1999 Madrilenian regional election

Election in the Spanish region of Madrid From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A regional election was held in the Community of Madrid on 13 June 1999 to elect the 5th Assembly of the autonomous community. All 102 seats in the Assembly were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all across Spain, as well as the 1999 European Parliament election.

Registered4,281,075 Increase 3.7%
Turnout2,606,325 (60.9%)
Decrease 9.5 pp
Quick facts All 102 seats in the Assembly of Madrid 52 seats needed for a majority, Registered ...
1999 Madrilenian regional election
← 1995
13 June 1999
2003 (May) →
All 102 seats in the Assembly of Madrid
52 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered4,281,075 Increase 3.7%
Turnout2,606,325 (60.9%)
Decrease 9.5 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Cristina Almeida Ángel Pérez
Party PP PSOE–p IU
Leader since 8 February 1987 15 May 1998 24 February 1993
Last election 54 seats, 51.0% 32 seats, 29.7% 17 seats, 16.0%
Seats won 55 39 8
Seat change Increase 1 Increase 7 Decrease 9
Popular vote 1,324,596 944,819 199,488
Percentage 51.1% 36.4% 7.7%
Swing Increase 0.1 pp Increase 6.7 pp Decrease 8.3 pp
President before election

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
PP

 Elected President

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
PP

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While the People's Party (PP) of Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón was widely expected to win a second term and expand its absolute majority in the Assembly of Madrid—with opinion polls predicting a comfortable victory with as many as 59 seats—its gains ended up being minimal. The extremely low turnout, one of the lowest in a regional election, benefitted the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) instead, which saw a strong performance as a result at the expense of the United Left (IU), which lost half of its votes and seats.[1]

Overview

Under the 1983 Statute of Autonomy, the Assembly of Madrid was the unicameral legislature of the homonymous autonomous community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to grant or withdraw confidence from a regional president.[2] The electoral and procedural rules were supplemented by national law provisions.[3]

Date

The term of the Assembly of Madrid expired four years after the date of its previous ordinary election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years, but a 1998 amendment allowed for regional elections held in May 1995 to be held concurrently with European Parliament elections, provided that they were scheduled for within a four month-timespan. The election decree was required to be issued no later than 54 days before the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (BOCM).[4] The previous election was held on 28 May 1995, setting the date for election day concurrently with that year's European Parliament election on 13 June 1999.

The regional president had the prerogative to dissolve the Assembly of Madrid at any given time and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election had been called and that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or during the last year of parliament before its planned expiration, nor before one year after a previous one.[5] In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Assembly was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.[6] Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances did not alter the date of the chamber's next ordinary election, with elected lawmakers serving the remainder of its original four-year term.[7]

The election to the Assembly of Madrid was officially called on 20 April 1999 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOCM, setting election day for 13 June and scheduling for the chamber to reconvene on 30 June.[8]

Electoral system

Voting for the Assembly was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Community of Madrid and with full political rights, provided that they had not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence, nor were legally incapacitated.[9]

The Assembly of Madrid had one seat per 50,000 inhabitants or fraction above 25,000. All were elected in a single multi-member constituency—corresponding to the autonomous community's territory—using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) regionally.[10] As a result of the aforementioned allocation, the Assembly was entitled to 102 seats, based on the official population figures resulting from the latest revision of the municipal register (as of 1 January 1998).[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]

Outgoing parliament

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of the election call.[13]

More information Groups, Parties ...
Parliamentary composition in April 1999
Groups Parties Legislators
Seats Total
People's Parliamentary Group PP 54 54
Socialist Parliamentary Group PSOE 32 32
United Left Parliamentary Group IU 16 16
Mixed Parliamentary Group PDNI 1[a] 1
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Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, alliances and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least 0.5 percent of the electorate in the Community of Madrid, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list.[15]

Below is a list of the main parties and alliances which contested the election:

More information Candidacy, Parties and alliances ...
Candidacy Parties and
alliances		 Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Vote % Seats
PP
List
 Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Conservatism
Christian democracy		 51.0% 54 Yes
PSOE–p
List
 Cristina Almeida Social democracy 29.7% 32 No [16]
[17]
IU
List
 Ángel Pérez Socialism
Communism		 16.0% 17 No
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Opinion polls

The tables below list opinion polling results in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a poll.

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; 52 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Assembly of Madrid.

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

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

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

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

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

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Community of Madrid.

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

Overall

More information Parties and alliances, Popular vote ...
← Summary of the 13 June 1999 Assembly of Madrid election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 1,324,59651.07+0.09 55+1
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party–Progressives (PSOE–p) 944,81936.43+6.71 39+7
United Left (IU) 199,4887.69−8.34 8−9
The Greens (LV) 17,7930.69New 0±0
The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV) 15,5970.60−0.13 0±0
Centrist Union–Democratic and Social Centre (UC–CDS) 8,3790.32New 0±0
The Phalanx (FE) 3,8100.15New 0±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) 3,1090.12+0.05 0±0
Spanish Democratic Party (PADE) 2,6860.10New 0±0
Union Community of Madrid (UCMA) 2,5320.10New 0±0
Humanist Party (PH) 2,4920.10+0.04 0±0
Independent Spanish Phalanx (FEI) 2,3490.09+0.05 0±0
Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM) 2,0420.08−0.03 0±0
Citizen Unity (UC) 1,7780.07±0.00 0±0
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC) 1,5530.06New 0±0
Red–Green Party (PRV) 1,4320.06New 0±0
Party of El Bierzo (PB) 1,4150.05New 0±0
Natural Law Party (PLN) 1,3930.05New 0±0
Federal Progressives (PF) 9880.04New 0±0
Independent Regional Unity (URI) 9030.03−0.03 0±0
Blank ballots 54,3412.10+0.76
Total 2,593,495 102−1
Valid votes 2,593,49599.51−0.11
Invalid votes 12,8300.49+0.11
Votes cast / turnout 2,606,32560.88−9.51
Abstentions 1,674,75039.12+9.51
Registered voters 4,281,075
Sources[13][18]
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Popular vote
PP
 
 51.07%
PSOE–p
 
 36.43%
IU
 
 7.69%
Others
 
 2.71%
Blank ballots
 
 2.10%
Seats
PP
 
 53.92%
PSOE–p
 
 38.24%
IU
 
 7.84%

Elected legislators

The following table lists the elected legislators sorted by order of election.[18]

More information Elected legislators, # ...
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Aftermath

Government formation

More information Ballot →, 7 July 1999 ...
Investiture
Nomination of Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (PP)
Ballot → 7 July 1999
Required majority → 52 out of 102 checkY
Yes
  • • PP (55)
55 / 102
No
46 / 102
Abstentions
0 / 102
Absentees
1 / 102
Sources[13][19]
Close

Notes

  1. [a]
    José Luis Nieto, former IU legislator.[14]
  2. [b]
    Undecided and/or abstentionists excluded.
  3. [c]
    Does not include non-resident citizens.

References

Bibliography

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