Andorra Marks 33rd Constitution Anniversary with Roundtable on 1989-1992 Origins

The General Council hosted a roundtable on Thursday evening in its lobby to kick off commemorations for the 33rd anniversary of Andorra's 1993 Constitution. Titled "The Constituent Process of Andorra: The First Steps (1989-1992)," the event drew on memories from key figures in the lead-up to the constitutional referendum on 14 March 1993.

Political scientist Yvan Lara moderated the 90-minute discussion, organised alongside GESCO, the group of former syndics and general councillors. Participants included Albert Gelabert, syndic general in that legislature after succeeding the ailing Josep Maria Beal; Josep Dallerès, then minister of Education, Culture and Youth; Jordi Mas, a general councillor and former Encamp consul; and Vicenç Mateu, government's technical general secretary. Ton Cerqueda, Andorra la Vella's minor consul from 1984 to 1991, could not attend due to health reasons.

Panellists dissected the institutional frustrations of the pre-constitutional era, starting with debates in the 1970s. Dallerès noted that reform talks intensified around 1976-1977, when councillors Òscar Ribas and Enric París were tasked with drafting proposals—up to six of which were rejected amid divisions. The 1981 "Reformeta" drew sharp criticism for failing to curb the coprinces' dominance over Council decisions or ease restrictions on the executive, then called the Consell Executiu.

Tensions peaked in the fragmented 1989-1992 legislature, marked by daily political battles, coprince disagreements, rifts with the Permanent Delegation, and growing veguers' influence over police and justice. Mas pointed to Andorrans' own lack of unity as amplifying coprince power, while Mateu recalled bypassing decrees, like one for the sometent, due to their overreach. Parish groups pushed constitutions in 1989 platforms, but fragmentation stalled action.

Catalysts included public protests invading Casa de la Vall, operational gridlock—such as councillors blocking sessions over personal fines—and external pressures. A 1986 hotel robbery in Andorra, involving a Barcelona jeweller, led to arrests of a Czech and a Spanish-Czech man who appealed to the European Court of Human Rights, exposing judicial weaknesses and prompting Council of Europe scrutiny, including protests against Josep Pintat. François Mitterrand's shift transferred Andorran matters from the Quai d'Orsay to the Élysée, pressuring the immobilist Episcopal coprince.

Gelabert, brought in as an external syndic from La Massana, oversaw the Council's self-dissolution in January 1992 amid public pressure, paving the way for elections where constitutionalists triumphed. The 28 new councillors, praised for sidelining partisan fights, drove the process to the 1993 referendum.

Gelabert reflected that today's party politics make such unity hard: "It's very difficult because there's a big difference: today there are parties and parties politicise everything." He emphasised this as his personal opinion. Mas evoked the era's collective pull toward agreement.