2023 Zaragoza City Council election explained

Election Name:2023 Zaragoza City Council election
Country:Zaragoza
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2019 Zaragoza City Council election
Previous Year:2019
Seats For Election:All 31 seats in the City Council of Zaragoza
Majority Seats:16
Opinion Polls:
  1. Opinion polls
Registered:503,743 0.4%
Turnout:335,350 (66.6%)
0.8 pp
Election Date:28 May 2023
Leader1:Natalia Chueca
Party1:People's Party of Aragon
Leader Since1:January 2023
Last Election1:8 seats, 22.0%
Seats1:15
Seat Change1:7
Popular Vote1:125,751
Percentage1:37.9%
Swing1:15.9 pp
Leader2:Lola Ranera
Party2:Socialists' Party of Aragon
Leader Since2:19 February 2020
Last Election2:10 seats, 28.0%
Seats2:10
Seat Change2:0
Popular Vote2:87,790
Percentage2:26.4%
Swing2:1.6 pp
Leader3:Julio Calvo
Party3:Vox (political party)
Leader Since3:22 April 2019
Last Election3:2 seats, 6.2%
Seats3:4
Seat Change3:2
Popular Vote3:41,061
Percentage3:12.4%
Swing3:6.2 pp
Leader4:Elena Tomás
Party4:ZGZ/ZeC
Leader Since4:19 December 2022
Last Election4:3 seats, 10.1%
Seats4:2
Seat Change4:1
Popular Vote4:19,381
Percentage4:5.8%
Swing4:4.3 pp
Leader5:Fernando Rivarés
Party5:PodemosAV
Leader Since5:15 July 2020
Last Election5:2 seats, 6.2%
Seats5:0
Seat Change5:2
Popular Vote5:14,908
Percentage5:4.5%
Swing5:1.7 pp
Leader6:Daniel Pérez
Party6:CS–Tú Aragón
Leader Since6:22 March 2023
Last Election6:6 seats, 18.3%
Seats6:0
Seat Change6:6
Popular Vote6:5,530
Percentage6:1.7%
Swing6:16.6 pp
Mayor
Before Election:Jorge Azcón
Before Party:People's Party of Aragon
After Election:Natalia Chueca
After Party:People's Party of Aragon

The 2023 Zaragoza City Council election, also the 2023 Zaragoza municipal election, was held on Sunday, 28 May 2023, to elect the 12th City Council of the municipality of Zaragoza. All 31 seats in the City Council were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

Electoral system

The City Council of Zaragoza (Spanish; Castilian: Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza) was the top-tier administrative and governing body of the municipality of Zaragoza, composed of the mayor, the government council and the elected plenary assembly.[1] Elections to the local councils in Spain were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years.[2] Voting for the local assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality of Zaragoza and in full enjoyment of their political rights, as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty.

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.[1] [2] Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:

PopulationCouncillors
<1003
101–2505
251–1,0007
1,001–2,0009
2,001–5,00011
5,001–10,00013
10,001–20,00017
20,001–50,00021
50,001–100,00025
>100,001+1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction
+1 if total is an even number

The mayor was indirectly elected by the plenary assembly. A legal clause required that mayoral candidates earned the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party in the assembly was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the appointee would be determined by lot.[1]

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 a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. For the case of Zaragoza, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required.[2]

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

CandidacyParties and
alliances
Leading candidateIdeologyPrevious result
Votes (%)Seats
PSOELola RaneraSocial democracy28.00%[3]
PPNatalia ChuecaConservatism
Christian democracy
22.04%[4]
[5]
CS–
Tú Aragón
Daniel PérezLiberalism18.27%[6]
[7]
ZGZ/ZeCElena TomásLocalism
Left-wing populism
Participatory democracy
10.08%[8]
PodemosAVFernando RivarésLeft-wing populism
Direct democracy
Democratic socialism
6.20%[9]
VoxJulio CalvoRight-wing populism
Ultranationalism
National conservatism
6.17%[10]

Opinion polls

The tables below list opinion polling results 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.

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 16 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Zaragoza.

