1984 Basque regional election
Election in the Spanish region of the Basque Country
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A regional election was held in the Basque Country on 26 February 1984 to elect the 2nd Parliament of the autonomous community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
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1.9% 8.7 pp | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
26 February 1984
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All 75 seats in the Basque Parliament 38 seats needed for a majority | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 1,584,540 1.9% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 1,085,304 (68.5%) 8.7 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Vote winner strength by constituency | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) won 32 seats, the Socialist Party of the Basque Country (PSE–PSOE) came second with 19 seats, People's Unity (HB) came third with 11 seats, the People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL) won 7 seats, and Basque Country Left (EE) won 6 seats.
Overview
Under the 1979 Statute of Autonomy, the Basque Parliament was the unicameral legislature of the Basque Autonomous Community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to grant or withdraw confidence from a lehendakari.[1] The electoral and procedural rules were supplemented by national law provisions.[2]
Date
The term of the Basque Parliament expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The election decree was required to be published in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country (BOPV) between 36 and 45 days before the scheduled election day.[3] The previous election was held on 9 March 1980, which meant that the chamber's term would have expired on 9 March 1984, setting the latest possible date for election day on 23 April 1984.
Amendments in 1981 granted the lehendakari the prerogative to dissolve the Basque Parliament at any given time and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process.[4] In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a lehendakari within a 60-day period from the Parliament's reconvening, the chamber was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.[5]
The Basque Parliament was officially dissolved on 18 January 1984 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOPV, setting election day for 26 February.[6]
Electoral system
Voting for the Parliament was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Basque Country and with full civil and political rights.[7]
The Basque Parliament had 75 seats. All were elected in three multi-member constituencies—corresponding to the provinces of Álava, Biscay and Guipúzcoa, each of which was assigned a fixed number of 25 seats to provide for an equal parliamentary representation of the three provinces—using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (not including blank ballots)[b] in each constituency.[8]
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.[9]
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; 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Basque Parliament (31 in the 1980 election).
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | PNV |  |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 regional election | 26 Feb 1984 | N/a | 68.5 | 41.8 32 |
