Next Catalan regional election explained

Election Name:Next Catalan regional election
Country:Catalonia
Type:parliamentary
Ongoing:yes
Previous Election:2024 Catalan regional election
Previous Year:2024
Seats For Election:All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia
Majority Seats:68
Opinion Polls:
  1. Opinion polls
Election Date:No later than 26 June 2028
Leader1:Salvador Illa
Party1:PSC–PSOE
Leader Since1:30 December 2020
Leaders Seat1:Barcelona
Last Election1:42 seats, 28.0%
Seats Before1:42
Seats Needed1:26
Leader2:Carles Puigdemont
Party2:Cat–Junts+
Leader Since2:21 March 2024
Leaders Seat2:Barcelona
Last Election2:35 seats, 21.6%
Seats Before2:35
Seats Needed2:33
Leader3:TBD
Party3:Republican Left of Catalonia
Leader Since3:TBD
Leaders Seat3:TBD
Last Election3:20 seats, 13.7%
Seats Before3:20
Seats Needed3:48
Party4:People's Party of Catalonia
Leader Since4:10 November 2018
Leaders Seat4:Barcelona
Last Election4:15 seats, 11.0%
Seats Before4:15
Seats Needed4:53
Leader5:Ignacio Garriga
Party5:Vox (political party)
Leader Since5:10 August 2020
Leaders Seat5:Barcelona
Last Election5:11 seats, 8.0%
Seats Before5:11
Seats Needed5:57
Leader6:Jéssica Albiach
Party6:Comuns Sumar
Leader Since6:18 September 2018
Leaders Seat6:Barcelona
Last Election6:6 seats, 5.8%
Seats Before6:6
Seats Needed6:62
Leader7:Laia Estrada
Party7:CUP–DT
Leader Since7:25 March 2024
Leaders Seat7:Barcelona
Last Election7:4 seats, 4.1%
Seats Before7:4
Seats Needed7:64
Leader8:Sílvia Orriols
Party8:Catalan Alliance
Leader Since8:28 October 2020
Leaders Seat8:Girona
Last Election8:2 seats, 3.8%
Seats Before8:2
Seats Needed8:66
President
Before Election:Salvador Illa
Before Party:Socialists' Party of Catalonia

The next Catalan regional election will be held no later than Monday, 26 June 2028, to elect the 16th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament will be up for election.

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of Catalonia is 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.[1] As a result of no regional electoral law having been approved since the re-establishment of Catalan autonomy, the electoral procedure comes regulated under Transitory Provision Fourth of the 1979 Statute, supplemented by the provisions within the national electoral law. Voting for the Parliament is on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprises 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 are elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of three percent of valid votes—which includes blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats are allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, with each being allocated a fixed number of seats:[1] [2]

SeatsConstituencies
85Barcelona
18Tarragona
17Girona
15Lleida

In smaller constituencies, the use of the electoral method results in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.[3]

Election date

The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expires four years after the date of its previous election, unless it is dissolved earlier. The regional president is 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 12 May 2024, which means that the legislature's term will expire on 12 May 2028. The election is required to be called no later than 27 April 2028, with it taking place up to the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 26 June 2028.[1]

The president has the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence is in process and that dissolution does not occur before one year has 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 is to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.[1]

Parliamentary composition

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the present time.

Current parliamentary composition
GroupsPartiesLegislators
SeatsTotal
Socialists' and United to Advance
Parliamentary Group
PSC4142
Els Units1
Together's Parliamentary GroupJxCat3435
DC1
Republican Left of Catalonia's Parliamentary GroupERC2020
People's Party of Catalonia's Parliamentary GroupPP1515
Vox's Parliamentary Group in CataloniaVox1111
Commons Parliamentary GroupCatComú66
Mixed GroupCUP46
Aliança.cat2

