1998 Basque regional election explained

Election Name:1998 Basque regional election
Country:Basque Country
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1994 Basque regional election
Previous Year:1994
Next Election:2001 Basque regional election
Next Year:2001
Seats For Election:All 75 seats in the Basque Parliament
Majority Seats:38
Opinion Polls:
  1. Opinion polls
Registered:1,821,608 4.1%
Turnout:1,275,008 (70.0%)
10.3 pp
Election Date:25 October 1998
Leader1:Juan José Ibarretxe
Party1:Basque Nationalist Party
Leader Since1:31 January 1998
Leaders Seat1:Álava
Last Election1:22 seats, 29.3%
Seats1:21
Seat Change1:1
Popular Vote1:350,322
Percentage1:27.6%
Swing1:1.7 pp
Leader2:Carlos Iturgaiz
Party2:People's Party of the Basque Country
Leader Since2:5 October 1996
Leaders Seat2:Biscay
Last Election2:11 seats, 14.2%
Seats2:16
Seat Change2:5
Popular Vote2:251,743
Percentage2:19.9%
Swing2:5.7 pp
Leader3:Arnaldo Otegi
Party3:Euskal Herritarrok
Leader Since3:14 February 1998
Leaders Seat3:Guipúzcoa
Last Election3:11 seats, 16.0%
Seats3:14
Seat Change3:3
Popular Vote3:224,001
Percentage3:17.7%
Swing3:1.7 pp
Leader4:Nicolás Redondo
Party4:PSE–EE (PSOE)
Leader Since4:20 October 1997
Leaders Seat4:Biscay
Last Election4:12 seats, 16.8%
Seats4:14
Seat Change4:2
Popular Vote4:220,052
Percentage4:17.4%
Swing4:0.6 pp
Leader5:Carlos Garaikoetxea
Party5:Eusko Alkartasuna
Leader Since5:4 September 1986
Leaders Seat5:Guipúzcoa
Last Election5:8 seats, 10.1%
Seats5:6
Seat Change5:2
Popular Vote5:108,635
Percentage5:8.6%
Swing5:1.5 pp
Leader6:Javier Madrazo
Party6:IU/EB
Leader Since6:14 May 1994
Leaders Seat6:Biscay
Last Election6:6 seats, 9.0%
Seats6:2
Seat Change6:4
Popular Vote6:71,064
Percentage6:5.6%
Swing6:3.4 pp
Lehendakari
Before Election:José Antonio Ardanza
Before Party:Basque Nationalist Party
After Election:Juan José Ibarretxe
After Party:Basque Nationalist Party

The 1998 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 25 October 1998, to elect the 6th Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

The Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) won 21 seats, the People's Party (PP) came second for the first time with 16 seats, the Basque Citizens (EH) coalition and the Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE) won 14 seats each.

Overview

Electoral system

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

The 75 members of the Basque Parliament 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 constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Álava, Biscay and Guipúzcoa, with each being allocated a fixed number of 25 seats in order to provide for an equal parliamentary representation of the three provinces, as required under the regional statute of autonomy.[1] [2]

Election 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 issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of the Basque Country (BOPV), with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election was held on 23 October 1994, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 23 October 1998. The election decree was required to be published in the BOPV no later than 29 September 1998, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 22 November 1998.[1] [2]

The lehendakari had 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. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a lehendakari within a sixty-day period from the Parliament re-assembly, the Parliament was to be dissolved and a fresh election called.[3]

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
EAJ/PNVJuan José IbarretxeBasque nationalism
Christian democracy
Conservative liberalism		29.32%
PSE–EE
(PSOE)		Nicolás RedondoSocial democracy16.83%
EHArnaldo OtegiBasque independence
Abertzale left
Revolutionary socialism		16.01%
PPCarlos IturgaizConservatism
Christian democracy		14.16%
EACarlos GaraikoetxeaBasque nationalism
Social democracy		10.13%
IU/EBJavier MadrazoSocialism
Communism		8.99%
UAPablo MosqueraAlavese regionalism
Christian democracy		2.68%

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; 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Basque Parliament.