14.6 11 |
23.0 19 |
7.9 6 |
– | 9.3 7 |
1.4 0 |
– | 18.8 |
| ECO/CIS[c][p 1] | 20 Feb 1984 | 1,506 | ? | 46.0 | 16.0 | 18.0 | 13.0 | – | 4.0 | 1.0 | – | 28.0 |
| Emopública/El País[c][p 2][p 3][p 4] | 13–16 Feb 1984 | 1,200 | ? | 46.0 39/44 |
13.6 8/12 |
16.6 12/16 |
10.3 7/10 |
– | 1.8 1/2 |
– | – | 29.4 |
| AP[c][p 5] | 30 Jan 1984 | ? | ? | 41.5 | 16.7 | 17.6 | 9.4 | – | 8.3 | – | – | 23.9 |
| PSE–PSOE[p 6] | 21 Jan 1984 | ? | ? | ? 33 |
? 9 |
? 19 |
? 8 |
– | ? 6 |
– | – | ? |
| Basque Government[p 6] | 21 Jan 1984 | ? | ? | ? 36 |
? 8 |
? 17 |
? 9 |
– | ? 4 |
– | – | ? |
| Gabinete Azterka/EE[p 6][p 7] | 3–10 Nov 1983 | 600 | 65 | 35.0 28 |
13.0 10 |
23.0 18 |
10.0 7 |
– | 12.0 10 |
– | – | 12.0 |
| 1983 foral elections | 8 May 1983 | N/a | 64.6 | 39.6 (26) |
14.2 (8) |
26.3 (17) |
7.9 (4) |
– | 8.8 (5) |
2.0 (0) |
0.3 (0) |
13.3 |
| 1982 general election | 28 Oct 1982 | N/a | 79.3 | 31.7 (19) |
14.7 (9) |
29.2 (21) |
7.7 (4) |
[d] | 11.6[e] (7) |
1.8 (0) |
1.8 (0) |
2.5 |
| ICSA–Gallup/Tribuna Vasca[p 8] | 25 Aug 1982 | ? | ? | 36.5 24 |
13.3 8 |
20.3 13 |
13.7 9 |
5.2 4 |
2.4 1 |
2.8 1 |
– | 16.2 |
| 1980 regional election | 9 Mar 1980 | N/a | 59.8 | 38.0 25 |
16.5 11 |
14.2 9 |
9.8 6 |
8.5 6 |
4.8[f] 2 |
4.0 1 |
– | 21.5 |
Voting preferences
The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | PNV | |
|
|
|
|
|
|
 |
 |
Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 regional election | 26 Feb 1984 | N/a | 28.5 | 9.9 | 15.6 | 5.4 | – | 6.3 | 0.9 | – | N/a | 31.5 | 12.9 |
| ECO/CIS[p 1] | 20 Feb 1984 | 1,506 | 33.0 | 13.0 | 12.0 | 8.0 | – | 3.0 | 1.0 | – | 17.0 | 12.0 | 20.0 |
| Emopública/El País[p 2] | 13–16 Feb 1984 | 1,200 | 32.3 | 9.5 | 11.6 | 7.2 | – | 1.3 | – | – | 21.3 | 8.6 | 20.7 |
| CIS[p 9][p 10] | 10 Feb 1984 | 2,900 | 24.4 | 9.3 | 13.5 | 6.2 | – | 3.1 | 1.4 | – | 31.5 | 10.1 | 10.9 |
| AP[p 5] | 30 Jan 1984 | ? | 32.4 | 13.0 | 13.7 | 7.3 | – | 6.5 | – | – | 22.0 | 18.7 | |
| Alef/CIS[p 11][p 12] | 22–30 Jan 1984 | 1,999 | 37.0 | 8.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | – | 1.0 | 1.0 | – | 26.0 | 9.0 | 26.0 |
| ECO/CIS[p 13] | 25–27 Jan 1984 | 1,515 | 32.0 | 9.0 | 11.0 | 8.0 | – | 1.0 | 1.0 | – | 23.0 | 14.0 | 21.0 |
| CIS[p 14] | 1 Nov 1983 | 1,500 | 28.0 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 6.0 | – | 4.0 | 1.0 | – | 26.0 | 13.0 | 15.0 |
| Aryo/CIS[p 15] | 1 Sep 1983 | 3,000 | 28.0 | 8.0 | 17.0 | 6.0 | – | 3.0 | 2.0 | – | 26.0 | 10.0 | 11.0 |
| 1983 foral elections | 8 May 1983 | N/a | 25.2 | 9.1 | 16.8 | 5.0 | – | 5.6 | 1.3 | 0.2 | N/a | 35.4 | 8.4 |
| 1983 local elections | 8 May 1983 | N/a | 25.0 | 8.7 | 16.4 | 4.7 | – | 5.0 | 1.3 | 0.3 | N/a | 35.3 | 8.6 |
| 1982 general election | 28 Oct 1982 | N/a | 24.7 | 11.4 | 22.7 | 6.0 | [d] | 9.0[e] | 1.4 | 1.4 | N/a | 20.7 | 2.0 |
| 1980 regional election | 9 Mar 1980 | N/a | 22.5 | 9.8 | 8.4 | 5.8 | 5.0 | 2.8[f] | 2.4 | – | N/a | 40.2 | 12.7 |
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.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | PNV | |
|
|
|
|
Other/ None |
|
Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CIS[p 9] | 10 Feb 1984 | 2,900 | 56.8 | 2.5 | 12.1 | 0.9 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 26.2 | 44.7 |
