1999 Castilian-Leonese regional election explained

Election Name:1999 Castilian-Leonese regional election
Country:Castile and León
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:1995 Castilian-Leonese regional election
Previous Year:1995
Next Election:2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election
Next Year:2003
Seats For Election:All 83 seats in the Cortes of Castile and León
Majority Seats:42
Opinion Polls:
  1. Opinion polls
Registered:2,185,507 3.1%
Turnout:1,476,858 (67.6%)
5.9 pp
Election Date:13 June 1999
Leader1:Juan José Lucas
Party1:People's Party of Castile and León
Leader Since1:12 December 1990
Leaders Seat1:Valladolid
Last Election1:50 seats, 52.2%
Seats1:48
Seat Change1:2
Popular Vote1:737,982
Percentage1:50.4%
Swing1:1.8 pp
Leader2:Jaime González
Party2:Socialist Party of Castile and León
Leader Since2:14 June 1998
Leaders Seat2:León
Last Election2:27 seats, 29.7%
Seats2:30
Seat Change2:3
Popular Vote2:483,675
Percentage2:33.1%
Swing2:3.4 pp
Leader3:Antonio Herreros
Party3:IUCyL
Colour3:732021
Leader Since3:1991
Leaders Seat3:Valladolid
Last Election3:5 seats, 9.6%
Seats3:1
Seat Change3:4
Popular Vote3:79,390
Percentage3:5.4%
Swing3:4.2 pp
Leader4:Joaquín Otero
Party4:Leonese People's Union
Leader Since4:13 September 1997
Leaders Seat4:León
Last Election4:2 seats, 2.6%
Seats4:3
Seat Change4:1
Popular Vote4:54,158
Percentage4:3.7%
Swing4:1.1 pp
Leader5:Carlos Rad
Party5:Commoners' Land
Leader Since5:1999
Leaders Seat5:Burgos
Last Election5:0 seats, 0.6%
Seats5:1
Seat Change5:1
Popular Vote5:20,274
Percentage5:1.4%
Swing5:0.8 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 1999 Castilian-Leonese regional election was held on Sunday, 13 June 1999, to elect the 5th Cortes of the autonomous community of Castile and León. All 83 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, as well as the 1999 European Parliament election.

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
14León, Valladolid
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. Legal amendments introduced in 1998 allowed for these to be held together with European Parliament elections, provided that they were scheduled for within a four month-timespan. The previous election was held on 28 May 1995, setting the election date for the Cortes concurrently with a European Parliament election on Sunday, 13 June 1999.[1] [2] [4]

After legal amendments earlier in 1999, the president was granted the prerogative to dissolve the Cortes of Castile and León and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected procurators merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.[1] [5]

Parliamentary composition

The Cortes of Castile and León were officially dissolved on 20 April 1999, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Gazette of Castile and León.[6] The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the Cortes at the time of dissolution.[7]

Parliamentary composition in April 1999
GroupsPartiesLegislators
SeatsTotal
People's Parliamentary GroupPP5050
Socialist Parliamentary GroupPSOE2727
United Left–Left of Castile and León's Parliamentary GroupIUCyL44
Mixed Parliamentary GroupUPL13
INDEP2

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
52.20%
PSOEJaime GonzálezSocial democracy29.71%
IUCyLAntonio HerrerosSocialism
Communism
9.58%
UPLJoaquín OteroRegionalism
Autonomism
2.55%
TC–PNCCarlos RadCastilian nationalism
Progressivism
0.62%

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; 42 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Cortes of Castile and León (43 until 1 January 1999).

