2011 Spanish local elections
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Local elections were held in Spain on 22 May 2011[a] to elect all 68,230 councillors in the 8,116 Spanish municipalities (including 50 seats in the assemblies of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla),[2] all 1,193 provincial seats in 41 provinces (including 38 indirectly-elected provincial deputations and the three foral deputations in the Basque Country) and 229 seats in ten island councils (seven Canarian and four Balearic ones). They were held concurrently with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities.
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1.3%
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22 May 2011[a]
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All 68,230 councillors in 8,116 municipal councils[b] All 1,422 provincial/island seats in 44 provinces[c] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opinion polls | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 34,713,813 1.3% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 22,968,281 (66.2%) 2.2 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Provincial results map for municipal elections | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The days before the elections were marked by the 2011 Spanish protests which had been held in different cities across Spain since 15 May. The elections resulted in a landslide victory for the opposition People's Party (PP) and other centre-right parties, which won control of all of Spain's largest cities. In Barcelona, held by PSOE-sister party, the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), since the first local elections in 1979, was won for the first time by the nationalist Convergence and Union (CiU), which also won in Girona. The PSOE only won only in 5 out of Spain's 50 provincial capitals. In the popular vote, it scored its worst result in nationwide-held local elections, with a mere 27.8%, 10 points behind the PP, which obtained 37.5%.
Following the election, the PSOE named Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba as prime ministerial candidate for the next general election, initially scheduled for March 2012, and finally held in November 2011.[3]
Overview
Local government
Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain was centered on the figure of city councils (Spanish: ayuntamientos), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly.[4] The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly, requiring an absolute majority; otherwise, the candidate from the most-voted party automatically became mayor (ties were resolved by drawing lots).[5] The concejo abierto system (English: open council), under which voters directly elected the local mayor by plurality voting, was reserved for some minor local entities.[6]
Provincial deputations were the governing bodies of provinces in Spain—except for single-province autonomous communities—having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary.[7] For insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, deputations were replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma, this figure was referred to in Spanish as cabildo insular, whereas for Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, its name was consejo insular (Catalan: consell insular).[8] The three Basque provinces had foral deputations instead (called General Assemblies, or Juntas Generales).[9]
Date
The term of local assemblies in Spain expired four years after the date of their previous election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. 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 State Gazette (BOE).[10] The previous local elections were held on 27 May 2007, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 22 May 2011.
Local assemblies could not be dissolved before the expiration of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harmed the public interest and implied a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers could—optionally—decide to call a by-election.[11]
Elections to the assemblies of local entities were officially called on 29 March 2011 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOE, setting election day for 22 May.[12] Subsequent by-elections were called on 27 September, for 20 November.[1]
Electoral system
Voting for local assemblies and island councils was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality or council 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), as well as resident non-national European citizens, and those whose country of origin allowed reciprocal voting by virtue of a treaty.[13]
Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each constituency.[14] Each municipality or council was a multi-member constituency, with a number of seats based on the following scale:[15]
| Population | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipalities | Canary Islands | Balearic Islands[g] | |
| <100 | 3 | No island below 5,000 inhabitants |
Fixed number: Ibiza: 13 Menorca: 13 Mallorca: 33 Formentera: Same as homonymous city council |
| 101–250 | 5 | ||
| 251–1,000 | 7 | ||
| 1,001–2,000 | 9 | ||
| 2,001–5,000 | 11 | ||
| 5,001–10,000 | 13 | 11 | |
| 10,001–20,000 | 17 | 13 | |
| 20,001–50,000 | 21 | 17 | |
| 50,001–100,000 | 25 | 21 | |
| >100,001 | +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction +1 if total is an even number | ||
Councillors in municipalities below 250 inhabitants were elected using open-list partial block voting, with voters in constituencies between 101 and 250 inhabitants choosing up to four candidates; and in those below 100, up to two.[17]
Most provincial deputations were indirectly elected by applying the D'Hondt method and a three percent-threshold of valid votes to municipal results—excluding candidacies not electing any councillor—in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale (with each judicial district being assigned an initial minimum of one seat and a maximum of three-fifths of the total number of provincial seats, with the remaining ones distributed in proportion to population):[18]
| Population | Seats |
|---|---|
| <500,000 | 25 |
| 500,001–1,000,000 | 27 |
| 1,000,001–3,500,000 | 31 |
| >3,500,001 | 51 |
The General Assemblies of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa were directly elected by voters under their own, specific electoral regulations.[19]
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.[20]
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 a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list:[21]
- At least one percent of the electors in municipalities with a population below 5,000 inhabitants, provided that the number of signers was more than double that of councillors at stake.
