| Election Name: | 1983 Spanish local elections |
| Country: | Spain |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1979 Spanish local elections |
| Previous Year: | 1979 |
| Next Election: | 1987 Spanish local elections |
| Next Year: | 1987 |
| Seats For Election: | 67,312 councillors in 7,781 municipal councils 1,024 seats in 38 provincial deputations |
| Registered: | 27,474,920 |
| Turnout: | 18,370,300 (66.9%) 4.4 pp |
| Election Date: | 8 May 1983 |
| Leader1: | Felipe González |
| Party1: | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party |
| Leader Since1: | 13 October 1974 |
| Last Election1: | 12,069 c., 28.2% |
| Seats1: | 23,729 |
| Seat Change1: | 11,660 |
| Popular Vote1: | 7,883,502 |
| Percentage1: | 43.0% |
| Swing1: | 14.8 pp |
| Leader2: | Manuel Fraga |
| Party2: | People's Coalition (Spain, 1983) |
| Leader Since2: | 9 October 1976 |
| Last Election2: | 2,383 c., 3.1% |
| Seats2: | 21,076 |
| Seat Change2: | 18,693 |
| Popular Vote2: | 4,843,665 |
| Percentage2: | 26.4% |
| Swing2: | 23.3 pp |
| Leader3: | Gerardo Iglesias |
| Party3: | Communist Party of Spain |
| Leader Since3: | 10 December 1982 |
| Last Election3: | 3,725 c., 13.0% |
| Seats3: | 2,495 |
| Seat Change3: | 1,230 |
| Popular Vote3: | 1,513,023 |
| Percentage3: | 8.2% |
| Swing3: | 4.8 pp |
| Leader4: | Jordi Pujol |
| Party4: | Convergence and Union |
| Leader Since4: | 19 September 1978 |
| Last Election4: | 1,782 c., 3.1% |
| Seats4: | 3,329 |
| Seat Change4: | 1,547 |
| Popular Vote4: | 763,758 |
| Percentage4: | 4.2% |
| Swing4: | 1.1 pp |
| Leader5: | Xabier Arzalluz |
| Party5: | Basque Nationalist Party |
| Leader Since5: | 18 January 1980 |
| Last Election5: | 1,093 c., 2.2% |
| Seats5: | 1,322 |
| Seat Change5: | 229 |
| Popular Vote5: | 407,908 |
| Percentage5: | 2.2% |
| Swing5: | 0.0 pp |
| Leader6: | Adolfo Suárez |
| Party6: | Democratic and Social Centre (Spain) |
| Leader Since6: | 29 July 1982 |
| Last Election6: | Did not contest |
| Seats6: | 658 |
| Seat Change6: | 658 |
| Popular Vote6: | 333,001 |
| Percentage6: | 1.8% |
| Swing6: | New party |
| Map Size: | 435px |
The 1983 Spanish local elections were held on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect all 67,505 councillors in the 7,781 municipalities of Spain and all 1,024 seats in 38 provincial deputations.[1] [2] The elections were held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities, as well as local elections in the three foral deputations of the Basque Country and the ten island councils in the Balearic and Canary Islands.
Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:
| Population | Councillors | |
|---|---|---|
| <250 | 5 | |
| 251–1,000 | 7 | |
| 1,001–2,000 | 9 | |
| 2,001–5,000 | 11 | |
| 5,001–10,000 | 13 | |
| 10,001–20,000 | 17 | |
| 20,001–50,000 | 21 | |
| 50,001–100,000 | 25 | |
| >100,001 | +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction +1 if total is an even number |
Councillors of municipalities with populations between 25 and 250 inhabitants were elected under an open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties and for up to four candidates. Additionally, municipalities below 25 inhabitants, as well as those having traditionally adopted it, were to be organized through the open council system (Spanish; Castilian: régimen de concejo abierto), in which electors would directly vote for the local major.[3] [4]
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election—needing to secure, in any case, the signature of 500 electors—. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates.[5] Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.[3]
Most deputations were indirectly elected by local councillors from municipalities in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale:
| Population | Seats | |
|---|---|---|
| <500,000 | 25 | |
| 500,001–1,000,000 | 27 | |
| >1,000,001 | 31 | |
| Barcelona | 51 |
Island councils and foral deputations were elected directly by electors under their own, specific electoral regulations.[3] [4]
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | PNV | Ind. | Lead | ||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1983 local elections | 8 May 1983 | 66.9 | – | 43.0 | 8.2 | 26.4 | 4.2 | 2.2 | 0.9 | 0.5 | 0.4 | 1.8 | – | 16.6 | ||
| Metra Seis/Tiempo[6] | 11–15 Apr 1983 | ? | ? | – | 49.9 | 4.2 | 17.6 | 6.4 | 1.3 | 2.1 | 32.3 | |||||
| 1979 local elections | 3 Apr 1979 | 62.5 | 30.9 | 28.2 | 13.0 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 1.0 | 0.6 | 0.4 | – | – | 2.7 | ||
| Parties and coalitions | Popular vote | Councillors | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | |||
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 7,883,502 | 43.05 | +14.90 | 23,729 | +11,660 | ||
| People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL)1 | 4,843,665 | 26.45 | +23.38 | 21,076 | +18,693 | ||
