1984 Catalan regional election

Date

The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expired four years after the date of its previous ordinary election. The election was required to be called no later than 15 days before the scheduled expiration date of parliament, with election day taking place within 60 days from the call.^[4] The previous election was held on 20 March 1980, which meant that the chamber's term would have expired on 20 March 1984. The election was required to be called no later than 5 March 1984, setting the latest possible date for election day on 4 May 1984.

The Parliament of Catalonia could not be dissolved before the expiration date of parliament, except in the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot. In such a case, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.^[5]

The election to the Parliament of Catalonia was officially called on 5 March 1984 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia (DOGC), setting election day for 29 April.^[6][7]

Electoral system

Voting for the Parliament was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Catalonia and with full political rights.^[8]

The Parliament of Catalonia had a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 150 seats, with electoral provisions fixing its size at 135. All were elected in four multi-member constituencies—corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida and Tarragona, each of which was assigned a fixed number of seats—using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a three percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each constituency.^[9] The use of this electoral method resulted in a higher effective threshold depending on district magnitude and vote distribution.^[10]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Parliament constituency was entitled the following seats:^[11]

The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacant seats; instead, any vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term were filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes.^[12]

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout								EEC		Lead
1984 regional election	29 Apr 1984	—N/a	64.4	46.8 72	30.1 41	5.6 6	–	4.4 5	–	7.7 11	1.2 0	–	16.7
Iope–Etmar/El Periódico[p 1]	12–17 Apr 1984	2,300	66–72	42.3 64	30.6 42	5.3 5	–	6.0 8	–	11.3 16	–	–	11.7
Sofemasa/La Vanguardia[b][p 2][p 3][p 4]	11–13 Apr 1984	2,400	70	44.6 66/68	32.1 44/46	6.4 7/8	–	4.6 6	–	7.2 9/10	2.1 0/1	–	12.5
Metra Seis/El País[p 4][p 5][p 6]	9–12 Apr 1984	2,700	64	36.9 56/58	32.0 43/45	8.6 9/11	–	7.3 9/10	–	9.9 13/14	–	–	4.9
Avui[p 7]	3 Apr 1984	?	?	40.2	23.6	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	16.6
Aresco/ABC[p 8][p 9]	9–12 Mar 1984	2,200	?	41.0 61	29.1 42	6.9 6	–	6.3 6	–	13.9 20	–	–	11.9
Sofemasa/La Vanguardia[b][p 4][p 10][p 11]	21–23 Mar 1984	2,400	?	33.7 51/54	38.8 49/52	8.2 9/11	–	6.2 8/10	–	8.8 12/13	–	–	5.1
1982 general election	28 Oct 1982	—N/a	80.8	22.5 (35)	45.8 (68)	4.6 (5)	2.0 (1)	4.0 (5)	0.2 (0)	14.7 (21)	0.9 (0)	2.0 (0)	23.3
1980 regional election	20 Mar 1980	—N/a	61.3	27.8 43	22.4 33	18.8 25	10.6 18	8.9 14	2.7 2	2.4[a] 0	1.7 0	–	5.4

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Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size								EEC		?	N	Lead
1984 regional election	29 Apr 1984	—N/a	30.0	19.3	3.6	–	2.8	–	4.9	0.8	–	—N/a	35.6	10.7
CIS[p 12][p 13]	23–25 Apr 1984	2,281	38.2	19.7	3.7	–	4.0	–	4.7	–	–	16.0	10.6	18.5
CIS[p 14][p 15]	15 Apr 1984	2,385	28.0	22.4	2.8	–	3.6	–	3.2	–	–	29.2	9.0	5.6
Sofemasa/La Vanguardia[p 3][p 16]	11–13 Apr 1984	2,400	27.9	20.1	4.0	–	2.9	–	4.5	1.3	–	24.8	10.6	7.8
CIS[p 17][p 18]	10 Apr 1984	1,044	28.0	26.0	5.0	–	3.0	–	6.0	–	–	24.0	6.0	2.0
DYM/CIS[p 19][p 20]	1 Apr 1984	2,271	26.5	20.9	3.6	–	2.9	–	3.6	–	–	35.9	4.6	5.6
Sofemasa/La Vanguardia[p 10][p 11]	21–23 Mar 1984	2,400	20.2	23.3	4.9	–	3.7	–	5.3	–	–	31.1	8.9	3.1
CIS[p 21][p 22]	1 Mar 1984	2,466	25.2	22.4	3.9	–	2.7	–	4.2	–	–	33.2	6.5	2.8
Metra Seis/CIS[p 23]	1 Jan 1984	2,101	27.0	22.0	5.0	–	2.0	–	4.0	–	–	31.0	7.0	5.0
CIS[p 24]	1 Nov 1983	1,680	24.0	27.0	5.0	–	4.0	–	6.0	1.0	–	26.0	7.0	3.0
DYM/CIS[p 25]	1 Sep 1983	2,198	19.3	35.7	5.0	–	3.4	–	3.2	0.6	–	22.8	8.7	16.4
1983 local elections	8 May 1983	—N/a	17.0	26.9	7.6	–	1.9	–	6.3	0.1	0.4	—N/a	32.6	9.9
1982 general election	28 Oct 1982	—N/a	17.9	36.5	3.7	1.6	3.2	0.2	11.7	0.7	1.6	—N/a	19.2	18.6
1980 regional election	20 Mar 1980	—N/a	17.0	13.7	11.5	6.5	5.4	1.6	1.4[a]	1.0	–	—N/a	38.7	3.3

