| Election Name: | 2007 Castilian-Leonese regional election |
| Country: | Castile and León |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election |
| Previous Year: | 2003 |
| Next Election: | 2011 Castilian-Leonese regional election |
| Next Year: | 2011 |
| Seats For Election: | All 83 seats in the Cortes of Castile and León |
| Majority Seats: | 42 |
| Opinion Polls: |
|
| Registered: | 2,171,192 0.3% |
| Turnout: | 1,535,096 (70.7%) 2.0 pp |
| Election Date: | 27 May 2007 |
| Leader1: | Juan Vicente Herrera |
| Party1: | People's Party of Castile and León |
| Leader Since1: | 16 March 2001 |
| Leaders Seat1: | Burgos |
| Last Election1: | 48 seats, 48.5% |
| Seats1: | 48 |
| Seat Change1: | 0 |
| Popular Vote1: | 748,746 |
| Percentage1: | 49.2% |
| Swing1: | 0.7 pp |
| Leader2: | Ángel Villalba |
| Party2: | Socialist Party of Castile and León |
| Leader Since2: | 22 October 2000 |
| Leaders Seat2: | León |
| Last Election2: | 32 seats, 36.8% |
| Seats2: | 33 |
| Seat Change2: | 1 |
| Popular Vote2: | 574,596 |
| Percentage2: | 37.7% |
| Swing2: | 0.9 pp |
| Leader3: | Joaquín Otero |
| Party3: | UPL–ZU |
| Colour3: | B41062 |
| Leader Since3: | 13 September 1997 |
| Leaders Seat3: | León |
| Last Election3: | 2 seats, 4.0% |
| Seats3: | 2 |
| Seat Change3: | 0 |
| Popular Vote3: | 41,519 |
| Percentage3: | 2.7% |
| Swing3: | 1.3 pp |
| Map Size: | 325px |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Juan Vicente Herrera |
| Before Party: | People's Party of Castile and León |
| After Election: | Juan Vicente Herrera |
| After Party: | People's Party of Castile and León |
The 2007 Castilian-Leonese regional election was held on Sunday, 27 May 2007, to elect the 7th 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.
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:
| Seats | Constituencies | |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Valladolid | |
| 14 | León | |
| 11 | Burgos, Salamanca | |
| 7 | Ávila, Palencia, Zamora | |
| 6 | Segovia | |
| 5 | Soria |
The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[3]
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 25 May 2003, setting the election date for the Cortes on Sunday, 27 May 2007.[1] [2] [4]
The president had 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]
The Cortes of Castile and León were officially dissolved on 3 April 2007, 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]
| Groups | Parties | Legislators | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | Total | |||||
| People's Parliamentary Group | PP | 48 | 48 | |||
| Socialist Parliamentary Group | PSOE | 32 | 32 | |||
| Mixed Parliamentary Group | UPL | 2 | 2 | |||
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:
| Candidacy | Parties and alliances | Leading candidate | Ideology | Previous result | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes (%) | Seats | |||||||||
| PP | Juan Vicente Herrera | Conservatism Christian democracy | 48.49% | [8] [9] | ||||||
| PSOE | Ángel Villalba | Social democracy | 36.77% | [10] [11] | ||||||
| UPL–ZU | Joaquín Otero | Regionalism Autonomism | 4.01% | |||||||
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.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | UPL | CI | Lead | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 regional election | 27 May 2007 | 70.7 | 49.2 | 37.7 | 2.7 | 3.1 | 1.1 | 11.5 | ||
| Ipsos/RTVE–FORTA[12] | 27 May 2007 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | |
| Celeste-Tel/Terra[13] [14] | 9–15 May 2007 | ? | ? | 47.8 | 36.8 | 4.1 | 4.0 | – | 11.0 | |
| Telecyl/El Norte de Castilla[15] | 7–11 May 2007 | 1,800 | 70.4 | 48.8 | 36.9 | 2.1 | 3.9 | – | 11.9 | |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo[16] [17] [18] | 27 Apr–8 May 2007 | 1,600 | ? | 49.0 | 40.4 | 1.7 | 3.8 | – | 8.6 | |
| CIS[19] [20] | 9 Apr–6 May 2007 | 2,991 | ? | 48.1 | 36.5 | 3.9 | 3.9 | – | 11.6 | |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo[21] [22] [23] | 16–24 Nov 2006 | ? | ? | 49.1 | 40.6 | 3.2 | 4.2 | – | 8.5 | |
| Telecyl/El Norte de Castilla[24] [25] | 23–30 Oct 2006 | 874 | 70.4 | 47.9 | 34.8 | 3.7 | 3.3 | – | 13.1 | |
| Telecyl/El Norte de Castilla[26] | 11–20 May 2006 | 820 | 74.0 | 45.7 | 35.9 | 1.1 | 3.1 | – | 9.8 | |
| 2004 EP election | 13 Jun 2004 | 52.3 | 53.1 | 41.6 | – | 2.4 | – | 11.5 | ||
| 2004 general election | 14 Mar 2004 | 77.8 | 50.3 | 41.9 | 0.8 | 2.8 | 0.1 | 8.4 | ||
