Communist Party of Andalusia


Communist Party of Andalusia is the federation of the Communist Party of Spain in Andalusia.

History

PCA was founded in 1979, as the Andalusian branch of PCE was converted into a regional party. The party supported autonomy for Andalusia, and called for a 'yes'-vote in the 1980 referendum on autonomy. During this phase it worked in cooperation with the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party at the municipal level. At the time, Fernando Soto was the general secretary of PCA.
PCA contested the 1982 Spanish parliamentary election, obtaining 211,456 votes. The party was able to elect one parliamentarian to the Congress of Deputies, from the electoral district of Seville.
In the 1983 municipal elections, at a time when the influence of PCE was decreased across Spain, the Andalusian communists were able to win a decisive victory in the city of Córdoba. This was the sole provincial capital in which the PCE won the post of mayor in these elections. The electoral victory was largely due to the charismatic leadership of the mayoral candidate, Julio Anguita. The fourth congress of PCA, held in January 1984, decided to launch the coalition Convocatoria por Andalucía. Convocatoria por Andalucía would become a model for the statewide United Left which contested the 1986 municipal elections.

Leadership and organization

PCA is led by a Central Committee.
The tenth congress of PCA, held in Matalascañas March 20–21, 2010 elected José Manuel Mariscal as the new general secretary of PCA, replacing José Luis Centella. Juan de Dios Villanueva was elected as vice general secretary.
The twelfth congress of PCA, held in Albolote July 2, 2017 elected Ernesto Alba as the new general secretary of PCA, replacing José Manuel Mariscal.
NamePeriodNotes
1977-1981
Felipe Alcaraz1981–2002
José Luis Centella2002-2010
José Manuel Mariscal2010–2017
Ernesto Alba2017–present