1995 Castilian-Leonese regional election explained

Country:Castile and León
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1991 Castilian-Leonese regional election
Previous Year:1991
Next Election:1999 Castilian-Leonese regional election
Next Year:1999
Seats For Election:All 84 seats in the Cortes of Castile and León
Majority Seats:43
Opinion Polls:
  1. Opinion polls
Registered:2,119,498 2.4%
Turnout:1,556,975 (73.5%)
5.9 pp
Election Date:28 May 1995
Leader1:Juan José Lucas
Party1:People's Party of Castile and León
Leader Since1:12 December 1990
Leaders Seat1:Valladolid
Last Election1:43 seats, 43.5%
Seats1:50
Seat Change1:7
Popular Vote1:805,553
Percentage1:52.2%
Swing1:8.7 pp
Leader2:Jesús Quijano
Party2:Socialist Party of Castile and León
Leader Since2:26 May 1990
Leaders Seat2:Valladolid
Last Election2:35 seats, 36.4%
Seats2:27
Seat Change2:8
Popular Vote2:458,447
Percentage2:29.7%
Swing2:6.7 pp
Leader3:Antonio Herreros
Party3:IU
Colour3:732021
Leader Since3:1991
Leaders Seat3:Valladolid
Last Election3:1 seat, 5.4%
Seats3:5
Seat Change3:4
Popular Vote3:147,777
Percentage3:9.6%
Swing3:4.2 pp
Leader4:Conchi Farto
Party4:Leonese People's Union
Leader Since4:1995
Leaders Seat4:León
Last Election4:0 seats, 0.8%
Seats4:2
Seat Change4:2
Popular Vote4:39,425
Percentage4:2.6%
Swing4:1.8 pp
Map Size:325px
President
Before Election:Juan José Lucas
Before Party:People's Party of Castile and León
After Election:Juan José Lucas
After Party:People's Party of Castile and León

The 1995 Castilian-Leonese regional election was held on Sunday, 28 May 1995, to elect the 4th Cortes of the autonomous community of Castile and León. All 84 seats in the Cortes were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

Overview

Electoral system

The Cortes of Castile and León were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Castile and León, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Castilian-Leonese Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[1] Voting for the Cortes was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Castile and León and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

All members of the Cortes of Castile and León were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora, with each being allocated an initial minimum of three seats, as well as one additional member per each 45,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 22,500.[1] [2]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Cortes constituency was entitled the following seats:

SeatsConstituencies
15León
14Valladolid
11Burgos, Salamanca
8Zamora
7Ávila, Palencia
6Segovia
5Soria

The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[3]

Election date

The term of the Cortes of Castile and León expired four years after the date of their previous election. Elections to the Cortes were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 26 May 1991, setting the election date for the Cortes on Sunday, 28 May 1995.[1] [2] [4]

The Cortes of Castile and León could not be dissolved before the date of expiry 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 Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected procurators merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.[1]

Parliamentary composition

The Cortes of Castile and León were officially dissolved on 4 April 1995, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Gazette of Castile and León.[5] The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the Cortes at the time of dissolution.[6]

Parliamentary composition in April 1995
GroupsPartiesLegislators
SeatsTotal
People's Parliamentary GroupPP4545
Socialist Parliamentary GroupPSOE3434
Democratic and Social Centre's Parliamentary GroupCDS33
Mixed Parliamentary GroupIU12
INDEP1

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.[2] [4]

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

CandidacyParties and
alliances
Leading candidateIdeologyPrevious result
Votes (%)Seats
PPJuan José LucasConservatism
Christian democracy
43.52%
PSOEJesús QuijanoSocial democracy36.44%
IUAntonio HerrerosSocialism
Communism
5.36%
UPLConchi FartoRegionalism
Autonomism
0.83%

Campaign

Election debates

Opinion polls

The table below lists voting intention estimates 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. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 43 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Cortes of Castile and León.