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Victory likelihood

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood of victory for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None	?	Lead
CIS[p 12]	23–25 Apr 1984	2,281	70.0	14.1	0.3	0.8	1.0	0.4	13.3	55.9
CIS[p 14]	15 Apr 1984	2,385	41.4	22.0	1.0	0.7	1.9	0.2	32.7	19.4
CIS[p 17]	10 Apr 1984	1,044	42.0	27.0	1.0	1.0	4.0	–	25.0	15.0
DYM/CIS[p 19]	1 Apr 1984	2,271	42.1	22.7	2.2	0.8	2.3	0.2	29.7	19.4
CIS[p 21]	1 Mar 1984	2,466	41.3	19.3	0.9	0.9	2.6	–	35.0	22.0
Metra Seis/CIS[p 23]	1 Jan 1984	2,101	38.0	23.0	2.0	1.0	4.0	–	31.0	15.0
CIS[p 24]	1 Nov 1983	1,680	33.0	33.0	–	–	–	6.0	28.0	Tie
DYM/CIS[p 25]	1 Sep 1983	2,198	28.9	43.9	–	–	–	7.9	19.3	15.0

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Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Government of Catalonia.

More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Pujol CiU	Obiols PSC	Gutiérrez PSUC	Barrera ERC	Bueno CP
CIS[p 12]	23–25 Apr 1984	2,281	51.1	21.1	4.2	6.2	3.3	6.3	7.8	30.0
CIS[p 14]	15 Apr 1984	2,385	40.9	20.5	3.4	4.7	2.5	–	28.1	20.4
Sofemasa/La Vanguardia[p 16]	11–13 Apr 1984	2,400	36.9	25.5	9.1	10.3	6.3	11.9		11.4
Metra Seis/El País[p 6][p 26]	9–12 Apr 1984	2,700	36.1	22.1	7.8	7.8	4.3	21.9		14.0
CIS[p 17]	10 Apr 1984	1,044	37.0	26.0	7.0	4.0	5.0	–	21.0	11.0
DYM/CIS[p 19]	1 Apr 1984	2,271	37.4	18.2	5.0	5.4	3.0	3.6	27.4	19.2
Sofemasa/La Vanguardia[p 11]	21–23 Mar 1984	2,400	30.8	22.0	9.3	8.5	6.5	22.9		8.8
CIS[p 21]	1 Mar 1984	2,466	34.8	16.2	3.2	4.4	3.5	–	37.9	18.6
Metra Seis/CIS[p 23]	1 Jan 1984	2,101	50.0	26.0	–	–	–	–	23.0	24.0
CIS[p 24]	1 Nov 1983	1,680	34.0	19.0	5.0	7.0	3.0	–	32.0	15.0
DYM/CIS[p 25]	1 Sep 1983	2,198	32.1	16.5	6.1	8.7	–	1.5	35.1	15.6

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Overall

More information Parties and alliances, Popular vote ...

← Summary of the 29 April 1984 Parliament of Catalonia election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Convergence and Union (CiU)	1,346,729	46.80	+18.97	72	+29
	Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE)	866,281	30.11	+7.68	41	+8
	People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL)1	221,601	7.70	+5.33	11	+11
	Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC)	160,581	5.58	−13.19	6	−19
	Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)	126,943	4.41	−4.49	5	−9
	Party of the Communists of Catalonia (PCC)2	68,836	2.39	+2.09	0	±0
	Agreement of the Catalan Left (EEC)3	35,937	1.25	−0.41	0	±0
	Spanish Vertex Ecological Development Revindication (VERDE)	8,714	0.30	New	0	±0
	Social Democratic Party of Catalonia (PSDC)	6,768	0.24	New	0	±0
	Workers' Socialist Party (PST)	5,381	0.19	New	0	±0
	Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI)	3,533	0.12	New	0	±0
	Revolutionary Workers' Party of Spain (PORE)	2,694	0.09	New	0	±0
	Communist Workers' Party of Catalonia (PCOC)	2,593	0.09	−0.39	0	±0
	Revolutionary Communist League (LCR)	1,861	0.06	New	0	±0
	Communist Party of Spain (Marxist–Leninist) (PCE (m–l))	1,834	0.06	New	0	±0
	Spanish Democratic Party (PDE)	1,110	0.04	New	0	±0
	Party of Lleida (PLL)	856	0.03	New	0	±0
	Unity of Aran–Aranese Nationalist Party (UA–PNA)	787	0.03	New	0	±0
	Communist Movement of Catalonia (MCC)4	164	0.01	−1.21	0	±0
	Centrists of Catalonia (CC–UCD)	n/a	n/a	−10.61	0	−18
	Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA)	n/a	n/a	−2.66	0	−2
Blank ballots		14,313	0.49	−0.17
Total		2,877,516			135	±0
Valid votes		2,877,516	99.48	−0.02
Invalid votes		14,970	0.52	+0.02
Votes cast / turnout		2,892,486	64.36	+3.02
Abstentions		1,601,854	35.64	−3.02
Registered voters		4,494,340
Sources[14][15] [16]
Footnotes: 1 People's Coalition results are compared to Catalan Solidarity totals in the 1980 election. 2 Party of the Communists of Catalonia results are compared to Communist Unity totals in the 1980 election. 3 Agreement of the Catalan Left results are compared to Left Nationalists totals in the 1980 election. 4 Communist Movement of Catalonia results are compared to Unity for Socialism totals in the 1980 election.

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Distribution by constituency