

The following documentation is required for registration:  

• A notarised act signed by the party’s promoters, expressly stating their personal identification details (name and surnames, tax identification number, address, marital status, profession, etc.).  

• Bylaws by which the political party will be governed.  

Political parties become legal entities 21 days from the day after their registration in the Register.

A group of voters is a group of citizens who constitute a political party solely to present a list of candidatures in a specific and particular election process.

The signatures of at least 1% of the people registered on the electoral roll of the constituency are required to constitute a group of voters. 

The signatures must be authenticated by a notary or by the secretary of the corresponding municipal council. 

Each voter can support only one electoral group.

Gathering signatures to constitute a group of voters can be started on or after 28 October, the date of announcement of elections.

To be a candidate you must be Catalan, be registered in any of the constituencies of Catalonia and not be ineligible for any reason.

The following can submit lists between 12 and 17 November to the provincial electoral commission:  

• Political parties and federations of political parties registered in the Register of Political Parties (*).  

• Coalitions of parties and/or federations wishing to compete with joint lists in the elections and who report this to the provincial electoral commission between 29 October and 7 November. 

They must state: the name of the coalition, the rules governing it and the people who are the heads of its ruling or coordinating bodies.  

• Groups of voters who submit, minimally, the signatures of at least 1% of the people registered on the electoral roll of the constituency. Each voter can support only one electoral group.

 ^(*)The parties, bunds or coalitions that have not obtained representation in Parliament in the previous call for elections will need the signature, at least, of 0.1% of the voters registered on the electoral roll of the constituency for which they intend to elect. No elector can give his signature to more than one candidate.

Lists endorsed by representatives of political parties, bunds and coalitions and by the promoters of Groups of voters must be submitted to the provincial electoral commission concerned between 12 and 17 November.  

The lists of candidatures submitted will be published in the Official State Bulletin (BOE) and the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) on 19 November.  

Once lists have been submitted and published in the DOGC, the provincial electoral commissions will notify, if need be, the representatives of the lists about any irregularities detected in the submission of lists. The representatives will have to remedy these irregularities found by the provincial electoral commissions between 22 and 23 November.  

On 24 November the provincial electoral commission will announce the lists of candidates and they will be published in the BOE and the DOGC on 25 November.

Lists must be submitted in writing, clearly stating:  

• The name.
• The acronym and symbol of the party, federation, coalition or group of voters.
• The full name of the candidates must be included.  

This written declaration must be accompanied by a statement of acceptance of the list and documents certifying the eligibility of the candidates.  

Lists submitted by groups of voters or parties, coalitions or federations that did not win any seats in the previous election must be accompanied by documents proving they have the number of signatures required by law for them to participate in the elections.

Lists must include as many candidates as there are seats to be elected, they can have a maximum of 10 alternates and the order number of candidates and alternates must be stated. 

They should also have a balanced composition of men and women, so that candidates of both sexes make up at least 40% of the entire list and each section of five positions.40%.

No. It is not compulsory to stand for the election in a minimum number of constituencies.

No. Lists cannot be changed once they have been submitted except in the period between 22 and 23 November, set aside for remedying irregularities, and only due to the death or withdrawal of a candidate or alternate or as a result of the amendment procedure.  

Any withdrawals from list made after the announcement of the candidatures will be covered by the successive candidates and, if need be, by the alternates.

On 24 November, the provincial electoral commission will announce the lists of candidates and they will be published in the Official State Bulletin (BOE) and the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC) on 25 November.