2006 Catalan regional election explained

Election Name:	2006 Catalan regional election
Country:	Catalonia
Type:	parliamentary
Ongoing:	no
Previous Election:	2003 Catalan regional election
Previous Year:	2003
Next Election:	2010 Catalan regional election
Next Year:	2010
Seats For Election:	All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia
Majority Seats:	68
Opinion Polls:	Opinion polls
Registered:	5,321,274 0.3%
Turnout:	2,982,108 (56.0%) 6.5 pp
Election Date:	1 November 2006
Leader1:	Artur Mas
Party1:	Convergence and Union
Leader Since1:	7 January 2002
Leaders Seat1:	Barcelona
Last Election1:	46 seats, 30.9%
Seats1:	48
Seat Change1:	2
Popular Vote1:	935,756
Percentage1:	31.5%
Swing1:	0.6 pp
Leader2:	José Montilla
Party2:	PSC–CpC
Leader Since2:	15 July 2006
Leaders Seat2:	Barcelona
Last Election2:	42 seats, 31.2%
Seats2:	37
Seat Change2:	5
Popular Vote2:	796,173
Percentage2:	26.8%
Swing2:	4.4 pp
Leader3:	Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira
Party3:	Republican Left of Catalonia
Leader Since3:	25 November 1996
Leaders Seat3:	Barcelona
Last Election3:	23 seats, 16.4%
Seats3:	21
Seat Change3:	2
Popular Vote3:	416,355
Percentage3:	14.0%
Swing3:	2.4 pp
Leader4:	Josep Piqué
Party4:	People's Party of Catalonia
Leader Since4:	4 September 2003
Leaders Seat4:	Barcelona
Last Election4:	15 seats, 11.9%
Seats4:	14
Seat Change4:	1
Popular Vote4:	316,222
Percentage4:	10.7%
Swing4:	1.2 pp
Leader5:	Joan Saura
Party5:	ICV–EUiA
Leader Since5:	26 November 2000
Leaders Seat5:	Barcelona
Last Election5:	9 seats, 7.3%
Seats5:	12
Seat Change5:	3
Popular Vote5:	282,693
Percentage5:	9.5%
Swing5:	2.2 pp
Leader6:	Albert Rivera
Party6:	C's
Color6:	EB6109
Leader Since6:	9 July 2006
Leaders Seat6:	Barcelona
Last Election6:	Did not contest
Seats6:	3
Seat Change6:	3
Popular Vote6:	89,840
Percentage6:	3.0%
Swing6:	New party
Map Size:	350px
President
Before Election:	Pasqual Maragall
Before Party:	Socialists' Party of Catalonia
After Election:	José Montilla
After Party:	Socialists' Party of Catalonia

The 2006 Catalan regional election was held on Wednesday, 1 November 2006, to elect the 8th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

This was a snap election, called roughly one year before the scheduled end of the legislature as a result of the uneasy and controversial drafting of the 2006 Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, which further expanded the authority of the Catalan Government. The statutory amendment had been ratified in a referendum on 18 June 2006 after being approved in the Cortes Generales, with roughly 74% of voters in favour of the new Statute and 21% against. The referendum was noted for its low turnout, as only 48.9% of all registered voters had cast a vote.^{[1] [2]}

Since the 2003 election a left-of-centre coalition of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Initiative for Catalonia Greens–United and Alternative Left (ICV–EUiA) had been in power, with Pasqual Maragall as Catalan president. In May 2006, ERC had left the coalition after internal tensions due to its disagreement on the final draft of the Statute of Autonomy approved by the Spanish parliament, thus leaving Maragall without a majority and precipitating the early election call. On 21 June 2006 Maragall announced his will not to seek re-election, arguably due to the political erosion his government had suffered after their uneasy relationship with ERC, as well as his political differences with Spanish Prime Minister and PSOE Secretary-General José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.^[3]

Unlike the previous elections in 1999 and 2003, when Convergence and Union (CiU) had achieved a plurality of seats in the autonomous Parliament despite narrowly losing it out in the popular vote to the PSC, in the 2006 election CiU emerged as the most popular party both in votes and seats, but fell far short of an absolute majority. After coalition negotiations, the PSC, ERC and ICV–EUiA agreed to renew the three-party coalition that had been in power in the 2003–2006 period, this time under the leadership of the new PSC leader, José Montilla. The election also saw a new party, Citizens (C's) entering the autonomous parliament, resulting in six political parties achieving parliamentary representation in the Catalan parliament for the first time since 1988.

