Origins and formation The
Galician People's Union (UPG) and the
Galician Socialist Party (PSG), left-wing Galician nationalist parties, were founded in the early 1960s by
anti-Francoist activists. In 1975 the
Galician National-Popular Assembly (AN-PG) was founded, as a "mass front" of the UPG to organize protests and preparate a future electoral candidacy. In 1977 the UPG and the AN-PG created the
Galician National-Popular Bloc (BN-PG), that run for the
first democratic elections since 1936. In October 1981, the first
elections for the
Parliament of Galicia were held. These elections were won by the conservative and Spanish
People's Alliance, while the Galician nationalist parties had a relatively low electoral result. The three MPs of the joint BN-PG and PSG list were expelled from Parliament after they refused to take the oath to the
Spanish constitution. The UPG and the AN-PG agreed in early 1982 to reformulate their project, in the form a left-wing nationalist front that would cover a greater political spectrum, with different currents and parties inside it. The first meeting was held on 15 May, with the participation of AN-PG, UPG, PSG, Galiza Ceibe-OLN, Assembly of Galician Nationalists, Libertarian Collective "Arco da Vella" and independents of
Santiago de Compostela and
A Coruña. All this organizations and independents had signed an appeal for the unity of
Galician nationalism; under the basic principles of recognition of the multinational character of the Spanish State, right of
self-determination,
anti-imperialism,
self-governance, self-organization, internal pluralism and democracy. This meeting would lead to the establishment of a Permanent National Managing Commission, with 22 members. In addition to the previous groups,
Galician Revolutionary Students (ERGA), Nationalist Advance and independents of
Vigo and
O Condado would also join the new project. In spite of the unity, there were great ideological and tactical differences between the different parties. PSG gave great importance to the unity of nationalist trade-unionism and to participating in the institutions. on the other hand, Galiza Ceibe-OLN defended an active boycott of all the elections and a full rupture with the constitutional system. Nationalist Advance defended that the new organization should reject all laws and seek full
national
independence. At a meeting held on 27 June the political program of the organization was approved, without explicitly mentioning
independence, although the creation of a Galician state was considered the main final goal. The new organization also wanted to balance institutional presence and social mobilization, to better defend the "popular and national interests". In subsequent meetings, local and regional assemblies were established. Those assemblies discussed the document adopted before the celebration of the founding Assembly. On 11 July, the Assembly of Galician Nationalists (ANG) decided to leave the Permanent Managing Commission, on the grounds that the new front was at the service of the individual parties and lacked a serious minimum political program. Despite this, ANG members continued to work individually on the creation of the new front.
1st National Assembly (1982–1984) On 25 and 26 September 1982, the founding assembly took place on the Fronton Municipal of Riazor,
A Coruña. This new force was defined as "interclassist", seeking to defend all the Galician "popular classes". The
Estreleira was chosen as the official flag, and (after a very close voting) "Galician Nationalist Bloc" was chosen as the new name. This assembly also approved the five basic principles of BNG: 1. Galiza [Galicia], as a nation, has the rights of
self-determination and of exercising its
national
sovereignty. 2. Defense of
democracy and popular interests. 3. The need for political and social self-organization, and
non-dependency in the relations of Galiza. 4. Solidarity,
anti-imperialism, peace and international disarmament. 5. A social model that promotes the socioeconomic development without
dependence and on behalf of the welfare of the whole people. Finally, AN-PG (which will cease to exist de facto after this Assembly), UPG, PSG and various independents joined the front. Galiza Ceibe-OLN decide to leave after the Assembly decided that to participate in all elections, while the Libertarian Collective "Arco da Vella" also left due to their disagreement with the name and part of the political line. In the
general elections of 1982, the BNG (still a coalition between the BN-PG and the PSG, since the new front had not yet been registered) gained 38,522 votes and no seats. These election results generated an internal debate within the PSG, which lead to an extraordinary Congress in January 1983, in which the party decided to leave the BNG. Despite this, a large group of members of the PSG split and continued to work inside the BNG with the name
Socialist Collective (CS). In 1984 the PSG merged with
Galician Left (EG), to create a new party:
Galician Socialist Party–Galician Left (PSG-EG). The
National Day of Galicia of 1983, the BNG called for a demonstration in Santiago de Compostela, attended by between 7,000 (according to the
Spanish Police) and 15,000 (according to the BNG) people, with the main slogans of "Nationalism: the solution for Galicia" and "Unity in the Anti-imperialist Struggle". The demonstration was dissolved by the police, leaving various protesters injured. In the
Galician elections of 1985, the front only gained one seat (occupied by
Xosé Manuel Beiras). This time, the MP was allowed to take the seat in exchange for "promising" to comply with the constitution (but not taking the Oath).