| 2003 regional election | 25 May 2003 | 72.7 | 48.5 | 36.8 | 3.8 | 3.4 | 0.7 | 11.7 | ||
| Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | |||
| People's Party (PP) | 748,746 | 49.17 | +0.68 | 48 | ±0 | ||
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 574,596 | 37.73 | +0.96 | 33 | +1 | ||
| United Left–The Greens–Commitment for Castile and León (IU–LV–CyL) | 46,878 | 3.08 | –0.37 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Leonese People's Union–United Zamora (UPL–ZU)1 | 41,519 | 2.73 | –1.28 | 2 | ±0 | ||
| Alternative for Castile and León (ACAL) | 17,496 | 1.15 | –0.19 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Party of El Bierzo–Alternative for Castile and León (PB–ACAL) | 1,427 | 0.09 | –0.06 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Independent Candidacy–The Party of Castile and León (CI–PCL) | 16,435 | 1.08 | +0.37 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Union of the Salamancan People (UPSa) | 7,965 | 0.52 | +0.10 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| The Greens (LV) | 5,562 | 0.37 | –0.10 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| The Greens of Europe (LVE) | 5,481 | 0.36 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Leonese Autonomist Party–Leonesist Unity (PAL–UL) | 4,972 | 0.33 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Initiative for the Development of Soria (IDES) | 3,760 | 0.25 | +0.13 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Zamoran Independent Electors–Zamoran People's Union (ADEIZA–UPZ) | 3,241 | 0.21 | +0.08 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Republican Left (IR) | 2,941 | 0.19 | +0.04 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (PREPAL) | 1,713 | 0.11 | –0.01 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| National Democracy (DN) | 1,522 | 0.10 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Independent Segovian Alternative (ASí) | 1,214 | 0.08 | ±0.00 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Citizens of Burgos (CiBu) | 1,148 | 0.08 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)2 | 1,147 | 0.08 | +0.04 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Communist Party of the Castilian People (PCPC) | 1,121 | 0.07 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Regionalist Party of El Bierzo (PRB) | 1,028 | 0.07 | ±0.00 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL) | 914 | 0.06 | –0.28 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | 713 | 0.05 | –0.14 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| The Phalanx (FE) | 559 | 0.04 | –0.04 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Citizens' Group (AGRUCI) | 523 | 0.03 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Humanist Party (PH) | 462 | 0.03 | –0.10 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Liberal Democratic Centre (CDL) | 330 | 0.02 | New | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Liberal Centrist Union (UCL) | 315 | 0.02 | –0.02 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Authentic Phalanx (FA) | 290 | 0.02 | ±0.00 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Blank ballots | 30,200 | 1.98 | –0.32 | ||||
| Total | 1,522,791 | 83 | +1 | ||||
| Valid votes | 1,522,791 | 99.20 | +0.06 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 12,305 | 0.80 | –0.06 | ||||
| Votes cast / turnout | 1,535,096 | 70.70 | –1.96 | ||||
| Abstentions | 636,096 | 29.30 | +1.96 | ||||
| Registered voters | 2,171,192 | ||||||
| Sources[27] [28] [29] | |||||||
| Constituency | PP | PSOE | UPL | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | S | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | S | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | S |
| Ávila | 58.9 | 5 | 32.3 | 2 | |||||||
| Burgos | 51.6 | 7 | 35.3 | 4 | |||||||
| León | 39.6 | 6 | 39.7 | 6 | 13.4 | 2 | |||||
| Palencia | 49.2 | 4 | 40.2 | 3 | |||||||
| Salamanca | 53.0 | 7 | 37.6 | 4 | |||||||
| Segovia | 52.9 | 4 | 37.5 | 2 | |||||||
| Soria | 50.4 | 3 | 36.7 | 2 | |||||||
| Valladolid | 48.8 | 8 | 38.9 | 7 | |||||||
| Zamora | 51.2 | 4 | 37.3 | 3 | 0.6 | − | |||||
| Total | 49.2 | 48 | 37.7 | 33 | 2.7 | 2 | |||||
| Sources | |||||||||||
| Investiture Juan Vicente Herrera (PP) | |||
| Ballot → | 27 June 2007 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Required majority → | 42 out of 83 | ||
| Abstentions | |||
| Absentees | |||
| Sources | |||