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of Catalonia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.^[4] As a result of no regional electoral law having been approved since the re-establishment of Catalan autonomy, the electoral procedure came regulated under Transitory Provision Fourth of the 1979 Statute, supplemented by the provisions within the national electoral law. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Catalonia and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 135 members of the Parliament of Catalonia 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 Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, with each being allocated a fixed number of seats:^{[4] [5]}

Seats	Constituencies
85	Barcelona
18	Tarragona
17	Girona
15	Lleida

The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.^[6]

Election date

The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The regional president was required to call an election fifteen days prior to the date of expiry of parliament, with election day taking place within from forty to sixty days after the call. The previous election was held on 16 November 2003, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 16 November 2007. The election was required to be called no later than 1 November 2007, with it taking place up to the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 31 December 2007.^[4]

The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous one under this procedure. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.^[4]

Parliamentary composition

The Parliament of Catalonia was officially dissolved on 8 September 2006, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia.^[7] The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of dissolution.^{[8] [9] [10]}

Parliamentary composition in September 2006^[11]

Groups		Parties		Legislators
				Seats	Total
	Convergence and Union's Parliamentary Group		CDC	33	46
			UDC	13
	Socialists–Citizens for Change Parliamentary Group		PSC	32	42
			CpC	10
	Republican Left of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group		ERC	23	23
	People's Party of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group		PP	15	15
	Initiative for Catalonia Greens–Alternative Left's Parliamentary Group		ICV	8	9
			EUiA	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 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.^[12]

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
	CiU			Artur Mas	Catalan nationalism Centrism	30.94%			^[13]
	PSC–CpC			José Montilla	Social democracy	31.16%			^[14]
	ERC			Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira	Catalan independence Left-wing nationalism Social democracy	16.44%			^[15] ^[16]
	PP			Josep Piqué	Conservatism Christian democracy	11.89%			^[17]
	ICV–EUiA			Joan Saura	Regionalism Eco-socialism Green politics	7.28%
	C's			Albert Rivera	Social liberalism			^[18]

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; 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout							Lead
2006 regional election	1 Nov 2006		56.0	26.8		31.5	14.0	10.7	9.5	3.0	4.7
Ipsos–Eco/CCRTV^[19] ^[20]	1 Nov 2006	30,000	57.7	26.7		31.5	15.2	10.0	9.0	2.7	4.8
CiU^[21]	1 Nov 2006	?	?	?		?	?	?	?	?	?
TNS Demoscopia/ADN^[22]	25 Oct 2006	?	?	?		?	?	?	?	–	?
Opina/Cadena SER^[23] ^[24]	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	?	30.0		30.5	13.0	10.0	10.0	–	0.5
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[25]	19–23 Oct 2006	1,000	?	28.4		34.0	12.5	10.2	10.9	–	5.6
Infortécnica^[26]	22 Oct 2006	2,000	?	?		?	?	?	?	–	?
Opina/El País^[27]	22 Oct 2006	1,500	?		30.0		30.0	13.0	10.5	10.5	–	Tie
GESOP/El Periódico^[28]	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000	?	29.0		32.0	13.2	11.3	10.5	–	3.0
Feedback/RAC 1^[29]	18–20 Oct 2006	1,000	52.7	25.9		35.5	14.9	11.9	9.8	–	9.6
Iberconsulta/La Razón^[30]	17–19 Oct 2006	1,200	61.6	29.9		33.5	14.8	12.1	8.4	–	5.6
Opina/Cadena SER^[31] ^[32]	16 Oct 2006	1,000	?		31.5	29.3	15.5	10.7	9.0	–	2.2
DEP/Actual^[33]	5–16 Oct 2006	1,237	?	29.3		31.8	14.6	12.1	8.7	–	2.5
CIS^[34] ^[35] ^[36]	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	?	27.8		33.7	14.8	10.2	8.9	–	5.9
Feedback/RAC 1^[37]	10–13 Oct 2006	1,000	54.4	27.4		35.9	15.0	10.1	9.1	–	8.5
Celeste-Tel/Terra^[38]	10 Oct 2006	?	61.9	30.5		34.0	13.8	11.6	8.1	–	3.5
Sigma Dos/El Mundo^[39] ^[40]	6–9 Oct 2006	800	?	30.5		32.8	13.7	11.0	6.9	2.3	2.3
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[41]	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	?	29.0		35.5	12.1	10.5	10.4	–	6.5
GESOP/El Periódico^[42]	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	?	29.9		34.9	12.4	10.1	9.1	–	5.0
Feedback/RAC 1^[43] ^[44]	3–6 Oct 2006	1,000	55.7	27.0		35.4	15.0	10.4	9.5	–	8.4
TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3^[45]	2–3 Oct 2006	1,200	59.2	29.1		32.1	14.9	11.6	8.8	–	3.0
Feedback/RAC 1^[46] ^[47]	2 Oct 2006	?	?	27.8		35.9	14.7	9.6	9.6	–	8.1
Feedback/RAC 1^[48]	20–22 Sep 2006	1,000	53.9	27.7		36.4	14.6	9.5	9.6	–	8.7
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[49]	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000	?	29.3		33.4	13.8	10.4	9.5	–	4.1
GESOP/El Periódico^[50]	14–16 Sep 2006	800	?	29.5		34.5	13.3	10.5	9.0	–	5.0
Feedback/RAC 1^[51]	12–15 Sep 2006	1,000	54.1	27.6		36.6	14.8	9.3	9.5	–	9.0
Feedback/RAC 1^[52]	13 Sep 2006	?	?	27.7		36.4	14.8	9.2	9.6	–	8.7
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[53]	17–19 Jul 2006	800	?	32.4		34.2	12.3	10.2	8.3	–	1.8
Opina/El País^[54] ^[55]	7–8 Jun 2006	1,000	?		33.5	30.5	15.0	10.5	7.5	–	3.0
GESOP/El Periódico^[56]	6–7 Jun 2006	600	?	31.0		35.0	13.0	10.5	7.0	–	4.0
Opina/Cadena SER^[57] ^[58]	30 May 2006	1,000	?		33.8	31.2	13.1	9.8	8.9	–	2.6
GESOP/El Periódico^[59]	15–16 May 2006	600	?		32.0		32.0	15.0	10.0	8.0	–	Tie
GESOP/El Periódico^[60]	17–19 Apr 2006	800	?	31.0		32.0	16.0	10.3	7.4	–	1.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[61]	27–30 Mar 2006	850	?		35.0	31.1	16.5	8.4	6.6	–	3.9
GESOP/El Periódico^[62]	2–4 Feb 2006	800	?	30.7		31.5	14.8	12.9	7.5	–	0.8
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[63]	12–15 Dec 2005	850	?	31.7		32.8	16.3	9.6	8.9	–	1.1
CiU^[64]	3 Dec 2005	?	?	?		?	?	?	?	–	?
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[65]	7–11 Nov 2005	400	?		33.2	27.3	16.7	13.7	7.1	–	5.9
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[66]	3–6 Oct 2005	1,000	?		32.5	29.2	16.0	12.7	8.9	–	3.3
GESOP/El Periódico^[67]	3–5 Oct 2005	800	?		32.0		32.0	15.3	10.8	7.5	–	Tie
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[68]	18–21 Jul 2005	1,000	?		33.5	28.9	16.3	12.9	7.2	–	4.6
GESOP/El Periódico^[69]	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800	?		31.5		31.5	15.5	11.3	7.5	–	Tie
GESOP/El Periódico^[70]	20–22 Apr 2005	805	?		30.3		30.3	16.2	12.6	7.8	–	Tie
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[71]	7–10 Mar 2005	850	?		34.2	29.2	15.0	10.8	9.3	–	5.0
GESOP/El Periódico^[72]	16–18 Jan 2005	800	?		34.7	31.6	13.9	10.4	7.0	–	3.1
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[73]	10–12 Nov 2004	850	?		32.4	28.9	16.8	10.8	9.6	–	3.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico^[74]	28–29 Sep 2004	802	?		33.5	30.7	15.2	11.5	6.7	–	2.8
Vox Pública/El Periódico^[75]	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800	?		34.0	30.5	15.7	9.8	7.5	–	3.5
2004 EP election	13 Jun 2004		39.8		42.9	17.4	11.8	17.8	7.2	–	25.1
Vox Pública/El Periódico^[76]	14–15 Apr 2004	801	?		33.0	32.0	16.4	9.9	6.1	–	1.0
2004 general election	14 Mar 2004		76.0		39.5	20.8	15.9	15.6	5.8	–	18.7
2003 regional election	16 Nov 2003		62.5		31.2	30.9	16.4	11.9	7.3	–	0.3