Extraordinary National Assembly (1985–1987) The bad electoral results culminated in an internal debate which ended with the convening of an extraordinary National Assembly, held at Santiago on 15 December. BNG ratified its political tactic of accepting the Parliamentary requirement of accepting the constitution. This led to some new internal tensions, particularly inside the UPG. In 1986 this tensions culminates in a split in the UPG, with the more radical sector forming a new political group: Collective 22 March. This collective would create a new organization in July, the
Communist Party of National Liberation (PCLN), an independentist and communist party. The PCLN would remain within the BNG, despite not agreeing with its new political line. The same year (1986) the
Spanish NATO membership referendum took place, and the Galician Nationalist Bloc campaigned in favor of leaving. Remaining would have won in Spain and in Galicia. In the
Spanish elections of 1986 BNG gained 27,049 votes (2.11 of the Galician vote) and no seats. The same year, the party boycotted the official acts of remembrance of the
1936 statute of autonomy, demanding
self-determination and an end to "historical manipulation". The BNG also campaigned against the entry of Galicia in the
European Economic Community.
3rd National Assembly (1987–1989) On 7 and 8 February 1987 the III National Assembly took place at
O Carballiño. Party members approved the mechanisms that allowed the "updating" of the tactics and forms of political work of the front, by starting the process of opening the BNG to Galician society. The party also chose a new corporate image. The party tried to form a unitary Galician nationalist candidacy to the
European elections of that year, but the talks failed. BNG then rejected a coalition offer made by
Herri Batasuna, and decided to run alone, gaining 53,116 votes. The PCLN was expelled from the BNG for supporting Herri Batasuna in the election campaign, instead of its own list. After their expulsion, PCLN would create (along with
Galiza Ceibe-OLN and local groups) the
Galician People's Front (FPG). Later, on the same year,
local elections were held, with the front obtaining 61,256 votes, 139 local councilors and 7 mayors (
Corcubión,
Carnota,
Noia,
Ares,
Fene,
Ribadeo and
Malpica de Bergantiños). In July 1988,
Galiza Nova, a new
youth organization, is founded, fully becoming part of the BNG. Galiza Nova replaced
Galician Revolutionary Students (ERGA) as its youth-wing. The front celebrated the National Day of Galicia of that year with a demonstration (attended by 10,000 people) with the slogan "Common project", that wanted to summarize the renewed political line of the 3rd National Assembly. Due to the wave of forest fires that inundated Galicia that year, the BNG boosted, along with several environmentalist associations and groups, the first in Galicia, in order to defend the Galician forests.
4th National Assembly (1987–1989) The 4th National Assembly of the organization took place in February 1989 in
Lugo. The discussions focused on setting a political strategy to answer the economic crisis that was affecting Galicia at the time.
Xosé Manuel Beiras was elected as the candidate for the
presidency of Galicia. In the
Galician elections of 1989 BNG gained 105,703 votes and 5 MPs. The
Galician Nationalist Party–Galicianist Party (PNG-PG) and FPG failed in their attempt to get representation.
Galician Socialist Party–Galician Left (PSG-EG) obtained two seats. In June of the same year, the
second European elections in the history of Spain were held, with the BNG running alone again, as the only Galician candidacy, and gaining 46,052 votes. In October,
general elections were held, with the BNG gaining 47,763 and failing to win any seat again. In 1989, there was a popular movement of protest in the town of
Allariz, against the mayor Leopoldo Pérez Camba (
People's Party), which evolved into a full revolt and ended with the resignation of the local government. After the resignation,
Anxo Quintana, a BNG local councilor, was elected as the mayor of the town. Since then, Allariz has been the main stronghold of the BNG (which has won all local elections since 1993 with more than the 60% of the vote). In June 1990, the Permanent Commission made public an economic document, with an analysis on the crisis of Galicia and the solutions to it proposed by the front. In July, the BNG held a common march in
Santiago de Compostela with the PNG-PG.
