Andalusia’s Road to Autonomy

The Spanish Constitution of 1978 established a new structure that enabled the self-government of nationalities and regions. Andalusia decided to shape its powerful identity politically as a nationality marked by history, culture, and tradition.

The Archivo General de Andalucía (General Archive of Andalusia) houses an important part of the written memory of that process, which was only just beginning.

The first steps

Even before the Constitution was ratified, the beginnings of the government structure needed to make headway on the road to autonomy were already in place, although it had no actual power.

In that session, 10 executive councils were established, along with their distribution amongst the political groups that made up the Council at the time.

The composition of the committees of transferral between the Provincial Councils and the Regional Government, and between the Central Government and Regional Government, was also determined.

It was agreed that a committee would be established to draft the Internal Rules and Regulations of the Regional Government, and that the Provincial Councils would be asked to make offices available to members of the Council in the provinces in which they would reside.

The proceedings were closed with the signatures of the President and the Secretary General.

Pacto Autonómico Andaluz (Andalusian Autonomy Pact)

A personal initiative of Plácido Fernández Viagas, the Autonomy Pact was signed in Antequera just one year after December 4, 1977, when around two million people protested throughout Andalusia demanding autonomy.

The document sets out the following proposals to the political parties:

In the first proposal, the political parties commit to drive and develop efforts to procure autonomy for Andalusia.

In the second proposal, the political parties commit to further the initiative for the process of autonomy, within the Andalusian Regional Government and using appropriate constitutional means.

They shall support specific initiatives in the courts for the procurement of autonomy for Andalusia, as well as supporting the project on the Statute of Autonomy created by the Regional Government, and advocating for its ratification.

This second proposal also specifies that the political parties must "support, in the scope of the principle of solidarity, the legislative and governmental processes aimed at eliminating the economic and social differences that exist between Andalusia and other nationalities and regions of Spain."

The third proposal states that there will be more prompt support for the process of transferring powers.

The people who signed the pact were: José Rodríguez de la Borbolla (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party-Socialist Party of Andalusia); José Rodríguez Alcaide (Union of the Democratic Center); Fernando Soto (Communist Party of Spain); Miguel Sánchez Cañete (People's Alliance); Alejandro Rojas-Marcos (Socialist Party of Andalusia); Isidoro Moreno (Workers' Party of Andalusia); Manuel López Portillo (Andalusian Christian Democracy); Fernando Giménez Girón (Democratic Left); Pedro Ruíz Berdejo (Social Reform for Andalusia); Juan Ceada Infante (Workers' Revolutionary Organization); and José Lorca Navarrete (Liberal Citizens Action).

The referendum that allowed Andalusians to decide their political future took place on February 28, 1980.

The date of February 28 has been engraved in the collective memory of the entire region and has officially been named Andalusia Day.

The statute of carmona

Having overcome the obstacles to autonomy, the final committee responsible for producing the Draft Statute was established on December 4, 1980. The document was called the Statute of Carmona, because the men who drafted it met in the state-run hotel there.

This photograph captures them taking a break from their work. They are, from left to right: Javier Pérez Royo (Communist Party of Spain); Juan Carlos Aguilar (Socialist Party of Andalusia); José Rodríguez de la Borbolla (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party); Carlos Rosado and Pedro Luis Serrera (Union of the Democratic Center); and Miguel Ángel Pino and Ángel López (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party).

The referendum on the statute of autonomy

Once the legal and political barriers were overcome, Andalusians were finally called to the polls to vote on the statute on October 20, 1981.

The affirmative vote of Andalusians in the 1981 referendum on the Statute of Autonomy marked the end of the pre-autonomous era. It was the start of a process that began with the first elections to the Parliament of Andalusia on May 23, 1982, and continues to this day.

This poster's slogan refers to Article 1 of the approved statute, which defines Andalusia as an “Autonomous Community within the framework of the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation.”