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size								Lead
2006 regional election	1 Nov 2006		15.2		17.8	7.9	6.0	5.4		43.2	2.6
GESOP/El Periódico^[77]	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000		24.7	23.6	11.4	4.1	8.2	17.7	4.4	1.1
CIS	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986		21.9	21.6	11.4	4.6	5.0	18.0	12.6	0.3
GESOP/El Periódico	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	25.0		26.5	11.9	4.1	7.2	15.3	4.7	1.5
GESOP/El Periódico	14–16 Sep 2006	800		27.8	25.3	12.4	4.6	7.3	22.7		2.5
GESOP/El Periódico	6–7 Jun 2006	600		27.2	21.0	11.8	4.5	5.8	28.6		6.2
GESOP/El Periódico	15–16 May 2006	600		31.0	21.8	12.2	5.5	7.2	21.9		9.2
GESOP/El Periódico	17–19 Apr 2006	800		28.6	25.5	15.5	4.9	6.1	18.6		3.1
GESOP/El Periódico^[78]	2–4 Feb 2006	800		28.8	23.9	13.5	7.4	6.0	20.3		4.9
GESOP/El Periódico	3–5 Oct 2005	800		31.5	22.3	15.0	6.1	5.7	19.2		9.2
GESOP/El Periódico	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800		29.3	21.8	15.8	6.4	5.9	20.4		7.5
GESOP/El Periódico	20–22 Apr 2005	805		29.2	22.0	15.5	7.2	6.8	13.9	7.0	7.2
GESOP/El Periódico	16–18 Jan 2005	800		34.4	20.3	11.9	6.1	6.8	13.3	6.1	14.1
Vox Pública/El Periódico	28–29 Sep 2004	802		34.7	18.6	14.1	7.5	6.1	10.8	6.1	16.1
Vox Pública/El Periódico	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800		35.5	17.0	14.0	4.8	6.0	11.2	4.9	18.5
2004 EP election	13 Jun 2004			17.2	7.0	4.7	7.2	2.9		59.7	10.0
Vox Pública/El Periódico	14–15 Apr 2004	801		32.1	24.5	15.5	4.7	6.0	11.2	4.9	7.6
2004 general election	14 Mar 2004			30.3	15.9	12.2	11.9	4.5		23.0	14.4
2003 regional election	16 Nov 2003			19.7	19.6	10.4	7.5	4.6		36.6	0.1