| Communist Party of Spain (PCE) | 1,499,907 | 8.19 | –4.86 | 2,495 | –1,230 | ||
| Convergence and Union (CiU) | 763,758 | 4.17 | +1.07 | 3,329 | +1,547 | ||
| Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 407,908 | 2.23 | +0.03 | 1,322 | +229 | ||
| Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | 333,001 | 1.82 | New | 658 | +658 | ||
| Galicianist Party–Convergence of Independents of Galicia (PG–CIGA)2 | 169,711 | 0.93 | +0.51 | 872 | +731 | ||
| Popular Unity (HB) | 158,163 | 0.86 | –0.14 | 385 | +118 | ||
| Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) | 145,982 | 0.80 | New | 861 | +861 | ||
| Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) | 110,780 | 0.60 | –0.90 | 146 | –113 | ||
| Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) | 105,956 | 0.58 | +0.22 | 1,120 | +844 | ||
| Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) | 85,198 | 0.47 | –0.16 | 155 | –55 | ||
| Basque Country Left (EE) | 76,950 | 0.42 | +0.06 | 121 | +37 | ||
| Party of the Communists of Catalonia (PCC) | 67,214 | 0.37 | New | 61 | +61 | ||
| Tenerife Group of Independents (ATI) | 66,140 | 0.36 | New | 85 | +85 | ||
| Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)3 | 50,400 | 0.28 | –0.20 | 118 | –140 | ||
| Canarian People's Union–Canarian Assembly (UPC–AC) | 45,534 | 0.25 | –0.09 | 51 | +21 | ||
| Majorcan Union (UM) | 37,956 | 0.21 | New | 140 | +140 | ||
| Navarrese People's Union (UPN) | 33,111 | 0.18 | +0.11 | 79 | +69 | ||
| Valencian People's Union (UPV)4 | 29,389 | 0.16 | +0.09 | 35 | +23 | ||
| Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 27,168 | 0.15 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Independent Provincial Group of Ciudad Real (APICR) | 21,752 | 0.12 | New | 77 | +77 | ||
| United Extremadura (EU) | 21,513 | 0.12 | New | 202 | +202 | ||
| Galician Left (EG) | 19,173 | 0.10 | New | 22 | +22 | ||
| Valencian Independent Organization (OIV) | 16,735 | 0.09 | New | 63 | +63 | ||
| Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) | 13,644 | 0.07 | –0.08 | 63 | –18 | ||
| Independent Galician Party (PGI) | 12,763 | 0.07 | New | 39 | +39 | ||
| Cantonal Party (PCAN) | 12,363 | 0.07 | –0.02 | 5 | –2 | ||
| Socialist Party of Majorca–Socialist Party of the Islands (PSM–PSI) | 11,925 | 0.07 | +0.02 | 32 | +21 | ||
| United Candidacy of Workers (CUT) | 11,691 | 0.06 | +0.03 | 51 | +18 | ||
| Agrarian Bloc–Spanish Ruralist Party (BAR–PRE) | 10,298 | 0.06 | +0.03 | 210 | +102 | ||
| Spanish Communist Workers' Party (PCOE) | 10,098 | 0.06 | +0.01 | 0 | –1 | ||
| Progressive Riojan Party (PRP) | 9,788 | 0.05 | New | 97 | +97 | ||
| Independent Party of Almería (PIDA) | 8,823 | 0.05 | New | 62 | +62 | ||
| Party of the Canarian Country (PPC) | 8,338 | 0.05 | +0.02 | 17 | +9 | ||
| Liberal Canarian Party (PCL) | 7,530 | 0.04 | New | 3 | +3 | ||
| Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) | 7,336 | 0.04 | +0.02 | 13 | +2 | ||
| Others | 1,082,823 | 5.91 | — | 9,518 | –35,128 | ||
| Blank ballots | 84,973 | 0.46 | +0.34 | ||||
| Total | 18,312,959 | 100.00 | 67,312 | –193 | |||
| Valid votes | 18,312,959 | 99.69 | +0.93 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 57,341 | 0.31 | –0.93 | ||||
| Votes cast / turnout | 18,370,300 | 66.86 | +4.35 | ||||
| Abstentions | 9,104,620 | 33.14 | –4.35 | ||||
| Registered voters | 27,474,920 | ||||||
| Sources[7] [8] | |||||||
The following table lists party control in provincial capitals, as well as in municipalities above or around 75,000.[9] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
| Parties and coalitions | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | +/− | |||||
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 527 | +248 | ||||
| People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL)1 | 350 | +321 | ||||
| Convergence and Union (CiU) | 49 | +4 | ||||
| Communist Party of Spain (PCE) | 35 | –27 | ||||
| Galicianist Party–Convergence of Independents of Galicia (PG–CIGA)2 | 21 | +19 | ||||
| Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) | 12 | +8 | ||||
| Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | 8 | +8 | ||||
| Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) | 4 | +2 | ||||
| Group of Independent Electors (ADEI) | 3 | +3 | ||||
| Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) | 2 | +2 | ||||
| Independent Provincial Group of Ciudad Real (APICR) | 2 | +2 | ||||
| Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)3 | 1 | –2 | ||||
| United Extremadura (EU) | 1 | +1 | ||||
| Agrarian Bloc–Spanish Ruralist Party (BAR–PRE) | 1 | ±0 | ||||
| Others | 8 | –717 | ||||
| Total | 1,024 | –128 | ||||
| Sources | ||||||
The following table lists party control in provincial deputations.[2] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.