The Popular Unity Candidacy (Catalan: Candidatura d'Unitat Popular, CUP) is a left-wing pro-Catalan independence political party active in the Catalan Countries. The CUP has traditionally concentrated on municipal politics, and is made up of a series of autonomous candidatures that run in local elections. Its presence is strongest in Catalonia proper.In 2012, the CUP decided for the first time to run for Catalan parliamentary elections, gaining 3 MPs out of 135.