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.[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
PSC–PSOESalvador IllaSocial democracy27.96%
Cat–Junts+Carles PuigdemontCatalan independence
Sovereigntism
Populism
21.59%
ERCTBDCatalan independence
Left-wing nationalism
Social democracy
13.66%[5]
PPAlejandro FernándezConservatism
Christian democracy
11.00%
VoxIgnacio GarrigaRight-wing populism
Ultranationalism
National conservatism
7.95%
Comuns
Sumar
Jéssica AlbiachLeft-wing populism
Direct democracy
Eco-socialism
5.84%
CUP–DTLaia EstradaCatalan independence
Anti-capitalism
Socialism
4.09%
Aliança.catSílvia OrriolsCatalan independence
Anti-immigration
3.77%

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 are required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

Polling firm/CommissionerFieldwork dateSample sizeTurnoutSALFLead
NC Report/La Razón[6] 5–12 Jul 20241,00043.529.5
22.4
11.1
11.9
6.8
4.1
3.7
4.0
2.2
2.1
7.5
GESOP/CEO[7] 10 Jun–8 Jul 20242,000?28.0–
32.0

19.0–
23.0
13.0–
16.0
10.0–
13.0
6.0–
8.0
5.0–
7.0
3.0–
5.0
2.0–
4.0
9.0
Hamalgama Métrica/VozPópuli[8] 1–4 Jul 20241,000?29.4
22.8
11.6
11.7
8.3
5.0
3.6
3.9
6.6
Demoscopia y Servicios/The Objective[9] 22–24 Jun 20241,000?28.8
22.7
11.9
11.7
6.6
5.1
3.5
4.0
6.1
ElectoPanel/GMG[10] 9–13 Jun 20241,150?30.9
23.4
11.2
12.2
8.0
5.1
3.5
4.5
7.5
NC Report/La Razón[11] 8–10 Jun 20241,00054.429.3
21.8
11.5
11.5
7.6
5.4
3.8
4.1
2.4
7.5
2024 EP election9 Jun 202443.530.6
18.0
14.8
13.8
6.2
4.3
4.6
2.8
12.6
2024 regional election12 May 202455.328.0
21.6
13.7
11.0
8.0
5.8
4.1
3.8
6.4

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Preferred President

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

Predicted President

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

References

Opinion poll sources
Other

Notes and References

  1. 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.
  2. Ley Orgánica 4/1979, de 18 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña] ]. Organic Law . 4 . es . 18 December 1979 . 14 March 2017.
  3. 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.
  4. Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General . Organic Law . 5 . es . 19 June 1985 . 25 November 2023.
  5. News: Puente . Arturo . 13 May 2024 . Aragonès anuncia que se va y deja abierta la puerta a que ERC no bloquee la investidura de Illa . es . elDiario.es . 13 May 2024.
  6. Web site: El PSC y Aliança Catalana, los dos grandes beneficiados si hay repetición electoral . es . La Razón . 20 July 2024.
  7. Web site: Baròmetre d’Opinió Política. 2a onada 2024 . ca . CEO . 18 July 2024.
  8. Web site: [A] Cataluña. Encuesta Hamalgama Métrica 08/07/2024: PSC 29,4% (44), Cat-Junts+ 22,8% (36), PP 11,7% (16), ERC 11,6% (17), Vox 8,3% (11), Comuns Sumar 5,0% (5), Aliança.cat 3,9% (3), CUP-DT 3,6% (3) ]. es . Electográfica . 8 July 2024.
  9. Web site: La caída de ERC en otras elecciones catalanas dejaría a Illa sin tripartito y en manos de PP y Vox . es . The Objective . 28 June 2024.
  10. Web site: La repetición electoral mantiene la ingobernabilidad catalana y descalabra a ERC, Comunes y la CUP . es . Crónica Global . 17 June 2024.
  11. Web site: La repetición electoral beneficia al PSC y perjudica a Esquerra: el bloque separatista seguiría hundiéndose . es . La Razón . 12 June 2024.
  12. Web site: Baròmetre d’Opinió Política. 2a onada 2024. Taules estadístiques . ca . CEO . 18 July 2024.
  13. Web site: Barómetro laSexta. Un 66% de los catalanes cree que el presidente de la Generalitat debe ser Salvador Illa . es . laSexta . 18 May 2024.