Elections in Spain

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Spain

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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.

For autonomous communities which hold local elections see Autonomous communities of Spain.

Electoral system

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 264 senators, 208 directly elected and 56 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

2008 Congress election

e • d Summary of the 9 March 2008 Congress of Deputies election results Parties and alliances Contested Provinces (out of 50) Votes % Change Seats Change
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) 50 11,288,698 43.87 +1.28 169 +5
People's Party (Partido Popular) 50 10,277,809 39.94 +2.22 154 +6
United Left (Izquierda Unida) 42 969,871 3.77 -1.19 2 -3
Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió)

• Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya)
• Democratic Union of Catalonia (Unió Democràtica de Catalunya)

4 779,425 3.03 –0.20 10 ±0
Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea) 3 306,128 1.19 –0.44 6 –1
Union, Progress and Democracy (Unión, Progreso y Democracia) 48 306,078 1.19 — 1 +1
Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) 4 298,139 1.16 –1.36 3 –5
Galician Nationalist Bloc (Bloque Nacionalista Galego)

• Union of the Galician People (Unión do Povo Galego)
• Nationalist Left (Esquerda Nacionalista)
• Galician Unity (Unidade Galega)
• Socialist Collective (Colectivo Socialista)
• Inzar
• Galician Nationalist Party–Galeguista Party (Partido Nacionalista Galego–Partido Galeguista)

3 212,543 0.83 +0.02 2 ±0
Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria) 2 174,629 0.68 –0.23 2 –1
Navarre Yes (Nafarroa Bai)

• Basque Solidarity (Eusko Alkartasuna)
• Aralar
• Batzarre
• Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea)

4 62,398 0.24 ±0.0 1 ±0
Basque Solidarity (Eusko Alkartasuna) 2 50,371 0.20 –0.12 0 –1
Aragonese Union (Chunta Aragonesista) 3 38,202 0.15 –0.22 0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de

España)

16 20,030 0.08 +0.03 0 +0
Ciudadanos en Blanco 29 14,193 0.06 -0.10 0 +0
Falange Española de las JONS 10 14,023 0.06 +0.01 0 +0
Democracia Nacional 15 12,836 0.05 -0.01 0 +0
Els Verds-L'Alternativa Ecologista 31 12,561 0.05 -0.07 0 +0
Family and Life (Familia y Vida) 7 9,882 0.04 -0.03 0 +0
Humanist Party (Partido Humanista) 24 9,056 0.04 -0.05 0 +0
Partido de Almeria 1 8,451 0.03 - 0 +0
Els Verdes-Los Verdes 38 7,824 0.03 - 0 +0
Representacion Cannabica Navarra 1 7,769 0.03 - 0 +0
Partido Obrero Socialista Internacionalista 8 7,386 0.03 -0.00 0 +0
Alternativa Española 20 7,300 0.03 - 0 +0
España 2000 11 6,906 0.03 +0.01 0 +0
Partit Republica Catala 3 6,746 0.03 - 0 +0
Coalicio Valenciana 3 5,424 0.02 - 0 +0
Escons Insubmisos-Alternativa dels Democrates Descontents 10 5,035 0.02 - 0 +0
Tierra Comunera 5 4,796 0.02 - 0 +0
Authentic Falange (Falange Auténtica) 8 4,607 0.02 +0.00 0 +0
Leonese People's Union (Unión del Pueblo Leonés) 3 4,509 0.02 -0.04 0 +0
Solidaridad y Autogestión Internacionalista 14 3,885 0.02 - 0 +0
Alternativa Motor y Deportes 17 3,829 0.01 - 0 +0
Partido de los Pensionistas en Acción 9 3,050 0.01 - 0 +0
Izquierda Republicana (Republican Left) 4 2,899 0.01 -0.06 0 +0
Partido Riojano 1 2,837 0.01 - 0 +0
Alianza Nacional 7 2,737 0.01 - 0 +0
Alternativa en Blanco 12 2,460 0.01 - 0 +0
Extremadura Unida 2 2,346 0.01 -0.01 0 +0
Els Verds-Alternativa Verda 22 2,028 0.01 +0.00 0 +0
Partido Carlista 4 1,956 0.01 +0.00 0 +0
Partit per Catalunya 4 1,919 0.01 - 0 +0
Partido de los No-Fumadores 7 1,616 0.01 - 0 +0
Union por Leganes 1 1,566 0.01 - 0 +0
Frente Español 6 1,539 0.01 - 0 +0
Centro Democratico Liberal 21 1,503 0.01 - 0 +0
Opcio Nacionalista Valenciana 3 1,490 0.01 - 0 +0
Centro Democratico Social 17 1,362 0.01 - 0 +0
Andecha Astur 1 1,299 0.01 -0.0 0 +0
Partido Regionalista del País Leonés 1 1,278 0.0 - 0 +0
Centro Democratico Español 4 1,047 0.0 - 0 +0
Alternativa Nacionalista Canaria 2 1,017 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido de las Libertades Civiles 2 888 0.0 - 0 +0
Unida 1 848 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Liberal del Empleo y la Vivienda Estatal 7 786 0.0 - 0 +0
Lucha Internacionalista 10 722 0.0 +0.0 0 +0
Unidad del Pueblo 3 699 0.0 - 0 +0
Per la Republica Valenciana 3 645 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Centristas 1 509 0.0 - 0 +0
Movimiento por la Unidad del Pueblo Canario 2 497 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Ciudadanos Unidos de Aragon 3 475 0.0 - 0 +0
Union Ciudadana Progresistas Independientes de Can 2 464 0.0 - 0 +0
Identitat Regne de Valencia 3 449 0.0 - 0 +0
Unidad Regionalista de Castilla y Leon 9 423 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Unionista Estado de España 6 414 0.0 - 0 +0
Gentes de El Bierzo 1 385 0.0 - 0 +0
Partit Illenc de Ses Illes Balears 1 360 0.0 - 0 +0
Partido Positivista Cristiano 8 300 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Comunion Tradicionalista Carlista 1 218 0.0 - 0 +0
Convergencia Democratica Asturiana 1 216 0.0 - 0 +0
Iniciativa Merindades de Castilla 14 202 0.0 - 0 +0
Unidad Castellana 15 198 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Partido de Alianza Iberoamericana Europea 3 174 0.0 - 0 +0
Coalicio Treballadors per la Democracia 2 159 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Partido Regionalista de Guadalajara 1 152 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Aliança Balear 1 145 0.0 - 0 +0
Asamblea de Votacion Electronica 4 144 0.0 - 0 +0
Union Centrista Liberal 7 124 0.0 -0.0 0 +0
Alianza por Burgos 1 123 0.0 - 0 +0
Iniciativa Ciudadana Burgalesa 1 109 0.0 - 0 +0
Nosaltres Som 6 105 0.0 - 0 +0
Independentes por Cuenca 1 100 0.0 - 0 +0
Agrupacion Ciudadana 2 79 0.0 - 0 +0
Movimiento Falangista de España 1 69 0.0 - 0 +0
Total (turnout 64.6%)   350 0[1]
Source: Spanish Interior Ministry election results database

2008 Senate election

e • d 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

• Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya)
• Socialists' Party of Catalonia (Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya)
• Initiative for Catalonia Greens (Iniciativa per Catalunya Verds)
• United and Alternative Left (Esquerra Unida i Alternativa)

12 ±0
Basque Nationalist Party (Partido Nacionalista Vasco/Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea) 2 –4
Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió)

• Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya)
• Democratic Union of Catalonia (Unió Democràtica de Catalunya)

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