Victory preferences

The table below lists opinion polling on the victory preferences for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None		Lead
Opina/Cadena SER	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200		28.3	26.6	11.2	6.0	6.2	6.7	15.0	1.7
Opina/El País^[79]	22 Oct 2006	1,500	29.6		30.1	–	–	–	40.3		0.5
CIS	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986		27.6	27.1	13.2	4.5	6.2	1.3	20.1	0.5
Opina/Cadena SER	11 Oct 2006	?	28.4		30.7	11.5	4.8	6.3	7.2	11.3	2.3
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[80]	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	29.0		33.0	11.0	6.0	8.0	13.0		4.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[81]	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000		34.0	27.0	13.0	6.0	7.0	13.0		7.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia	17–19 Jul 2006	800		41.0	27.0	12.0	6.0	6.0	8.0		14.0
Opina/El País	7–8 Jun 2006	1,000		32.8	25.2	10.8	5.2	4.7	1.9	19.5	7.6
Opina/Cadena SER	30 May 2006	1,000		29.3	26.2	9.6	7.1	4.9	1.2	21.7	3.1

Victory likelihood

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood of victory for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None		Lead
Opina/Cadena SER	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	23.5		51.4	1.8	0.7	0.1	–	22.6	11.5
CIS	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	30.1		41.6	1.6	0.9	0.2	0.1	25.5	11.5
Opina/Cadena SER	11 Oct 2006	?	26.6		48.8	2.7	1.5	0.4	–	20.1	22.2
Noxa/La Vanguardia	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	32.0		46.0	2.0	2.0	–	18.0		14.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000	35.0		38.0	1.0	3.0	–	23.0		3.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia	17–19 Jul 2006	800		41.0	37.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	18.0		4.0
Opina/El País	7–8 Jun 2006	1,000		36.6	33.2	2.0	1.5	1.5	0.4	24.7	3.4
Opina/Cadena SER	30 May 2006	1,000	30.6		35.9	2.1	3.3	0.3	0.3	27.7	5.3

Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Government of Catalonia.

All candidates

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size							Other/ None/ Not care		Lead
Opina/Cadena SER	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	–	27.2		27.4	10.8	5.9	5.2	8.5	15.0	0.2
Opina/El País	22 Oct 2006	1,500	–	28.6		30.8	–	–	–	40.6		2.2
GESOP/El Periódico^[82]	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000	–	23.8		25.1	9.1	0.9	5.6	10.1	25.4	1.3
Opina/Cadena SER	16 Oct 2006	1,000	–	26.9		31.2	–	–	–	41.9		4.3
CIS	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	–	20.2		28.3	12.5	4.9	6.8	5.5	21.7	8.1
Opina/Cadena SER	11 Oct 2006	?	–	26.9		31.2	9.0	5.3	4.6	9.0	14.0	4.3
Celeste-Tel/Terra	10 Oct 2006	?	–	26.7		27.5	8.2	7.2	3.4	27.0		0.8
GESOP/El Periódico^[83]	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	–	22.6		29.7	8.4	0.4	5.6	12.8	20.5	7.1
GESOP/El Periódico	14–16 Sep 2006	800	–	19.9		29.6	8.9	1.3	6.3	10.4	23.6	9.7
GESOP/El Periódico^[84]	15–16 May 2006	600		31.7	–	24.8	10.5	6.2	6.2	20.6		6.9
GESOP/El Periódico	17–19 Apr 2006	800		29.8	–	25.6	12.8	7.8	7.5	16.5		4.2
GESOP/El Periódico^[85]	2–4 Feb 2006	800		32.4	–	27.1	10.1	7.3	6.0	17.1		5.3
GESOP/El Periódico	3–5 Oct 2005	800		35.0	–	24.2	12.4	7.0	6.6	14.8		10.8
GESOP/El Periódico^[86]	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800		32.3	–	22.5	10.9	7.8	8.5	18.0		9.8
GESOP/El Periódico^[87]	20–22 Apr 2005	805		32.8	–	20.4	14.5	7.6	6.7	18.0		12.4
GESOP/El Periódico^[88]	16–18 Jan 2005	800		41.5	–	19.6	10.8	7.4	6.6	8.5	5.8	21.9
Vox Pública/El Periódico^[89]	28–29 Sep 2004	802		39.0	–	19.8	14.0	7.5	6.2	12.4	1.0	19.2
Vox Pública/El Periódico^[90]	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800		39.8	–	15.9	13.0	6.3	5.5	17.2	2.5	23.9
Vox Pública/El Periódico	14–15 Apr 2004	801		40.2	–	20.7	13.6	6.2	4.2	15.1		19.5