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 25 October 1998 Basque Parliament election results →
Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeats
Votes%±ppTotal+/−
Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV)350,322 27.62 –1.7021 –1
People's Party (PP)251,743 19.85 +5.6916 +5
Basque Citizens (EH)1224,001 17.66 +1.6514 +3
Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE))220,052 17.35 +0.5214 +2
Basque Solidarity (EA)108,635 8.57 –1.566 –2
United Left (IU/EB)71,064 5.60 –3.392 –4
Alavese Unity (UA)15,738 1.24 –1.442 –3
Natural Law Party (PLN/LNA)4,858 0.38 New0 ±0
Humanist Party (PH)3,288 0.26 New0 ±0
Basque Country Greens (EHB)864 0.07 New0 ±0
Blank ballots17,641 1.39 –0.35
Total1,268,206 75 ±0
Valid votes1,268,206 99.47 +0.06
Invalid votes6,802 0.53 –0.06
Votes cast / turnout1,275,008 69.99 +10.30
Abstentions546,600 30.01 –10.30
Registered voters1,821,608
Sources[50] [51]

Distribution by constituency

ConstituencyPNVPPEHPSE–EEEAIU/EBUA
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"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
Álava21.6626.7712.1316.856.315.618.42
Biscay32.6920.2514.6418.356.016.210.1–
Guipúzcoa21.7616.4425.2716.0413.944.6–0.1–
Total27.62119.91617.71417.4148.665.621.22
Sources