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 13 June 1999 Cortes of Castile and León election results →
Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeats
Votes%±ppTotal+/−
People's Party (PP)737,982 50.45 –1.7548 –2
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)483,675 33.06 +3.3530 +3
United Left of Castile and León (IUCyL)79,390 5.43 –4.151 –4
Leonese People's Union (UPL)54,158 3.70 +1.153 +1
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC)20,274 1.39 +0.771 +1
Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL)11,195 0.77 +0.360 ±0
Centrist Union–Democratic and Social Centre (UC–CDS)10,422 0.71 New0 ±0
Independent Candidacy of Valladolid (CIV)6,784 0.46 +0.320 ±0
Party of El Bierzo (PB)3,851 0.26 –0.170 ±0
Spanish Democratic Party (PADE)3,237 0.22 New0 ±0
Salamanca–Zamora–León–PREPAL (PREPAL)3,043 0.21 –0.030 ±0
Humanist Party (PH)2,333 0.16 New0 ±0
Independent Salamancan Union (USI)1,851 0.13 New0 ±0
Zamoran People's Union (UPZ)1,556 0.11 New0 ±0
The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV)1,383 0.09 ±0.000 ±0
Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)1,012 0.07 ±0.000 ±0
Confederation of the Greens (LV)791 0.05 New0 ±0
Party of Self-employed of Spain and Spanish Independent Groups (PAE–I)565 0.04 New0 ±0
Nationalist Party of Castile and León (PANCAL)276 0.02 New0 ±0
Blank ballots39,036 2.67 +0.84
Total1,462,814 83 –1
Valid votes1,462,814 99.05 –0.06
Invalid votes14,044 0.95 +0.06
Votes cast / turnout1,476,858 67.58 –6.01
Abstentions711,396 32.42 +6.01
Registered voters2,185,507
Sources[15] [16] [17]

Distribution by constituency

ConstituencyPPPSOEIUCyLUPLTC–PNC
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"S
Ávila62.4526.926.40.4
Burgos48.7631.646.87.41
León42.5631.054.018.430.1
Palencia51.0437.735.80.9
Salamanca54.9734.143.90.3
Segovia53.7432.125.80.6
Soria56.7332.125.80.8
Valladolid48.7836.157.510.8
Zamora53.0533.932.90.2
Total50.44833.1305.413.731.41
Sources

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Juan José Lucas (PP)
Ballot →13 July 1999
Required majority →42 out of 83
Abstentions
Absentees
Sources

2001 investiture

Investiture
Juan Vicente Herrera (PP)
Ballot →15 March 2001
Required majority →42 out of 83
Absentees
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. Ley Orgánica 4/1999, de 8 de enero, de reforma de la Ley Orgánica 4/1983, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Castilla y León . Organic Law . 4 . es . 8 January 1999 . 16 September 2017.
  6. Boletín Oficial del Estado . 94 . 20 April 1999 . 14620 . 0212-033X . Decreto 66/1999, de 19 de abril, por el que se convocan elecciones a las Cortes de Castilla y León . es.
  7. Web site: El Parlamento. Legislaturas anteriores. IV Legislatura . es . Cortes of Castile and León . 29 January 2022.
  8. Web site: Lucas se garantiza su tercer mandato . es . ABC . 7 June 1999.
  9. Web site: Lucas refuerza el mayor feudo del PP . es . El País . 7 June 1999.
  10. Web site: Castilla y León: Lucas, presidente inamovible . es . El Mundo . 4 June 1999.
  11. Web site: ELECCIONES 13-J /BALANCE DE LAS ENCUESTAS . es . El Mundo . 6 June 1999.
  12. Web site: Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas y municipales, 1999. Comunidad Autónoma de Castilla y León (Estudio nº 2332. Mayo 1999) . es . CIS . 4 June 1999.
  13. Web site: Estudio CIS nº 2332. Ficha técnica . es . CIS . 4 June 1999.
  14. Web site: Bono e Ibarra repiten y el PSOE recuperará Asturias . es . La Vanguardia . 5 June 1999.
  15. Web site: Elections to the Cortes of Castile and León . es . servicios.jcyl.es . Junta of Castile and León . 14 January 2018.
  16. Web site: Cortes of Castile and León election results, 13 June 1999 . 6 August 1999 . es . www.juntaelectoralcentral.es . Electoral Commission of Castile and León . 24 September 2017.
  17. Web site: Elecciones a Cortes de Castilla y León (1983 - 2019) . es . Historia Electoral.com . 24 September 2017.