Montilla vs. Mas

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None/ Not care		Lead
GESOP/El Periódico	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000	37.6		44.1	18.3		6.5
Feedback/RAC 1	18–20 Oct 2006	1,000	33.5		46.3	13.4	6.8	12.8
Feedback/RAC 1	10–13 Oct 2006	1,000	36.0		45.6	11.6	6.8	9.6
Noxa/La Vanguardia	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	34.0		50.0	10.0	6.0	16.0
GESOP/El Periódico	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	36.1		45.6	18.3		9.5
Feedback/RAC 1	3–6 Oct 2006	1,000	38.8		44.7	9.9	6.5	5.9
Feedback/RAC 1	20–22 Sep 2006	1,000	35.7		44.9	10.5	8.8	9.2
GESOP/El Periódico^[91]	14–16 Sep 2006	800	33.6		48.3	18.1		14.7
Noxa/La Vanguardia	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000	36.0		43.0	12.0	9.0	7.0
Feedback/RAC 1	12–15 Sep 2006	1,000	33.6		47.7	10.9	7.8	14.1
Noxa/La Vanguardia^[92]	17–19 Jul 2006	800	36.0		39.0	16.0	9.0	3.0

Maragall vs. Mas

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None/ Not care		Lead
GESOP/El Periódico	2–4 Feb 2006	800		49.9	39.1	11.0		10.8
GESOP/El Periódico	3–5 Oct 2005	800		53.8	34.5	11.7		19.3
GESOP/El Periódico	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800		52.9	35.4	11.7		17.5
GESOP/El Periódico	20–22 Apr 2005	805		53.5	33.0	13.5		20.5
GESOP/El Periódico	16–18 Jan 2005	800		59.4	31.1	9.5		28.3
Vox Pública/El Periódico	28–29 Sep 2004	802		59.6	28.7	11.7		30.9
Vox Pública/El Periódico	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800		59.9	26.4	13.7		33.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico	14–15 Apr 2004	801		58.3	32.0	9.7		26.3
Vox Pública/El Periódico	Jan 2004	?		52.7	34.2	13.1		18.5

Predicted President

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood for each leader to become president of the Government of Catalonia.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None/ Not care		Lead
Opina/Cadena SER	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	21.6		49.4	0.7	1.0	0.0	2.1	25.0	27.8
Opina/El País	22 Oct 2006	1,500	23.7		48.9	–	–	–	27.4		25.2
Opina/Cadena SER	16 Oct 2006	1,000	23.3		48.8	–	–	–	27.9		25.5
Opina/Cadena SER	11 Oct 2006	?	23.3		48.5	1.6	1.0	0.4	3.2	22.1	25.2
Noxa/La Vanguardia	17–19 Jul 2006	800	35.0		53.0	–	–	–	1.0	11.0	18.0

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 1 November 2006 Parliament of Catalonia election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Convergence and Union (CiU)	935,756	31.52	+0.58	48	+2
	Socialists' Party of Catalonia–Citizens for Change (PSC–CpC)	796,173	26.82	–4.34	37	–5
	Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)	416,355	14.03	–2.41	21	–2
	People's Party (PP)	316,222	10.65	–1.24	14	–1
	Initiative for Catalonia Greens–United and Alternative Left (ICV–EUiA)	282,693	9.52	+2.24	12	+3
	Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's)	89,840	3.03	New	3	+3
	The Greens–Ecologists and Greens of Catalonia (EV–EVC)	17,900	0.60	+0.04	0	±0
	Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA)	13,730	0.46	New	0	±0
	Unsubmissive Seats–Alternative of Discontented Democrats (Ei–ADD)	6,922	0.23	+0.16	0	±0
	Catalan Republican Party (RC)	6,024	0.20	New	0	±0
	Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI)	5,632	0.19	+0.06	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Catalan People (PCPC)	4,798	0.16	+0.08	0	±0
	The Greens–Green Alternative (EV–AV)	3,228	0.11	+0.05	0	±0
	Family and Life Party (PFiV)	2,776	0.09	New	0	±0
	Forward Catalonia Platform (AES–DN)	2,735	0.09	New	0	±0
	Humanist Party of Catalonia (PHC)	2,608	0.09	+0.04	0	±0
	Republican Social Movement (MSR)	1,096	0.04	+0.02	0	±0
	Carmel/Blue Party (PAzul)	1,039	0.04	New	0	±0
	For a Fairer World (PUM+J)	945	0.03	New	0	±0
	Catalonia Decides (Decideix.cat)	668	0.02	New	0	±0
	Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB)	626	0.02	+0.01	0	±0
	Republican Left–Left Republican Party (IR–PRE)	524	0.02	–0.03	0	±0
Blank ballots		60,244	2.03	+1.12
Total		2,968,534			135	±0
Valid votes		2,968,534	99.54	–0.20
Invalid votes		13,574	0.46	+0.20
Votes cast / turnout		2,982,108	56.04	–6.50
Abstentions		2,339,166	43.96	+6.50
Registered voters		5,321,274
Sources^[93] ^[94]

