| Election Name: | 1994 Basque regional election |
| Country: | Basque Country |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1990 Basque regional election |
| Previous Year: | 1990 |
| Next Election: | 1998 Basque regional election |
| Next Year: | 1998 |
| Seats For Election: | All 75 seats in the Basque Parliament |
| Majority Seats: | 38 |
| Opinion Polls: |
|
| Registered: | 1,749,250 3.6% |
| Turnout: | 1,044,085 (59.7%) 1.3 pp |
| Election Date: | 23 October 1994 |
| Leader1: | José Antonio Ardanza |
| Party1: | Basque Nationalist Party |
| Leader Since1: | 2 March 1985 |
| Leaders Seat1: | Guipúzcoa |
| Last Election1: | 22 seats, 28.3% |
| Seats1: | 22 |
| Seat Change1: | 0 |
| Popular Vote1: | 304,346 |
| Percentage1: | 29.3% |
| Swing1: | 1.0 pp |
| Leader2: | Ramón Jáuregui |
| Party2: | PSE–EE (PSOE) |
| Leader Since2: | 16 June 1988 |
| Leaders Seat2: | Guipúzcoa |
| Last Election2: | 22 seats, 27.5% |
| Seats2: | 12 |
| Seat Change2: | 10 |
| Popular Vote2: | 174,682 |
| Percentage2: | 16.8% |
| Swing2: | 10.7 pp |
| Leader3: | Karmelo Landa |
| Party3: | Herri Batasuna |
| Leader Since3: | 1994 |
| Leaders Seat3: | Biscay |
| Last Election3: | 13 seats, 18.2% |
| Seats3: | 11 |
| Seat Change3: | 2 |
| Popular Vote3: | 166,147 |
| Percentage3: | 16.0% |
| Swing3: | 2.2 pp |
| Leader4: | Jaime Mayor Oreja |
| Party4: | People's Party of the Basque Country |
| Leader Since4: | 20 January 1989 |
| Leaders Seat4: | Álava |
| Last Election4: | 6 seats, 8.2% |
| Seats4: | 11 |
| Seat Change4: | 5 |
| Popular Vote4: | 146,960 |
| Percentage4: | 14.2% |
| Swing4: | 6.0 pp |
| Leader5: | Carlos Garaikoetxea |
| Party5: | Eusko Alkartasuna |
| Leader Since5: | 4 September 1986 |
| Leaders Seat5: | Guipúzcoa |
| Last Election5: | 9 seats, 11.3% |
| Seats5: | 8 |
| Seat Change5: | 1 |
| Popular Vote5: | 105,136 |
| Percentage5: | 10.1% |
| Swing5: | 1.2 pp |
| Leader6: | Javier Madrazo |
| Party6: | IU/EB |
| Leader Since6: | 14 May 1994 |
| Leaders Seat6: | Biscay |
| Last Election6: | 0 seats, 1.4% |
| Seats6: | 6 |
| Seat Change6: | 6 |
| Popular Vote6: | 93,291 |
| Percentage6: | 9.0% |
| Swing6: | 7.6 pp |
| Lehendakari | |
| Before Election: | José Antonio Ardanza |
| Before Party: | Basque Nationalist Party |
| After Election: | José Antonio Ardanza |
| After Party: | Basque Nationalist Party |
The 1994 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 23 October 1994, to elect the 5th Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
The Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) won 22 seats, the Socialist Party of the Basque Country (PSE–PSOE) came second with 12 seats, People's Unity (HB) and the People's Party (PP) both won 11 seats each. Basque Solidarity (EA) won 8 seats.
This was also the first election to the Basque parliament that the Socialist Party and the Basque Country Left (EE) party contested together as a unified party.
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]
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 between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication. The previous election was held on 28 October 1990, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 28 October 1994. The election decree was required to be published in the BOPV no later than 4 October 1994, with the election taking place up to the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Saturday, 3 December 1994.[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]
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 | |||||||||
| EAJ/PNV | José Antonio Ardanza | Basque nationalism Christian democracy Conservative liberalism | 28.28% | |||||||
| PSE–EE (PSOE) | Ramón Jáuregui | Social democracy | 27.51% | |||||||
| HB | Karmelo Landa | Basque independence Abertzale left Revolutionary socialism | 18.20% | |||||||
| EA | Carlos Garaikoetxea | Basque nationalism Social democracy | 11.30% | |||||||
| PP | Jaime Mayor Oreja | Conservatism Christian democracy | 8.17% | |||||||
| UA | Enriqueta Benito | Alavese regionalism Christian democracy | 1.40% | |||||||
| IU/EB | Javier Madrazo | Socialism Communism | 1.41% | |||||||
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.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | PNV | EE | Lead | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1994 regional election | 23 Oct 1994 | 59.7 | 29.3 | 16.8 | 16.0 | 10.1 | 14.2 | 9.0 | 2.7 | 12.5 | |||