- At least 100 signatures in municipalities with a population between 5,001 and 10,000.
- At least 500 signatures in municipalities with a population between 10,001 and 50,000.
- At least 1,500 signatures in municipalities with a population between 50,001 and 150,000.
- At least 3,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 150,001 and 300,000.
- At least 5,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 300,001 and 1,000,000.
- At least 8,000 signatures in municipalities with a population over 1,000,001.
Additionally, a balanced composition of men and women was required in the electoral lists, so that candidates of either sex made up at least 40 percent of the total composition.[22]
Opinion polls
Results
Municipal
Overall
| Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Councillors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | ||
| People's Party (PP)1 | 8,476,138 | 37.54 | +2.43 | 26,507 | +3,499 | |
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 6,275,314 | 27.79 | −7.13 | 21,766 | −2,263 | |
| United Left (IU) | 1,679,082 | 7.44 | +0.47 | 2,649 | +87 | |
| Initiative for Catalonia Greens–EUiA–Agreement (ICV–EUiA–E) | 242,021 | 1.07 | −0.10 | 400 | −56 | |
| Convergence and Union (CiU) | 779,188 | 3.45 | +0.20 | 3,867 | +480 | |
| Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) | 464,824 | 2.06 | New | 152 | +152 | |
| Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 327,184 | 1.45 | +0.06 | 882 | −161 | |
| Unite–Basque Solidarity–Alternative (Bildu–EA–Alternatiba)3 | 313,238 | 1.39 | +0.64 | 1,139 | +452 | |
| Republican Left of Catalonia–Municipal Agreement (ERC–AM) | 271,503 | 1.20 | −0.36 | 1,392 | −199 | |
| Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) | 261,466 | 1.16 | −0.26 | 589 | −72 | |
| Andalusian Party–Socialist Party–Andalusian Plural Space (PA–PSA–EPAnd)4 | 232,375 | 1.03 | −0.26 | 476 | −115 | |
| Canarian Coalition–Nationalist Party–Canarian Centre (CC–PNC–CCN) | 214,185 | 0.95 | −0.21 | 409 | −42 | |
| Independent Herrenian Group (AHI) | 2,197 | 0.01 | ±0.00 | 12 | +1 | |
| Bloc–Initiative–Greens: Commitment Municipal Coalition (Compromís)6 | 201,006 | 0.89 | +0.41 | 381 | +104 | |
| Forum of Citizens (FAC) | 121,713 | 0.54 | New | 158 | +158 | |
| Ecolo–Greens (Ecolo) | 115,817 | 0.51 | +0.18 | 45 | +21 | |
| The Greens–European Green Group (EV–GVE) | 10,377 | 0.05 | New | 1 | +1 | |
| Navarrese People's Union (UPN) | 88,156 | 0.39 | −0.11 | 323 | −13 | |
| Aragonese Party (PAR) | 77,593 | 0.34 | −0.08 | 991 | +8 | |
| Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) | 70,634 | 0.31 | −0.02 | 319 | +16 | |
| Platform for Catalonia (PxC) | 66,007 | 0.29 | +0.23 | 67 | +50 | |
| Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) | 62,409 | 0.28 | +0.18 | 101 | +77 | |
| New Canaries (NC) | 56,947 | 0.25 | −0.01 | 62 | +1 | |
| Aragonese Union (CHA) | 53,149 | 0.24 | −0.02 | 185 | −43 | |
| Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's) | 43,245 | 0.19 | −0.13 | 12 | −1 | |
| Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB) | 37,648 | 0.17 | New | 4 | +4 | |
| Navarre Yes 2011 (NaBai 2011) | 36,262 | 0.16 | −0.08 | 70 | −63 | |
| Aralar (Aralar) | 32,660 | 0.14 | +0.11 | 42 | +9 | |
| Catalan Solidarity for Independence (SI) | 31,793 | 0.14 | New | 47 | +48 | |
| Castilian Party–Independent Candidacy (PCAS–CI)8 | 31,572 | 0.14 | −0.01 | 195 | −47 | |
| PSM–Initiative Greens–Agreement (PSM–IV–ExM)9 | 31,495 | 0.14 | n/a | 74 | +16 | |