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	CiU		PSC–CpC		ERC		PP		ICV–EUiA		C'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
Barcelona	29.9	27	27.9	25	12.6	11	11.2	10	10.4	9	3.5	3
Girona	38.2	7	22.1	4	19.2	4	7.2	1	7.6	1	0.9	−
Lleida	40.0	7	22.0	3	17.7	3	9.1	1	6.6	1	1.0	−
Tarragona	32.4	7	26.0	5	17.6	3	11.0	2	6.5	1	2.4	−
Total	31.5	48	26.8	37	14.0	21	10.7	14	9.5	12	3.0	3
Sources

Aftermath

Investiture José Montilla (PSC)
Ballot →		24 November 2006
Required majority →		68 out of 135
	Abstentions
	Absentees
Sources

References

Opinion poll sources

Other

Notes and References

1. News: 19 June 2006 . El Estatut sale adelante con el 74% del voto, pero la participación no llega al 50% . es . El Mundo . 1 September 2019.
2. News: 19 June 2006 . Cataluña vota a favor del Estatuto de forma rotunda, pese a una abstención del 50,59% . es . Cinco Días . 1 September 2019.
3. News: 19 June 2006 . Maragall renuncia a la reelección para facilitar el relevo generacional del PSC . es . El País . 1 September 2019.
4. Ley Orgánica 6/2006, de 19 de julio, de reforma del Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña] ]. Organic Law . 6 . es . 19 July 2006 . 14 March 2017.
5. Ley Orgánica 4/1979, de 18 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña] ]. Organic Law . 4 . es . 18 December 1979 . 14 March 2017.
6. 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.
7. Boletín Oficial del Estado . 215 . 8 September 2006 . 31963 . 0212-033X . Decreto 340/2006, de 7 de septiembre, de convocatoria de elecciones al Parlamento de Cataluña y de su disolución . es.
8. Web site: Eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya (1980 - 2021) . es . Historia Electoral.com . 19 May 2021.
9. Web site: Parlament de Catalunya: grups parlamentaris (1980 - ...) . es . Historia Electoral.com . 19 May 2021.
10. Web site: Diputats del Parlament de Catalunya (1932 - 2021) . es . Historia Electoral.com . 19 May 2021.
11. Web site: VII legislatura . ca . . 14 July 2020.
12. Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General . Organic Law . 5 . es . 19 June 1985 . 28 December 2016.
13. News: 20 July 2006 . El candidato socialista acepta el reto de un debate televisivo cara a cara que le lanzó Artur Mas . es . El País . 5 February 2020.
14. News: 16 July 2006 . Montilla, elegido candidato del PSC a la Generalitat con el 98% de los votos . es . El País . 5 February 2020.
15. News: 27 June 2006 . Carod-Rovira será el candidato de ERC a la Generalitat y Puigcercós su segundo . es . El Mundo . 5 February 2020.
16. News: 22 July 2006 . Carod-Rovira es proclamado candidato a la Generalitat con el 84% de los votos . es . El País . 5 February 2020.
17. News: 30 June 2006 . Piqué encabezará de nuevo la candidatura del Partido Popular para las autonómicas . es . El País . 5 February 2020.
18. News: 10 July 2006 . Albert Rivera, elegido presidente del nuevo partido político Ciutadans-Partit de la Ciutadania . es . La Vanguardia . 5 February 2020.
19. Web site: Elecciones catalanas . es . Escolar.net . 1 November 2006.
20. Web site: Los sondeos: Acertaron pero se quedaron cortos con Ciutadans . es . Libertad Digital . 1 November 2006.
21. Web site: Cataluña protesta y el tripartito aguanta . es . Periodistas 21 . 1 November 2006 . 14 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023030/http://www.periodistas21.com/2006/11/catalua-protesta-y-el-tripartito.html . 15 September 2017 . dead .
22. Web site: Porra Eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya 2006 . ca . VilaWeb . 6 September 2006.
23. Web site: CiU y PSC empatan en voto decidido, aunque Mas toma ventaja en número de escaños . es . Cadena SER . 26 October 2006.
24. Web site: Pulsómetro de la Cadena SER. Instituto Opina 26/10/2006 . es . Cadena SER . 26 October 2006.
25. Web site: CiU mantiene una ventaja de casi seis puntos y hasta 14 escaños sobre el PSC . es . La Vanguardia . 26 October 2006.
26. Web site: Sondejos . ca . Generalitat de Catalunya . 14 September 2017 . 15 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915023503/http://governacio.gencat.cat/ca/pgov_ambits_d_actuacio/pgov_eleccions/pgov_totes_les_convocatories/pgov_parlament_de_catalunya/pgov_any_2006_pc/pgov_sondejos/ . dead .
27. Web site: CiU saca una mínima ventaja al PSC . es . El País . 22 October 2006.
28. Web site: CiU y PSC se acercan al empate gracias a la recuperación de los pequeños . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 24 October 2006.
29. Web site: RACÒMETRE (23 d'Octubre 06) . https://web.archive.org/web/20061106071302/http://www.rac1.info/images/RAC23Oct06web.pdf . dead . 6 November 2006 . ca . RAC 1 . 23 October 2006.