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 28 May 1995 Cortes of Castile and León election results →
Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeats
Votes%±ppTotal+/−
People's Party (PP)805,553 52.20 +8.6950 +7
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)458,447 29.71 –6.7327 –8
United Left of Castile and León (IU)147,777 9.58 +4.225 +4
Leonese People's Union (UPL)39,425 2.55 +1.722 +2
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC)9,494 0.62 +0.480 ±0
Independent Solution (SI)9,107 0.59 New0 ±0
Independent Group of Ávila (AIAV)8,159 0.53 New0 ±0
Party of El Bierzo (PB)6,646 0.43 +0.110 ±0
Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL)16,318 0.41 –0.030 ±0
Platform of Independents of Spain (PIE)4,630 0.30 New0 ±0
People's Palentine Group (APP)4,071 0.26 New0 ±0
Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (PREPAL)3,744 0.24 +0.090 ±0
Independents for León (IPL)3,290 0.21 New0 ±0
Independent Candidacy of Valladolid (CIV)2,148 0.14 New0 ±0
The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV)1,423 0.09 New0 ±0
The Alternative Greens (LVA)1,374 0.09 New0 ±0
Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)1,102 0.07 +0.010 ±0
Provincialist Party of El Bierzo (PPB)909 0.06 New0 ±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)746 0.05 –0.010 ±0
Sorian Progressive Union (US)417 0.03 New0 ±0
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)n/a n/a –8.140 –5
Blank ballots28,284 1.83 +0.17
Total1,543,064 84 ±0
Valid votes1,543,064 99.11 +0.04
Invalid votes13,911 0.89 –0.04
Votes cast / turnout1,556,975 73.46 +5.89
Abstentions562,523 26.54 –5.89
Registered voters2,119,498
Sources[17] [18] [19]

Distribution by constituency

ConstituencyPPPSOEIUUPL
data-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"Sdata-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"Sdata-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"Sdata-sort-type="number"%data-sort-type="number"S
Ávila58.4523.828.2
Burgos52.8724.9312.71
León45.1730.456.7112.72
Palencia52.3431.938.4
Salamanca54.3632.948.31
Segovia56.7426.5210.5
Soria59.2428.318.2
Valladolid51.1830.7413.62
Zamora55.7533.936.6
Total52.25029.7279.652.62
Sources

Aftermath

Investiture
Juan José Lucas (PP)
Ballot →4 July 1995
Required majority →43 out of 84
Abstentions
Sources

References

Opinion poll sources
Other

Notes and References

  1. Ley Orgánica 4/1983, de 25 de febrero, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Castilla-León . Organic Law . 4 . es . 25 February 1983 . 16 September 2017.
  2. Ley 3/1987, de 30 de marzo, Electoral de Castilla y León . Law . 3 . es . 30 March 1987 . 15 September 2017.
  3. Web site: Gallagher . Michael . 30 July 2012 . Effective threshold in electoral systems . https://web.archive.org/web/20170730092518/http://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/staff/michael_gallagher/ElSystems/Docts/effthresh.php . dead . 30 July 2017 . Trinity College, Dublin . 22 July 2017.
  4. Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General . Organic Law . 5 . es . 19 June 1985 . 28 December 2016.
  5. Boletín Oficial del Estado . 80 . 4 April 1995 . 10100–10101 . 0212-033X . Decreto 59/1995, de 3 de abril, del Presidente de la Junta de Castilla y León, por el que se convocan elecciones a las Cortes de Castilla y León . es.
  6. Web site: El Parlamento. Legislaturas anteriores. III Legislatura . es . Cortes of Castile and León . 29 January 2022.
  7. News: Posada . Arturo . Fin a 24 años sin debates . 19 January 2022 . Valladolid . El Norte de Castilla . 14 May 2019 . es.
  8. News: La precuela, el debate del 17 de mayo de 1995 . 28 January 2022 . Diario de León . 15 May 2019 . es.
  9. Web site: El PP se impuso en diez comunidades . es . Diario de Navarra . 29 May 1995.
  10. Web site: El PP será la fuerza más votada en 12 comunidades . es . El País . 20 May 1995.
  11. Web site: Lucas supera la reválida con nota alta . es . El País . 20 May 1995.
  12. Web site: Mañana, previsiones para las municipales . es . El País . 20 May 1995.
  13. Web site: El PP gana en doce autonomías y el PSOE sólo en Extremadura, según un sondeo . es . La Vanguardia . 21 May 1995.
  14. Web site: Preelectoral Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla y León (Estudio nº 2166. Abril-Mayo 1995) . es . CIS . 11 May 1995.
  15. Web site: Estudio CIS nº 2166. Ficha técnica . es . CIS . 11 May 1995.
  16. Web site: El PP superaría hoy en unas elecciones autonómicas la barrera del 50 por ciento . es . ABC . 19 December 1993.
  17. Web site: Elections to the Cortes of Castile and León . es . servicios.jcyl.es . Junta of Castile and León . 14 January 2018.
  18. Web site: Cortes of Castile and León election results, 28 May 1995 . 12 July 1995 . es . www.juntaelectoralcentral.es . Electoral Commission of Castile and León . 24 September 2017.
  19. Web site: Elecciones a Cortes de Castilla y León (1983 - 2019) . es . Historia Electoral.com . 24 September 2017.