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Results

← Summary of the 28 May 2023 City Council of Zaragoza election results →
Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeats
Votes%±ppTotal+/−
People's Party (PP)125,751 37.88 +15.8415 +7
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)87,790 26.45 –1.5510 ±0
Vox (Vox)41,061 12.37 +6.204 +2
Zaragoza in Common

United Left–Let's Win Zaragoza (ZGZ/ZeC)

19,381 5.84 –4.242 –1
Aragonese Union (CHA)15,757 4.75 +0.130 ±0
We CanGreen Alliance (Podemos–AV)14,908 4.49 –1.710 –2
Aragon Exists–Exists Coalition (Existe)8,081 2.43 New0 ±0
Citizens–You Aragon (CS–Tú Aragón)5,530 1.67 –16.600 –6
Aragonese Party (PAR)2,902 0.87 –0.820 ±0
Zaragoza Now (Zaragoza Ya)2,104 0.63 New0 ±0
Blank Seats to Leave Empty Seats (EB)1,641 0.49 +0.260 ±0
Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE)699 0.21 +0.140 ±0
For a Fairer World (PUM+J)601 0.18 New0 ±0
Federation of Independents of Aragon (FIA)370 0.11 +0.050 ±0
We Propose for Minorities (Proponemos XM)188 0.06 New0 ±0
Blank ballots5,202 1.57 +0.93
Total331,966 31 ±0
Valid votes331,966 98.99 –0.61
Invalid votes3,384 1.01 +0.61
Votes cast / turnout335,350 66.57 +0.76
Abstentions168,393 33.43 –0.76
Registered voters503,743
Sources[36]

