Editing Politics of Spain (section)

===The nationality debate===
{{See also|Nationalities and regions of Spain|Political divisions of Spain#Decentralisation model|Nation state|label2=Territorial model of Spain}}
[[File:060218 ERC.jpg|thumb|Demonstration led by [[Republican Left of Catalonia|Republican Left Party of Catalonia]] in favor of using the term "nation" to define Catalonia in its Statute of Autonomy]]
Spanish political developments since the early twentieth century have been marked by the existence of [[peripheral nationalism]]s and the debate of whether Spain can be viewed as a [[plurinationalism|plurinational federation]]. Spain is a diverse country with different and contrasting [[polity|polities]] showing varying economic and social structures, as well as different languages and historical, political and cultural traditions.<ref name=villar>{{cite web|url=http://www.stormingmedia.us/46/4624/A462453.html|last=Villar|first=Fernando P.|title=Nationalism in Spain: Is It a Danger to National Integrity?|publisher=Storming Media, Pentagon Reports|date=June 1998|access-date=3 February 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130927225951/http://www.stormingmedia.us/46/4624/A462453.html|archive-date=27 September 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name=shabad>{{cite journal|title=Language, Nationalism and Political Conflict in Spain|journal = Comparative Politics|volume = 14|issue = 4|pages = 443–477|last1=Shabad|first1=Goldie|last2=Gunther|first2=Richard|publisher=Comparative Politics Vol 14 No. 4|date=July 1982|jstor = 421632|doi = 10.2307/421632}}</ref> Peripheral nationalist movements have been present mainly in the [[Basque Country (autonomous community)|Basque Country]], [[Catalonia]] and [[Galicia (Spain)|Galicia]], some advocating for a special recognition of their "national identity" within the Spanish nation and others for their right of [[self-determination]] or independence.

The Constituent Assembly in 1978 struck a deliberately ambiguous and imprecise{{sfn|Casanova|Gil Andrés|2014|p=314,315}} balance between the opposing views of [[centralism]], inherited from Franco's regime, and those who viewed Spain as a "nation of nations". In the second article, the constitution recognizes the Spanish nation as the common and indivisible homeland of all Spaniards, while guaranteeing the right of autonomy of the [[nationalities and regions of Spain|nationalities and regions]] of which it is composed. In practice, and as it began to be used in Spanish jurisprudence, the term "nationalities" makes reference to those regions or autonomous communities with a strong historically constituted sense of identity or a recognized historical cultural identity,<ref name=rae>{{cite web |url=http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/SrvltConsulta?TIPO_BUS=3&LEMA=nacionalidad |title=Nacionalidad |publisher=[[Real Academia Española]] |access-date=28 January 2012}}</ref><ref name=geocurrents>{{cite web|url=http://geocurrents.info/geopolitics/the-nation-nationalities-and-autonomous-regions-in-spain|title=The Nation, Nationalities, and Autonomous Regions in Spain|last=Lewis|first=Martin W|publisher=GeoCurrents. Map-Illustrated Analyses of Current Events and Geographical Issues|date=1 September 2010|access-date=29 January 2012}}</ref> as part of the indivisible Spanish nation. This recognition, and the process of devolution within the [[Political divisions of Spain#Decentralisation model|''State of Autonomies'']] has legitimised the idea of the Spanish State among the "nationalities", and many of its citizens feel content within the current status quo.<ref name=conversi>{{cite web|url=http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/conversi/smooth.pdf|last=Conversi|first=Daniele|title=The Smooth Transition: Spain's 1978 Constitution and the Nationalities Question|publisher=Carfax Publishing, Inc.|work=National Identities, Vol 4, No. 3|year=2002|access-date=28 January 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080511172945/http://easyweb.easynet.co.uk/conversi/smooth.pdf|archive-date=11 May 2008}}</ref>

However since 1982, the PSOE pursued policies to temper enthusiasm for further devolution and instead sought to harmonise the powers devolved to all autonomous communities. This was interpreted as the re-imposition of centralist control from Madrid by the 'historic nationalities' particularly after a landmark ruling of the Constitutional Court upheld the prerogative of the central government to use [[Organic Law (Spain)|Basic Laws]] to encroach upon devolved jurisdictional powers to promote and protect 'the national interest' of the Spanish state.{{sfn|Anderson|2020|pp=4,5}}

Thus tensions between peripheral nationalism and centralism continue, with some nationalist parties still advocating for a recognition of the other 'nations' of the Spanish Kingdom or for a peaceful process towards self-determination. The [[2014 Catalan self-determination referendum]] resulted in a vote of 80.76% for independence, with a turnout percentage of 37.0%, and it was supported by five political parties.