30. Web site: El 1-N dejará el Gobierno de la Generalitat pendiente de nuevos pactos postelectorales . https://web.archive.org/web/20061104154323/http://www.larazon.es/noticias/noti_nac15439.htm . dead . 4 November 2006 . es . La Razón . 22 October 2006.
31. Web site: Montilla y Mas comienzan empatados la campaña para las elecciones en Cataluña . es . Cadena SER . 16 October 2006.
32. Web site: Empate de CiU y PSC en número de diputados, según el 'Pulsómetro' . es . El País . 17 October 2006.
33. Web site: Estimació de vot en les properes eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya . https://web.archive.org/web/20070320133200/http://actualcatalunya.com/armari/appec:actual/1/estimacio.gif . dead . 20 March 2007 . ca . Actual . 19 October 2006.
34. Web site: Preelectoral de Cataluña. Elecciones autonómicas, 2006 (Estudio nº 2656. Octubre 2006) . es . CIS . 25 October 2006.
35. Web site: Estudio CIS nº 2656. Ficha técnica . es . CIS . 25 October 2006.
36. Web site: El CIS confirma la tendencia al alza de CiU y la pérdida de escaños de PSC y ERC . es . La Vanguardia . 26 October 2006.
37. Web site: RACÒMETRE (16 d'Octubre 06) . https://web.archive.org/web/20061027073602/http://www.rac1.info/images/RAC16Oct06web.pdf . dead . 27 October 2006 . ca . RAC 1 . 16 October 2006.
38. Web site: CiU ganaría las elecciones pero el tripartito catalán podría reeditarse . https://web.archive.org/web/20070706131521/http://actualidad.terra.es/especiales/elecciones-catalanas-2006/articulo/ciu_ganaria_elecciones_tripartito_catalan_1131185.htm . dead . 6 July 2007 . es . Terra . 10 October 2006 . 24 February 2021 .
39. Web site: Esquerra Republicana vuelve a tener la llave del futuro gobierno en Cataluña . es . El Mundo . 15 October 2006.
40. Web site: Las elecciones en Cataluña . es . El Mundo . 15 October 2006 . 15 September 2017 . https://web.archive.org/web/20170915071116/http://external.cache.el-mundo.net/elmundo/2006/graficos/oct/s1/elecciones_catalunya_sigmad.gif . 15 September 2017 . dead .
41. Web site: CiU se distancia del PSC y amplía su ventaja hasta seis puntos y 16 escaños . es . La Vanguardia . 15 October 2006.
42. Web site: CiU refuerza su ventaja pero no tiene garantizado poder gobernar . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 11 October 2006.
43. Web site: RACÒMETRE (9 d'Octubre 06) . https://web.archive.org/web/20061026015440/http://www.rac1.info/images/RAC9Oct06web.pdf . dead . 26 October 2006 . ca . RAC 1 . 9 October 2006.
44. Web site: El Racòmetre . es . La Vanguardia . 10 October 2006.
45. Web site: Retallem Distànces . ca . Diari de Miquel Iceta . 8 October 2006.
46. Web site: Quart Racometre (2 d'octubre 2006) . ca . Racó Català . 2 October 2006.
47. Web site: Encuesta RACómetro . es . Foro IU . 5 October 2006.
48. Web site: RACÒMETRE (25 Setembre 06) . https://web.archive.org/web/20061114134124/http://www.rac1.info/images/RAC25set06web.pdf . dead . 14 November 2006 . ca . RAC 1 . 25 September 2006.
49. Web site: Mas acentúa su ventaja sobre Montilla a un mes de las elecciones . es . La Vanguardia . 24 September 2006.
50. Web site: La desmovilización socialista da a CiU una ventaja de 11 escaños . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 21 September 2006.
51. Web site: RACÒMETRE (18 Setembre 06) . https://web.archive.org/web/20061027193137/http://www.rac1.info/images/RAC18set06web.pdf . dead . 27 October 2006 . ca . RAC 1 . 18 September 2006.
52. Web site: CiU guanyaria les eleccions però el tripartit es podria reeditar, segons un sondeig de RAC-1 . ca . Racó Català . 13 September 2006.
53. Web site: Mas inicia por delante de Montilla la carrera a la presidencia de la Generalitat . es . La Vanguardia . 23 July 2006.
54. Web site: El PSC supera a CiU y Maragall es el líder catalán más valorado . es . El País . 11 June 2006.
55. Web site: Informe Encuesta Cataluña. Estatuto Catalán. Junio 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20070118200615/http://www.opina.es/usuarios/track/repositorio/encuestas/90065c.pdf . dead . 18 January 2007 . es . Instituto Opina . 11 June 2006 . 24 February 2021 .
56. Web site: CiU se despega del PSC y le aventaja en cuatro puntos . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 9 June 2006.
57. Web site: El PSC ganaría las elecciones autonómicas en Cataluña, según el Pulsómetro . es . Cadena SER . 12 June 2006.
58. Web site: TOTAL CATALUÑA: Elecciones Autonómicas. Encuesta 12/06/06 . https://web.archive.org/web/20060613201236/http://www.cadenaser.com/static/pulsometro/anteriores/encuesta_060612.htm . dead . 13 June 2006 . es . Cadena SER . 12 June 2006.
59. Web site: Socialistas y CiU empatarían hoy en las urnas con el 32% de los votos . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 21 May 2006.