5th National Assembly (1991–1993) In January 1991, the V National Assembly was held in
Vigo.
Galiza Nova was fully integrated into the structures of the front. BNG developed an intense campaign that year with the slogan "Galiza self-determination", which culminated on 6 December with a rally in
Santiago de Compostela attended by more than 10,000 people. Later on that same year,
Inzar and
PNG-PG joined BNG.
Local elections of 1991 In May 1991,
local elections were held. BNG ran in 162
municipalities (out of 311), getting 107,932 votes, 8 mayors (
Allariz,
Malpica de Bergantiños,
Noia,
Corcubión,
Vilar de Santos,
Ribadeo,
Fene, and
Carnota) and 241 town councilors. In 1992, the front supported and actively participated in the national general strike on 2 April. During that year, the front also campaigned against the
Maastricht Treaty and a group of independents within BNG created the collective
Nationalist Left (IN), in an attempt to gain internal power and to lower the influence of the
Galician People's Union.
6th National Assembly (1993–1995) The 6th National Assembly was held in March 1993 at
A Coruña, with no relevant changes. BNG run for the
Spanish elections of 1993 with the slogan "Galiza with its own strength", obtaining 126,965 votes and getting very close to gaining seats at
A Coruña and
Pontevedra. Later in the same year, BNG participated in an international conference in
Denmark of parties and individuals that opposed the
Maastricht Treaty. In the
Galician elections of October, the front gained 269,233 votes and 13 seats.
Galician Unity, the old PSG-EG, would also join BNG after his electoral failures of that year. In the
European elections of 1994 the front won a record 139,221 votes, but failed again to gain any seats. This positive electoral trend would continue in the
local elections of 1995, in which the Bloc obtained 208,098 votes, 428 local councillors and 12 mayors (
Allariz,
Vilar de Santos,
Fene,
Corcubión,
As Pontes de García Rodríguez,
Cangas do Morrazo,
Noia,
Vilariño de Conso,
Moaña,
Bueu,
Poio and
Rairiz de Veiga) The increasing unity of
Galician nationalism in the political arena also had consequences in other sectors. One of those sectors were unionism, were the old unions
National Inter-Union of the Galician Workers (INTG) (aligned with the
Galician People's Union-BNG) and
General Confederation of Galician Workers (CXTG) (aligned with PSG-EG) merged to create
Confederación Intersindical Galega (CIG).
2012 split In 2012, several parties and individuals abandoned the front, dissatisfied with its political line and the control exercised by the UPG.
Encontro Irmandiño abandoned the bloc and joined with
Galician Workers' Front (Fronte Obreira Galega), the
Galician People's Front (FPG),
Movemento pola Base and other collectives to form
Anova-Nationalist Brotherhood. Anova obtained four seats in the
2012 Galician election as part of the
Galician Left Alternative coalition. Anova is a pro-independence,
anti-capitalist,
anti-globalization,
republican and
anti-imperialist organization. Other groups that split were the more moderate social-democratic and autonomist
Máis Galiza,
Nationalist Left and the
Galician Nationalist Party–Galicianist Party (PNG-PG). They formed
Commitment to Galicia (CxG), a
social-democratic and autonomist organization. No CxG deputies were elected at the
2012 Galician election.
Since 2016 In 2016, as part of a self-proclaimed "refoundation" of the party,
Ana Pontón was elected national spokesperson. This marked the first time a woman held such a prominent position within the party. She also serves as the party's candidate as the party's candidate for President of the
Xunta de Galicia in the
2016,
2020, and
2024 regional elections. In each of these elections, the BNG achieved better results than in the previous one, ultimately reaching a historic total of 25 seats, a significant milestone for Galician nationalism.
Ana Pontón has been recognized as a leader who blends nationalism with social issues, practicing an inclusive and moderate leadership style. ==Ideology==