Spanish general election, 2011

Spanish general election, 2011
2008 ←
 November 20, 2011
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All 350 seats of the Congress of Deputies and 208 of 266 seats in the Senate
176 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies
Turnout 68.94%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Mariano Rajoy Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba Cayo Lara
Party People's Party Spanish Socialist Workers' Party United Left
Leader since 4 September 2003 9 July 2011 14 December 2008
Leader's seat Madrid Madrid Madrid
Last election 154 seats, 39.94% 169 seats, 43.87% 2 seats, 3.77%
Seats won 186 110 11
Seat change 32 59 9
Popular vote 10,866,566 7,003,511 1,685,991
Percentage 44.63% 28.76% 6.92%
Swing 4.69% 15.11% 3.15%
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Rosa Díez Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida Iñaki Antigüedad
Party Union, Progress and Democracy Convergence and Union Amaiur
Leader since 26 September 2007 14 March 2004 27 September 2011
Leader's seat Madrid Barcelona Vizcaya
Last election 1 seat, 1.19% 10 seats, 3.03% N/A
Seats won 5 16 7
Seat change 4 6 7
Popular vote 1,143,225 1,015,691 334,498
Percentage 4.70% 4.17% 1.37%
Swing 3.51% 1.14% 1.37%
Most voted party in each province, PSOE (red) and PP (blue). Every province is a multi-member district for the Congress.
Prime Minister before election

Jose Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

 Elected Prime Minister

Mariano Rajoy
People's Party

A legislative election for the Cortes Generales in Spain was held on 20 November 2011. The elections were for 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies, and the 208 directly elected seats in the upper house, the Senate, determining the Prime Minister of Spain. The elections were commonly referred to as 20-N throughout the electoral campaign.

New records were set at the elections. The ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party under Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba was badly punished at the polls, winning only 110 seats and 28.8% of the share, their worst result in a Spanish general election since transition to democracy. In contrast, Mariano Rajoy's People's Party won a comfortable absolute majority of 186 seats with 44.6% of the share, setting a record in the party's history with a result second only to that of the PSOE in 1982.

Rubalcaba's party's poor performance came as a result of Spain's high unemployment rate, the highest in the European Union, as well as previous PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's government's handling of the economic situation after the severe financial crisis that had been affecting the country since 2008.

Contents

Background

The outgoing Spanish government was led by Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who announced that he would not run for a third term. Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba was the party's candidate for Prime Minister, as he was the only candidate in the leadership election in his party.[1] The other major national party, People's Party, was led by Mariano Rajoy for the third successive time after defeats in the 2004 and 2008 elections and fresh from its recently-won landslide victory in the regional elections.

Electoral breakthrough

The end of the legislature presided over by PM José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero was initially scheduled for March 2012, but on 29 July 2011, after being placed under pressure by some sectors within his party to do so, Zapatero announced his intention to call early elections, setting the election date for November 20. "I want a new government to take control of the economy from January 1st next year," said Zapatero. "It is convenient to hold elections this fall so a new government can take charge of the economy in 2012, fresh from the balloting."[2]

This decision made these elections the 7th early election since Spain's transition to democracy.[3]

Overview

The Congress of Deputies consists of 350 members, elected in 50 multi-member districts using the D'Hondt method, with Ceuta and Melilla electing one member each using plurality voting.[4]

Apportionment

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Under Article 68 of the Spanish constitution, the boundaries of the electoral districts must be the same as the provinces of Spain and, under Article 141, this can only be altered with the approval of Congress.[5]

The apportionment of seats to provinces follows the largest remainder method over the resident population ("Padrón") with a minimum of two seats (cf. Art. 162 of the Electoral Law).[6]

Electoral system

Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. The electoral system used is closed list proportional representation with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method. Only lists which poll 3% of the total vote (which includes votes "en blanco", i.e., for none of the above) can be considered. