Jump to bottom

Contents




Other countries · Atlas
 Politics portal
view • talk • edit

Elections in Spain gives information on election and election results in Spain.

On the national level, Spain directly elects a legislature, the Cortes Generales (literally: General Courts), which consist of two chambers, the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) and the Senate (Senado). The Congress and Senate serve concurrent terms that run for a maximum of four years.

Electoral system

Evolution of popular vote in the Spanish General Elections from the democratic transition until 2008. Voter turnout is usually high.

Congress of Deputies

The Congress has 350 members, elected from each province for a maximum four-year term following the d'Hondt method of proportional representation. While the constitution allows limited flexibility in determining this system, it has not changed since the return of democracy.

Seats are allocated as follows: Two seats are given to each of the 50 provinces and one each to Ceuta and Melilla, and the remaining 248 are then allocated proportionally to population. In practice, this system overrepresents smaller provinces, and results in very low proportionality in all but the most populous such as Madrid and Barcelona. Additionally, since there are so many constituencies (52), most are relatively small. This effectively increases the legal 3% threshold to obtain seats in a constituency, radically decreases proportionality, and favors the two large parties and parties with concentrated regional strength, at the expense of national third parties.

Senate

The system for electing the Senate was first used in 1979, though with regard to the provinces the system is unchanged since 1977. Senators are elected directly from the provinces and indirectly from the autonomous communities; currently, there are 259 senators, 208 directly elected and 51 indirectly elected.

In the provinces, a majoritarian partial block voting system is used. All peninsular provinces elect four senators each; the insular provinces (Balearic and Canary Islands) elect two or three senators per island, and Ceuta and Melilla elect two senators each. Parties nominate three candidates; each voter has three votes (less in those constituencies electing fewer senators), and votes for candidates by name, the only instance of personal voting in Spanish national elections. The usual outcome is three senators for the party with the most votes, and one senator for the runner-up, except in very close races.

The autonomous communities receive one senator, plus one for each million inhabitants. They are entitled to determine how they choose their senators, but generally they are elected by the legislature of the respective community in proportion to its party composition.