| Demoscopia/El País[5] [6] | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | 60 | 33.3 | 16.9 | 15.7 | 9.9 | 13.3 | 7.6 | 2.1 | 16.4 | ||
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo[7] | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | 30.0 | 17.7 | 14.8 | 9.5 | 14.7 | 8.2 | 1.3 | 12.3 | ||
| Bergareche/El Correo | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| ICP Research/Diario 16 | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | 33.0 | 18.0 | 16.0 | 9.0 | 14.0 | 8.0 | 2.0 | 15.0 | ||
| Ikerfel/PSE–EE[8] | 10–13 Oct 1994 | 1,700 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| CIS[9] [10] | 7–13 Oct 1994 | 1,495 | 60.5 | 36.1 | 16.1 | 15.4 | 10.3 | 12.1 | 6.9 | 1.3 | 20.0 | ||
| Deia[11] | 12 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | ? | ? | – | – | ? | – | – | ? | ||
| Basque Government | 1–10 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Opina/La Vanguardia[12] | 29 Sep–1 Oct 1994 | 2,000 | ? | 32.5 | 16.5 | 12.5 | 8.0 | 12.0 | 7.0 | 2.5 | 16.0 | ||
| Basque Government[13] | 27 Sep 1994 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| CIS[14] [15] | 13–20 Sep 1994 | 1,490 | 64.7 | 37.4 | 17.4 | 16.3 | 9.9 | 9.7 | 7.0 | 1.4 | 20.0 | ||
| Demoscopia/PP[16] [17] | 6–12 Jul 1994 | 2,400 | 63 | 32.8 | 16.3 | 15.0 | 8.4 | 12.4 | 9.4 | 1.6 | 16.5 | ||
| 1994 EP election | 12 Jun 1994 | 52.3 | 25.9 | 18.3 | 15.6 | 8.7 | 17.5 | 9.6 | – | 7.6 | |||
| Bergareche/El Correo[18] | 16 Apr 1994 | ? | ? | 26.9 | 20.1 | 15.9 | – | 15.8 | – | – | 6.5 | ||
| CIS[19] | 28 Mar 1994 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| Basque Government[20] | 10–15 Jan 1994 | ? | ? | 28.7 | 19.2 | 17.0 | 11.5 | 9.5 | 1.6 | 1.5 | 9.5 | ||
| PNV[21] | 9 Jan 1994 | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ||
| 1993 general election | 6 Jun 1993 | 69.7 | 24.1 | 24.5 | 14.6 | 9.8 | 14.7 | 6.3 | 1.4 | 0.4 | |||
| 1991 foral elections | 26 May 1991 | 59.0 | 29.6 | 19.7 | 17.4 | 12.4 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 1.8 | 2.2 | 9.9 | ||
| 1991 local elections | 26 May 1991 | 59.3 | 29.8 | 19.4 | 17.3 | 11.9 | 7.6 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 10.4 | ||
| 1990 regional election | 28 Oct 1990 | 61.0 | 28.3 | 19.8 | 18.2 | 11.3 | 8.2 | 7.7 | 1.4 | 1.4 | 8.5 | ||
| Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Seats | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | |||
| Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 304,346 | 29.32 | +1.04 | 22 | ±0 | ||
| Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE))1 | 174,682 | 16.83 | –10.68 | 12 | –10 | ||
| Popular Unity (HB) | 166,147 | 16.01 | –2.19 | 11 | –2 | ||
| People's Party (PP) | 146,960 | 14.16 | +5.99 | 11 | +5 | ||
| Basque Solidarity (EA) | 105,136 | 10.13 | –1.17 | 8 | –1 | ||
| United Left (IU/EB) | 93,291 | 8.99 | +7.58 | 6 | +6 | ||
| Alavese Unity (UA) | 27,797 | 2.68 | +1.28 | 5 | +2 | ||
| Coalition for a New Socialist Party (NPS)2 | 1,462 | 0.14 | +0.07 | 0 | ±0 | ||
| Blank ballots | 18,080 | 1.74 | +1.00 | ||||
| Total | 1,037,901 | 75 | ±0 | ||||
| Valid votes | 1,037,901 | 99.41 | –0.09 | ||||
| Invalid votes | 6,184 | 0.59 | +0.09 | ||||
| Votes cast / turnout | 1,044,085 | 59.69 | –1.30 | ||||
| Abstentions | 705,165 | 40.31 | +1.30 | ||||
| Registered voters | 1,749,250 | ||||||
| Sources[22] [23] | |||||||
| Constituency | PNV | PSE–EE | HB | PP | EA | IU/EB | UA | ||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 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 | data-sort-type="number" | % | data-sort-type="number" | S |
| Álava | 21.8 | 6 | 15.6 | 4 | 10.1 | 2 | 15.9 | 4 | 7.2 | 2 | 9.1 | 2 | 18.5 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Biscay | 35.1 | 10 | 17.4 | 4 | 13.4 | 3 | 15.0 | 4 | 7.1 | 2 | 10.0 | 2 | 0.3 | – | |||||||||||||
| Guipúzcoa | 22.3 | 6 | 16.4 | 4 | 23.1 | 6 | 11.9 | 3 | 16.7 | 4 | 7.1 | 2 | 0.3 | – | |||||||||||||
| Total | 29.3 | 22 | 16.8 | 12 | 16.0 | 11 | 14.2 | 11 | 10.1 | 8 | 9.0 | 6 | 2.7 | 5 | |||||||||||||
| Sources | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Investiture | ||||
| Ballot → | 29 December 1994 | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Required majority → | 38 out of 75 | |||
| Sources | ||||