Aftermath

Investiture
Ballot →29 December 1998
Required majority →38 out of 75
Sources

References

Opinion poll sources
Other

Notes and References

  1. Ley Orgánica 3/1979, de 18 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía para el País Vasco] ]. Organic Law . 3 . es . 18 December 1979 . 17 July 2017.
  2. Ley 5/1990, de 15 de junio, de Elecciones al Parlamento Vasco . Law . 5 . es . 15 June 1990 . 17 July 2017.
  3. Ley 7/1981, de 30 de junio, sobre Ley de Gobierno . Law . 7 . es . 30 June 1981 . 17 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. Web site: Primeros sondeos tras el cierre de los colegios electorales . es . El Mundo . 25 October 1998.
  6. Web site: Gran disparidad en los sondeos . es . El País . 26 October 1998.
  7. Web site: El 44% de los vascos oculta su voto . es . El País . 18 October 1998.
  8. Web site: Los sondeos hablan de un incremento de las fuerzas no nacionalistas en los comicios vascos . es . El Mundo . 18 October 1998.
  9. Web site: PP y EH se disputan el segundo puesto en las elecciones vascas . https://web.archive.org/web/20010113104100/https://www.elmundo.es/1998/10/18/espana/18N0042.html . dead . 13 January 2001 . es . El Mundo . 18 October 1998.
  10. Web site: El PP y el PSOE acarician su objetivo . es . La Vanguardia . 19 October 1998.
  11. Web site: Estancamiento de los nacionalistas de PNV, EH y EA, que obtendrían los mismos escaños que en 1994 . es . ABC . 18 October 1998.
  12. Web site: Los no nacionalistas ganan posiciones . es . La Vanguardia . 17 October 1998.
  13. Web site: Un PNV en retroceso vuelve a ganar frente al ascenso de PP y socialistas . es . La Vanguardia . 17 October 1998.
  14. Web site: PSE y PP aumentan su expectativa de voto y bajan PNV, EA y UA . es . El Correo . 18 October 1998.
  15. Web site: Duelo nacionalistas-no nacionalistas . es . La Vanguardia . 9 October 1998.
  16. Web site: Últimas previsiones de voto para Elecciones Autonómicas-98 (Octubre 1998) . es . Basque Government . 16 October 1998.
  17. Web site: Una nueva encuesta del Gobierno vasco otorga el segundo puesto a EH . es . El País . 17 October 1998.
  18. Web site: Preelectoral del País Vasco. Elecciones Autonómicas 1998 (Estudio nº 2304. Septiembre-Octubre 1998) . es . CIS . 16 October 1998.
  19. Web site: Estudio CIS nº 2304. Ficha técnica . es . CIS . 16 October 1998.
  20. Web site: Un debate electoral sobre política social y empleo reúne por primera vez a PP y EH . es . ABC . 10 October 1998.
  21. Web site: Encuestas, patatas fritas y rosas rojas . es . El País . 10 October 1998.
  22. Web site: Previsiones de voto para Elecciones Autonómicas-98 (Octubre 1998) . es . Basque Government . 8 October 1998.
  23. Web site: Una encuesta del Gobierno vasco en vísperas de la campaña deja a EH como segunda fuerza tras el PNV . es . El País . 9 October 1998.
  24. Web site: Previsiones de voto para Elecciones Autonómicas-98 (Septiembre 1998) . es . Basque Government . 25 September 1998.
  25. Web site: Un sondeo del Gobierno vasco sitúa al PP como segundo partido de Euskadi . es . El País . 26 September 1998.
  26. Web site: El PP se perfila por escaso margen como segunda fuerza del País Vasco . es . El Mundo . 9 September 1998.
  27. Web site: El incremento del voto beneficia a los partidos no nacionalistas, pero se mantiene el empate técnico . es . El País . 12 September 1998.
  28. Web site: La Universidad vasca prevé ascensos de PP y PSE y un retroceso de los nacionalistas . es . ABC . 12 September 1998.
  29. Web site: PSE y PP consolidan su avance . es . El Correo . 21 June 1998.
  30. Web site: Un nuevo sondeo electoral confima el ascenso de PP y PSOE en el País Vasco . es . ABC . 22 June 1998.
  31. Web site: Un nuevo sondeo electoral confirma el ascenso de PP y PSOE en el País Vasco . es . ABC Sevilla . 22 June 1998.
  32. Web site: Previsiones de voto para Elecciones Autonómicas (Junio 1998) . es . Basque Government . 23 June 1998.
  33. Web site: El nacionalismo aguantará el ascenso del PSE y PP, según un sondeo oficial . es . El País . 24 June 1998.
  34. Web site: El PNV mantiene la primacía pese al alza de PP y PSOE en el País Vasco . es . La Vanguardia . 20 May 1998.
  35. Web site: Estudio CIS nº 2282. Ficha técnica . es . CIS . 19 May 1998.
  36. Web site: PP y PSE refuerzan su apoyo electoral . es . El Correo . 29 March 1998.
  37. Web site: El voto no nacionalista podrían imponerse por primera vez en unas elecciones vascas . es . ABC . 29 March 1998.
  38. Web site: El voto no nacionalista podría imponerse por primera vez en unas elecciones vascas . es . ABC Sevilla . 29 March 1998.
  39. Web site: PNV y EA, molestos por el sondeo que prevé la subida de los no nacionalistas . es . ABC . 30 March 1998.
  40. Web site: Previsiones de voto para Elecciones Autonómicas-98 (Marzo 1998) . es . Basque Government . 3 March 1998.
  41. Web site: Una encuesta del Gobierno vasco da al PP el segundo puesto el 25-0 . es . El País . 4 March 1998.
  42. Web site: Virtual empate entre partidos estatales y nacionalistas ante las elecciones vascas . es . ABC . 10 November 1997.
  43. Web site: Un sondeo vaticina una fuerte subida del PP y PSOE vasco en las autonómicas de 1998 . es . La Vanguardia . 10 November 1997.
  44. Web site: Un sondeo indica que los nacionalistas pierden votos en Euskadi . es . El País . 10 November 1997.
  45. Web site: Un sondeo coloca al PP vasco como segunda fuerza . es . La Vanguardia . 15 October 1997.
  46. Web site: El PP será la segunda fuerza en Euskadi, según un sondeo del Gobierno vasco . es . El País . 15 October 1997.
  47. Web site: Encuesta del Gobierno vasco . es . ABC . 15 October 1997.
  48. Web site: El PP pasaría a ser el segundo partido más votado de Euskadi . https://web.archive.org/web/20011122211306/https://www.elmundo.es/1997/07/20/espana/20N0019.html . dead . 22 November 2001 . es . El Mundo . 20 July 1997.
  49. Web site: Un sondeo electoral del Gobierno vasco sitúa al PP como la segunda fuerza en la Comunidad . es . ABC Sevilla . 26 March 1997.
  50. Web site: Elecciones al Parlamento Vasco / Eusko Legebilitzarra (1980 - 2020) . es . Historia Electoral.com . 24 September 2017.
  51. Web site: Election Results Archive . es . euskadi.eus . Basque Government . 24 September 2017.

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