Latest election

Main article: Spanish general election, 2008

2008 Congress election

[discuss] – [edit]
Summary of the 9 March 2008 Congress of Deputies election results Parties and alliances Votes % Change Seats Change
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) 11,288,698 43.87 +1.28 169 +5
People's Party (Partido Popular) 10,277,809 39.94 +2.22 154 +6
United Left (Izquierda Unida) 969,871 3.77 -1.19 2 -3
Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió) 779,425 3.03 –0.20 10 ±0
Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea) 306,128 1.19 –0.44 6 –1
Union, Progress and Democracy (Unión, Progreso y Democracia) 306,078 1.19 — 1 +1
Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) 298,139 1.16 –1.36 3 –5
Galician Nationalist Bloc (Bloque Nacionalista Galego) 212,543 0.83 +0.02 2 ±0
Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria) 174,629 0.68 –0.23 2 –1
Navarre Yes (Nafarroa Bai) 62,398 0.24 ±0.0 1 ±0
Basque Solidarity (Eusko Alkartasuna) 50,371 0.20 –0.12 0 –1
Aragonese Union (Chunta Aragonesista) 38,202 0.15 –0.22 0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de España) 20,030 0.08 +0.03 0 +0
Ciudadanos en Blanco 14,193 0.06 -0.10 0 +0
Falange Española de las JONS 14,023 0.06 +0.01 0 +0
Democracia Nacional 12,836 0.05 -0.01 0 +0
Els Verds-L'Alternativa Ecologista 12,561 0.05 -0.07 0 +0
Family and Life (Familia y Vida) 9,882 0.04 -0.03 0 +0
Humanist Party (Partido Humanista) 9,056 0.04 -0.05 0 +0
Partido de Almeria 8,451 0.03 - 0 +0
Els Verdes-Los Verdes 7,824 0.03 - 0 +0
Representacion Cannabica Navarra 7,769 0.03 - 0 +0
Partido Obrero Socialista Internacionalista 7,386 0.03 -0.00 0 +0
Alternativa Española 7,300 0.03 - 0 +0
España 2000 6,906 0.03 +0.01 0 +0
Partit Republica Catala 6,746 0.03 - 0 +0
Coalicio Valenciana 5,424 0.02 - 0 +0
Ei Escons Inbubmisos-Alternativa Dels Democrates D 5,035 0.02 - 0 +0
Tierra Comunera 4,796 0.02 - 0 +0
Authentic Falange (Falange Auténtica) 4,607 0.02 +0.00 0 +0
Leonese People's Union (Unión del Pueblo Leonés) 4,509 0.02 -0.04 0 +0
Solidaridad y Autogestion Internacionalista 3,885 0.02 - 0 +0
Alternativa Motor y Deportes 3,829 0.01 - 0 +0
Partido de los Pensionista en Accion 3,050 0.01 - 0 +0
Izquierda Republicana (Republican Left) 2,899 0.01 -0.06 0 +0
Partido Riojano 2,837 0.01 - 0 +0
Alianza Nacional 2,737 0.01 - 0 +0
Alternativa en Blanco 2,460 0.01 - 0 +0
Extremadura Unida 2,346 0.01 -0.01 0 +0
Els Verds-Alternativa Verda 2,028 0.01 +0.00 0 +0
Partido Carlista 1,956 0.01 +0.00 0 +0
Partit per Catalunya 1,919 0.01 - 0 +0
Partido de los No-Fumadores 1,616 0.01 - 0 +0
Union por Leganes 1,566 0.01 - 0 +0
Frente Español 1,539 0.01 - 0 +0
Centro Democratico Liberal 1,503 0.01 - 0 +0
Opcio Nacionalista Valenciana 1,490 0.01 - 0 +0
Centro Democratico Social 1,362 0.01 - 0 +0
Andecha Astur 1,299 0.01 -0.0 0 +0
Partido Regionalista del Pais Leones 1,278 0.0 - 0 +0
Centro Democratico Español 1,047 0.0 - 0 +0
Alternativa Nacionalista Canaria 1,017 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido de las Libertades Civiles 888 0.0 - 0 +0
Unida 848 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Liberal del Empleo y la Vivienda Estatal 786 0.0 - 0 +0
Lucha Internacionalista 722 0.0 +0.0 0 +0
Unidad del Pueblo 699 0.0 - 0 +0
Per la Republica Valenciana 645 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Centristas 509 0.0 - 0 +0
Movimiento por la Unidad del Pueblo Canario 497 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Ciudadanos Unidos de Aragon 475 0.0 - 0 +0
Union Ciudadana Progresistas Independientes de Can 464 0.0 - 0 +0
Identitat Regne de Valencia 449 0.0 - 0 +0
Unidad Regionalista de Castilla y Leon 423 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Unionista Estado de España 414 0.0 - 0 +0
Gentes de El Bierzo 385 0.0 - 0 +0
Partit Illenc de Ses Illes Balears 360 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Positivista Cristiano 300 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Comunion Tradicionalista Carlista 218 0.0 - 0 +0
Convergencia Democratica Asturiana 216 0.0 - 0 +0
Iniciativa Merindades de Castilla 202 0.0 - 0 +0
Unidad Castellana 198 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Partido de Alianza Iberoamericana Europea 174 0.0 - 0 +0
Coalicio Treballadors per la Democracia 159 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Partido Regionalista de Guadalajara 152 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Aliança Balear 145 0.0 - 0 +0
Asamblea de Votacion Electronica 144 0.0 - 0 +0
Union Centrista Liberal 124 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Alianza por Burgos 123 0.0 - 0 +0
Iniciativa Ciudadana Burgalesa 109 0.0 - 0 +0
Nosaltres Som 105 0.0 - 0 +0
Independentes por Cuenca 100 0.0 - 0 +0
Agrupacion Ciudadana 79 0.0 - 0 +0
Movimiento Falangista de España 69 0.0 - 0 +0
Total (turnout %)   350 0[1]
Source: Spanish Interior Ministry election results database

2008 Senate election

[discuss] – [edit]
Summary of the 9 March 2008 Senate of Spain election results Parties and alliances Seats Change
People's Party (Partido Popular) 101 –1
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) 88 +7
Entesa Catalana de Progrés 12 ±0
Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea) 2 –4
Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió) 4 ±0
Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria) 1 –2
Members appointed by the regional legislatures 56 +5[2]
Total (turnout  %) 264 +5
Source: Spanish Interior Ministry election results database

Past elections and Referendums

v • d • e
Flag of Spain Spanish general elections
1931 · 1933 · 1936 · 1977 · 1979 · 1982 · 1986 · 1989 · 1993 · 1996 · 2000 · 2004 · 2008
   
Main | Help | Report problem