| Alef/CIS[p 11] | 22–30 Jan 1984 | 1,999 | 82.0 | – | 6.0 | – | – | – | 1.0 | 10.0 | 76.0 |
| ECO/CIS[p 14] | 1 Nov 1983 | 1,500 | 60.0 | – | 14.0 | – | – | – | 5.0 | 21.0 | 46.0 |
| Aryo/CIS[p 15] | 1 Sep 1983 | 3,000 | 74.0 | – | 13.0 | – | – | – | 2.0 | 12.0 | 61.0 |
Preferred Lehendakari
The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become Lehendakari.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | |
 |
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|
.jpg) |
Other/ None/ Not care |
|
Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garaiko. PNV |
Brouard HB |
Benegas PSE–PSOE |
Onaindia EE |
M. Oreja CP | ||||||
| ECO/CIS[p 1] | 20 Feb 1984 | 1,506 | 41.0 | 9.0 | 13.0 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 17.0 | 9.0 | 28.0 |
| CIS[p 9] | 10 Feb 1984 | 2,900 | 39.5 | – | 20.7 | – | – | – | 39.9 | 18.8 |
| Alef/CIS[p 11] | 22–30 Jan 1984 | 1,999 | 65.0 | – | 16.0 | – | – | – | 18.0 | 49.0 |
| ECO/CIS[p 13] | 25–27 Jan 1984 | 1,515 | 55.0 | – | 14.0 | – | – | 18.0 | 13.0 | 41.0 |
| CIS[p 14] | 1 Nov 1983 | 1,500 | 41.0 | – | 19.0 | – | – | – | 40.0 | 22.0 |
| Aryo/CIS[p 15] | 1 Sep 1983 | 3,000 | 48.0 | – | 19.0 | – | – | – | 35.0 | 29.0 |
Results
Overall
 | ||||||
| Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | ||
| Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 451,178 | 41.81 | +3.86 | 32 | +7 | |
| Socialist Party of the Basque Country (PSE–PSOE) | 247,786 | 22.96 | +8.80 | 19 | +10 | |
| Popular Unity (HB) | 157,389 | 14.59 | −1.89 | 11 | ±0 | |
| People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL)1 | 100,581 | 9.32 | +4.56 | 7 | +5 | |
| Basque Country Left (EE) | 85,671 | 7.94 | −1.84 | 6 | ±0 | |
| Communist Party of the Basque Country (PCE/EPK) | 14,985 | 1.39 | −2.62 | 0 | −1 | |
| Neighborhood Labor (Auzolan)2 | 10,714 | 0.99 | −0.76 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Left Socialist Candidacy (CSI) | 2,507 | 0.23 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 2,173 | 0.20 | −0.03 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Communist Party of Spain (Marxist–Leninist) (PCE (m–l)) | 1,044 | 0.10 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) | n/a | n/a | −8.49 | 0 | −6 | |
| Blank ballots[g] | 5,029 | 0.47 | +0.08 | |||
| Total | 1,079,057 | 75 | +15 | |||
| Valid votes | 1,079,057 | 99.42 | +0.41 | |||
| Invalid votes | 6,247 | 0.58 | −0.41 | |||
| Votes cast / turnout | 1,085,304 | 68.49 | +8.73 | |||
| Abstentions | 499,236 | 31.51 | −8.73 | |||
| Registered voters | 1,584,540 | |||||
| Sources[10][11] | ||||||
Footnotes:
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Distribution by constituency
Aftermath
Government formation
1985 investiture
Notes
- Unlike other electoral legislation in Spain, valid votes under the 1983 Basque electoral law did not include blank ballots.
- Undecided and/or abstentionists excluded.
- Within AP–PDP–PDL–UCD.
- Results for AP–PDP–PDL–UCD.
- The 1983 electoral law provided that blank ballots would not count as valid votes for the application of the 5 percent threshold in each district. However, this rule was not determinant in excluding any party from seat distribution during its time of application (the 1984 and 1986 elections). As a result, and for comparison purposes, blank ballots are shown here included within valid votes.