60. Web site: Los nacionalistas superan por segunda vez consecutiva a los socialistas . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 23 April 2006.
61. Web site: El PSC se recupera y cobra una ligera ventaja . es . La Vanguardia . 2 April 2006.
62. Web site: CiU obtendría ahora el 31,5% de los votos, frente al 30,7% del PSC . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 13 February 2006.
63. Web site: CiU se pone ligeramente por delante del PSC a los dos años del tripartito . es . La Vanguardia . 20 December 2005.
64. Web site: Esquerra pide una "reflexión" al tripartito tras el último barómetro . es . El País . 3 December 2005.
65. Web site: La mayoría cree que Maragall no debió abrir la crisis . es . La Vanguardia . 14 November 2005.
66. Web site: El PSC sigue por delante, pero CiU recorta distancias en un mapa electoral estable . es . La Vanguardia . 9 October 2005.
67. Web site: PSC y CiU siguen empatados a votos . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 9 October 2005.
68. Web site: El PSC mantiene al alza la distancia con CiU pese a la nota regular del tripartito . es . La Vanguardia . 24 July 2005.
69. Web site: PSC y CiU incrementan el apoyo del 2003 y continúan empatados . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 11 July 2005.
70. Web site: El PSC y CiU empatarían de celebrarse ahora las elecciones . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 1 May 2005.
71. Web site: El PSC amplía su ventaja sobre CiU . es . La Vanguardia . 13 March 2005.
72. Web site: El PSC aventaja a CiU en 3,1 puntos en la estimación de voto . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 31 January 2005.
73. Web site: El PSC se despega ligeramente de CiU . es . La Vanguardia . 16 November 2004.
74. Web site: El PSC ganaría las elecciones con una ventaja de 2,8 puntos sobre CiU . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 11 October 2004.
75. Web site: El PSC ganaría las elecciones al Parlament con tres puntos más . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 19 July 2004.
76. Web site: El PSC aumentaría la ventaja sobre CiU en las autonómicas . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 27 April 2004.
77. Web site: CiU y PSC se acercan al empate gracias a la recuperación de los pequeños . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 24 October 2006.
78. Web site: CiU obtendría ahora el 31,5% de los votos, frente al 30,7% del PSC . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 13 February 2006.
79. Web site: El 49% cree que el futuro presidente será Mas y el 24%, Montilla . es . El País . 22 October 2006.
80. Web site: Mas se impone a Montilla en todos los capítulos salvo en el de la honestidad . es . La Vanguardia . 15 October 2006.
81. Web site: Un 43% prefiere al candidato de CiU y un 36% se inclina por el aspirante socialista . es . La Vanguardia . 24 September 2006.
82. Web site: Descenso generalizado de la valoración de los candidatos . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 24 October 2006.
83. Web site: Aprobado justo o suspenso para los candidatos . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 11 October 2006.
84. Web site: 'Sociovergencia' o tripartito, los pactos preferidos . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 21 May 2006.
85. Web site: Mas logra otro objetivo al igualar en valoración personal a Maragall . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 13 February 2006.
86. Web site: Maragall modera la pérdida de apoyo y Mas recorta distancias . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 11 July 2005.
87. Web site: Maragall pierde 9 puntos de apoyo popular aunque sigue por delante . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 1 May 2005.
88. Web site: Maragall sigue siendo el político preferido como 'president' . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 31 January 2005.
89. Web site: La gestión del tripartito recibe el apoyo de la mayoría de catalanes . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 11 October 2004.
90. Web site: Maragall se queda solo como preferido para 'president' . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 19 July 2004.
91. Web site: Mas es el líder preferido para ser presidente de la Generalitat . es . El Periódico de Catalunya . 21 September 2006.
92. Web site: El 39% prefiere a Mas y el 36% a Montilla . es . La Vanguardia . 23 July 2006.
93. Web site: Electoral results. Parliament of Catalonia election 2006 . ca . resultats.dadeselectorals.gencat.cat . . 24 September 2017.
94. Web site: Parliament of Catalonia election results, 1 November 2006 . 13 December 2006 . es . www.juntaelectoralcentral.es . . 25 September 2017.