References

Opinion poll sources
Other

Notes and References

  1. Ley 7/1985, de 2 de abril, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local . Law . 7 . es . 2 April 1985 . 9 December 2023.
  2. Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General . Organic Law . 5 . es . 19 June 1985 . 9 December 2023.
  3. News: 19 February 2020 . Lola Ranera, nueva portavoz del PSOE en el Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza y Alfonso Gómez, portavoz adjunto . es . Europa Press . Zaragoza . 26 April 2022.
  4. News: Alonso . Jorge . 16 December 2022 . Azcón ratifica su pulso a Lambán en las elecciones: "El PP es la única alternativa ante tanto disparate de la izquierda" . es . Heraldo de Aragón . Zaragoza . 16 December 2022.
  5. News: Gomar . Carlota . 9 January 2023 . Natalia Chueca es la candidata del PP para revalidar la Alcaldía de Zaragoza . es . El Periódico de Aragón . 14 January 2023.
  6. News: López . M. . 17 January 2023 . Sara Fernández anuncia que no será candidata de Cs ni a la alcaldía de Zaragoza ni a la DGA . es . Heraldo de Aragón . Zaragoza . 9 February 2023.
  7. News: Martín . Ignacio . 22 March 2023 . Cs designa a Ortas presidente y a Pérez Calvo candidato a Zaragoza . es . El Periódico de Aragón . Zaragoza . 22 March 2023.
  8. News: 19 December 2022 . Elena Tomás será la candidata de ZEC al Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza . es . Heraldo . 1 April 2023.
  9. News: Europa Press . 15 July 2020 . Fernando Rivarés, nombrado portavoz de Podemos Aragón y Nacho Escartín continúa como portavoz parlamentario . es . El Periódico de Aragón . 26 April 2022.
  10. News: 19 January 2023 . Vox apuesta de nuevo por Julio Calvo como candidato en Zaragoza . es . El Periódico de Aragón . 28 January 2023.
  11. Web site: El partido más votado en el Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza sería el PP, seguido de PSOE y Vox . es . CARTV . 28 May 2023.
  12. Web site: El PP roza la mayoría absoluta en Zaragoza . El País . 22 May 2023.
  13. Web site: Informe preelectoral para el Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. Mayo 2023 . 40dB . 22 May 2023.
  14. Web site: Preelectoral elecciones municipales y autonómicas 2023. Zaragoza municipio (Estudio nº 3402. Abril 2023) . es . CIS . 11 May 2023.
  15. Web site: Estimación de voto. Municipios, grandes ciudades y Comunidades Autónomas (Estudio nº 3402. Abril 2023) . es . CIS . 11 May 2023.
  16. Web site: Natalia Chueca ganaría pero la alcaldía de Zaragoza quedaría a expensas de si Vox mantiene su representación . es . Heraldo de Aragón . 23 April 2023.
  17. Web site: Zaragoza seguirá en manos del PP por la mínima si pacta con Vox . es . El Mundo . 21 November 2022.
  18. Web site: ZARAGOZA. Encuesta SigmaDos 21/11/2022: PODEMOS 4,6%, ZeC 9,3% (3), CHA 5,7% (2), PSOE 29,0% (10), Cs 3,8%, PP 39,0% (14), VOX 6,9% (2) . es . Electográfica . 21 November 2022.
  19. Web site: Azcón deshoja la margarita: duplicaría el resultado en Zaragoza pero se ve obligado a disputar por la comunidad . es . El Español . 12 October 2022.
  20. Web site: ZARAGOZA. Encuesta SocioMétrica 12/10/2022: ZeC 8,1% (3), PODEMOS 4,5%, CHA 4,2%, PSOE 26,2% (9/10), PAR 1,6%, Cs 3,6%, PP 36,9% (14/15), VOX 11,6% (4) . es . Electograph . 12 October 2022.
  21. Web site: El PP ganaría las elecciones en Zaragoza con 14 concejales pero necesitaría los 2 de Vox para llegar a la mayoría absoluta . es . Heraldo de Aragón . 12 October 2022.
  22. Web site: ZARAGOZA, HUESCA, TERUEL. Encuesta A+M 12/10/2022 . es . Electograph . 12 October 2022.
  23. Web site: Azcón se quedaría a un edil de la mayoría absoluta y el PSOE perdería tres concejales . es . Heraldo de Aragón . 23 April 2022.
  24. Web site: ZARAGOZA, HUESCA, TERUEL. Encuesta A+M 23/04/2022 . es . Electograph . 23 April 2022.
  25. Web site: EP Zaragoza (10A): absoluta de PP+Vox . es . Electomanía . 10 August 2021.
  26. Web site: El PP se dispararía hasta los 14 ediles en Zaragoza por el hundimiento de Cs y solo dependería de Vox . es . Heraldo de Aragón . 23 April 2021.
  27. Web site: ZARAGOZA, HUESCA, TERUEL. Encuesta A+M 23/04/2021 . es . Electograph . 23 April 2021.
  28. Web site: Electoral Results Consultation. Congress. November 2019. Zaragoza Municipality . es . Ministry of the Interior . 5 July 2021.
  29. Web site: Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 1er semestre 2023 . es . City Council of Zaragoza . 28 July 2023.
  30. Web site: Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2o semestre 2022 . es . City Council of Zaragoza . 23 December 2022.
  31. Web site: Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 1er semestre 2022 . es . City Council of Zaragoza . 29 June 2022.
  32. Web site: Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2o semestre 2021 . es . City Council of Zaragoza . 28 December 2021.
  33. Web site: Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 1er semestre 2021 . es . City Council of Zaragoza . 5 August 2021.
  34. Web site: Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2o semestre 2020 . es . City Council of Zaragoza . 30 January 2021.
  35. Web site: Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2020 . es . City Council of Zaragoza . 31 July 2020.
  36. Boletín Oficial del Estado . 261 . 1 November 2023 . es . Resolución de 5 de julio de 2023, de la Presidencia de la Junta Electoral Central, por la que se procede a la publicación del resumen de los resultados de las elecciones locales convocadas por Real Decreto 207/2023, de 3 de abril, y celebradas el 28 de mayo de 2023, según los datos que figuran en las actas de proclamación remitidas por cada una de las Juntas Electorales de Zona. Provincias: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Segovia, Sevilla, Soria, Tarragona, Teruel, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid, Zamora y Zaragoza. Ciudades Autónomas de Ceuta y Melilla . 0212-033X . 145194–146077.