Next Asturian regional election explained

Election Name:Next Asturian regional election
Country:Asturias
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:yes
Previous Election:2023 Asturian regional election
Previous Year:2023
Outgoing Members:12th General Junta of the Principality of Asturias
Seats For Election:All 45 seats in the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias
Majority Seats:23
Opinion Polls:
  1. Opinion polls
Election Date:No later than 23 May 2027
Leader1:Adrián Barbón
Party1:Asturian Socialist Federation
Leader Since1:17 September 2017
Leaders Seat1:Central
Last Election1:19 seats, 36.5%
Seats Before1:19
Seats Needed1:4
Leader2:Álvaro Queipo
Party2:People's Party of Asturias
Leader Since2:18 November 2023
Leaders Seat2:
Last Election2:17 seats, 32.6%
Seats Before2:17
Seats Needed2:6
Leader3:Carolina López
Party3:Vox (political party)
Leader Since3:19 January 2023
Leaders Seat3:Central
Last Election3:4 seats, 10.1%
Seats Before3:4
Seats Needed3:19
Leader4:Ovidio Zapico
Party4:IUMPIAS
Colour4:A70E25
Leader Since4:28 January 2023
Leaders Seat4:Central
Last Election4:3 seats, 7.6%
Seats Before4:3
Seats Needed4:20
Leader5:Adrián Pumares
Party5:Asturias Forum (2021)
Leader Since5:1 October 2022
Leaders Seat5:Central
Last Election5:1 seat, 3.7%
Seats Before5:1
Seats Needed5:22
Leader6:TBD
Party6:Podemos Asturies
Leader Since6:
Leaders Seat6:
Last Election6:1 seat, 3.9%
Seats Before6:0
Seats Needed6:23
President
Before Election:Adrián Barbón
Before Party:Asturian Socialist Federation

The next Asturian regional election will be held no later than Sunday, 23 May 2027, to elect the 13th General Junta of the Principality of Asturias. All 45 seats in the General Junta will be up for election.

Overview

Electoral system

The General Junta of the Principality of Asturias is the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Asturias, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Asturian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[1] Voting for the General Junta is on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprises all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Asturias and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 45 members of the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias are elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which includes blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats are allocated to constituencies, which were established as follows:

Each constituency is allocated an initial minimum of two seats, with the remaining 39 being distributed in proportion to their populations.[2]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each General Junta constituency is entitled the following seats:

SeatsConstituencies
34Central District
6Western District
5Eastern District

The use of the D'Hondt method may result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[3]

Election date

The term of the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias expires four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the General Junta are fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 28 May 2023, setting the election date for the General Junta on Sunday, 23 May 2027.[1] [2] [4]

The president has the prerogative to dissolve the General Junta and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence is in process, no nationwide election is due and some time requirements are met: namely, that dissolution does not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year has elapsed since a previous dissolution 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 General Junta is to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances will not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remains of their four-year terms.[1]

Parliamentary composition

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the General Junta at the present.[5]

Current parliamentary composition[6]
GroupsPartiesLegislators
SeatsTotal
Socialist Parliamentary GroupPSOE1919
People's Parliamentary GroupPP1717
Vox Parliamentary GroupVox44
Assembly for Asturias Parliamentary GroupIU/IX23
MP1
Mixed Parliamentary GroupForo12
INDEP1

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allows 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 are required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors need to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they seek 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 will likely contest the election:

CandidacyParties and
alliances
Leading candidateIdeologyPrevious result
Votes (%)Seats
PSOEAdrián BarbónSocial democracy36.50%
PPÁlvaro QueipoConservatism
Christian democracy
32.61%[7]
[8]
VoxCarolina LópezRight-wing populism
Ultranationalism
National conservatism
10.11%
IUMPIASOvidio ZapicoSocialism
Communism
7.59%
Podemos
Asturies
TBDLeft-wing populism
Direct democracy
Democratic socialism
3.92%
ForoAdrián PumaresRegionalism
Conservatism
3.66%

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; 23 seats are required for an absolute majority in the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias.

Polling firm/CommissionerFieldwork dateSample sizeTurnoutSOSLead
GAD3/PP[9] 13–21 Mar 20241,000?36.1
37.4
8.8
7.8
3.4
2.3
1.3
Celeste-Tel/PP[10] 26 Jan–8 Feb 20241,270?36.2
34.8
9.9
7.4
3.0
3.2
1.4
ElectoPanel/Electomanía[11] 26 Sep–29 Oct 20231,270?37.4
32.2
9.6
8.3
3.6
3.6
0.8
1.0
5.2
2023 general election23 Jul 202362.934.335.612.50.414.81.3
2023 regional election28 May 202356.836.5
32.6
10.1
7.6
3.9
3.7
1.1
0.9
3.9

References

Opinion poll sources
Other

Notes and References

  1. Ley Orgánica 7/1981, de 30 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía del Principado de Asturias] ]. Organic Law . 7 . es . 30 December 1981 . 14 March 2017.
  2. Ley 14/1986, de 26 de diciembre, sobre régimen de elecciones a la Junta General del Principado de Asturias . Law . 14 . es . 26 December 1986 . 14 March 2017.
  3. Web site: Gallagher . Michael . 30 July 2012 . Effective threshold in electoral systems . Trinity College, Dublin . https://web.archive.org/web/20170730092518/http://www.tcd.ie/Political_Science/staff/michael_gallagher/ElSystems/Docts/effthresh.php . 22 July 2017. 2017-07-30 .
  4. Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General . Organic Law . 5 . es . 19 June 1985 . 8 April 2023.
  5. Web site: Elecciones a la Junta General del Principado de Asturias (desde 1983) . es . Historia Electoral.com . 25 December 2023.
  6. News: Junta General del Principado de Asturias. Organización y funciones. Grupos parlamentarios . es . . 25 December 2023.
  7. News: Lamet . Juanma . 13 October 2023 . Diego Canga dimite como diputado del PP de Asturias por motivos "personales" tras anunciarse el congreso de su partido . es . El Mundo . Madrid . 25 December 2023.
  8. News: A. Peri . Bárbara . 18 November 2023 . El PP de Asturias abre una nueva etapa que supere las diferencias internas . es . elDiario.es . Oviedo . 2 January 2024.
  9. Web site: Una encuesta para el PP le otorga la victoria en Asturias si hoy se celebraran las elecciones autonómicas . es . RTPA . 2 April 2024.
  10. Web site: El PP de Queipo ganaría las elecciones en Asturias, según una encuesta propia . es . La Nueva España . 20 February 2024.
  11. Web site: ElectoPanel Asturias (30oct): el PP baja tras la marcha de Canga . es . Electomanía . 30 October 2023.