| Liberal Democratic Centre (CDL) | 27,220 | 0.12 | +0.06 | 52 | +14 | |
| Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) | 27,203 | 0.12 | +0.07 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Cordobese Union (UCOR) | 24,805 | 0.11 | New | 5 | +5 | |
| For a Fairer World (PUM+J) | 21,631 | 0.10 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Leonese People's Union (UPL) | 19,748 | 0.09 | −0.06 | 134 | −54 | |
| Yes We Can Citizens' Alternative (ACSSP)10 | 17,897 | 0.08 | +0.05 | 20 | +15 | |
| Convergence for the Isles (CxI)11 | 15,194 | 0.07 | −0.09 | 58 | −41 | |
| Galician Land (TeGa) | 13,986 | 0.06 | −0.09 | 23 | −43 | |
| Vallès Alternative Candidacies (CAV) | 13,781 | 0.06 | ±0.00 | 16 | +3 | |
| Citizen Forum of Jerez (FCJ) | 13,763 | 0.06 | New | 4 | +4 | |
| Commitment to Gran Canaria (CGCa) | 13,557 | 0.06 | +0.01 | 4 | +2 | |
| Union for Leganés (ULEG) | 13,424 | 0.06 | +0.04 | 4 | +3 | |
| Spain 2000 (E–2000) | 12,851 | 0.06 | +0.04 | 5 | +3 | |
| Federation of Independents of Catalonia (FIC) | 12,607 | 0.06 | −0.02 | 86 | ±0 | |
| Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) | 11,568 | 0.05 | +0.01 | 1 | +1 | |
| Valencian Coalition (CVa) | 10,737 | 0.05 | −0.05 | 10 | −10 | |
| Zamoran Independent Electors–Zamoran People's Union (ADEIZA–UPZ) | 6,233 | 0.03 | ±0.00 | 86 | +23 | |
| Lanzarote Independents Party (PIL) | 4,997 | 0.02 | −0.02 | 16 | −6 | |
| Majorero Progressive Party (PPMAJO) | 4,545 | 0.02 | New | 17 | +17 | |
| Socialist Party of Menorca–Nationalist Agreement (PSM–EN) | 3,420 | 0.02 | +0.01 | 7 | +2 | |
| Municipal Assemblies of Fuerteventura (AMF) | 2,497 | 0.01 | New | 6 | +6 | |
| Sorian People's Platform (PPSO) | 2,144 | 0.01 | New | 20 | +20 | |
| 25 May Citizens' Alternative (AC25M) | 1,690 | 0.01 | ±0.00 | 2 | ±0 | |
| People for Formentera (GxF) | 1,662 | 0.01 | ±0.00 | 6 | +1 | |
| The Union of Formentera (Sa Unió)12 | 1,308 | 0.01 | ±0.00 | 5 | −1 | |
| Others (lists at <0.05% not securing any provincial or island seat) | 1,246,037 | 5.52 | — | 4,739 | −28 | |
| Blank ballots | 584,012 | 2.59 | +0.67 | |||
| Total | 22,581,120 | 100.00 | 68,230 | +2,099 | ||
| Valid votes | 22,581,120 | 98.31 | −0.52 | |||
| Invalid votes | 387,161 | 1.69 | +0.52 | |||
| Votes cast / turnout | 22,968,281 | 66.16 | +2.19 | |||
| Abstentions | 11,745,532 | 33.84 | −2.19 | |||
| Registered voters | 34,713,813 | |||||
| Sources[23][24] | ||||||
Footnotes:
| ||||||
City control
The following table lists party control in provincial capitals (highlighted in bold), as well as in municipalities above 75,000.[25] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
Autonomous cities
The following table lists party control in the autonomous cities. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
| City | Population | Previous control | New control | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ceuta | 80,579 | People's Party (PP) | People's Party (PP) | ||
| Melilla | 76,034 | People's Party (PP) | People's Party (PP) | ||
Provincial and island
Summary
| Parties and alliances | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PD | IC | FD | Total | +/− | ||
| People's Party (PP)1 | 508 | 82 | 28 | 618 | +92 | |
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 395 | 64 | 28 | 487 | −103 | |
| Convergence and Union (CiU) | 63 | — | — | 63 | +12 | |
| Canarian Coalition–Nationalist Party–Canarian Centre (CC–PNC–CCN) | — | 53 | — | 53 | −2 | |
| Canarian Nationalist Party (PNC) | — | 0 | — | 0 | −1 | |
| Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | — | — | 49 | 49 | −4 | |
| Gather–Basque Solidarity–Alternative (Bildu–EA–Alternatiba)3 | — | — | 45 | 45 | +30 | |
| United Left (IU) | 27 | 0 | 2 | 29 | −9 | |
| Initiative for Catalonia Greens–EUiA–Agreement (ICV–EUiA–E) | 4 | — | — | 4 | ±0 | |
| Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) | 13 | — | — | 13 | −4 | |
| Republican Left of Catalonia–Municipal Agreement (ERC–AM) | 11 | — | — | 11 | −2 | |
| Aragonese Party (PAR) | 10 | — | — | 10 | −1 | |
| People for Formentera (GxF) | — | 6 | — | 6 | +1 | |
| New Canaries (NCa) | — | 5 | — | 5 | −1 | |
| The Union of Formentera (Sa Unió)5 | — | 5 | — | 5 | −1 | |
| PSM–Initiative Greens–Agreement–APIB (PSM–IV–ExM–APIB)6 | — | 4 | — | 4 | +2 | |
| Lanzarote Independents Party (PIL) | — | 3 | — | 3 | −3 | |
| Majorero Progressive Party (PPMAJO) | — | 3 | — | 3 | +3 | |
| Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) | 2 | 0 | 0 | 2 | +2 | |
| Andalusian Party–Socialist Party–Andalusian Plural Space (PA–PSA–EPAnd) | 2 | — | — | 2 | −2 | |
| Bloc–Initiative–Greens: Commitment Municipal Coalition (Compromís)7 | 2 | — | — | 2 | +1 | |
| Cordobese Union (UCOR) | 2 | — | — | 2 | +2 | |
| Municipal Assemblies of Fuerteventura (AMF) | — | 2 | — | 2 | +2 | |
| Aragonese Union (CHA) | 1 | — | — | 1 | −2 | |
| Aralar (Aralar)8 | — | — | 1 | 1 | −3 | |
| Leonese People's Union (UPL) | 1 | — | — | 1 | ±0 | |
| Citizen Forum of Jerez (FCJ) | 1 | — | — | 1 | +1 | |
| Zamoran Independent Electors–Zamoran People's Union (ADEIZA–UPZ) | 1 | — | — | 1 | ±0 | |
| Socialist Party of Menorca–Nationalist Agreement (PSM–EN) | — | 1 | — | 1 | ±0 | |
| 25 May Citizens' Alternative (AC25M) | — | 1 | — | 1 | +1 | |
| Sorian People's Platform (PPSO) | 1 | — | — | 1 | +1 | |
| Convergence for the Isles (CxI)9 | — | 0 | — | 0 | −3 | |
| Party of Almería (PdeAL) | 0 | — | — | 0 | −2 | |
| Initiative for the Development of Soria (IDES) | 0 | — | — | 0 | −1 | |
| Independent Solution (SI) | n/a | n/a | n/a | 0 | −1 | |
| Total | 1,040 | 229 | 153 | 1,422 | +6 | |
| Sources[28] | ||||||
Footnotes:
| ||||||
Indirectly-elected
The following table lists party control in the indirectly-elected provincial deputations.[28] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
Island councils
The following table lists party control in the island councils.[29][30] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
Foral deputations
The following table lists party control in the foral deputations.[32] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
| Province | Population | Previous control | New control | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Álava | 317,352 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | People's Party (PP) | ||
| Biscay | 1,153,724 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | ||
| Guipúzcoa | 707,263 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | Gather (Bildu) | ||
Notes
- By-elections were held on 20 November 2011 in those constituencies where results were annulled by a final sentence following an electoral petition, or where elections were not held due to a lack of candidates.[1]
- Including:
- 1,040 seats in 38 provincial deputations;
- 157 seats in 7 Canarian island cabildos;
- 153 seats in 3 Basque foral deputations;
- 72 seats in 4 Balearic island councils.
- Renamed from Palma de Mallorca in June 2008.[27]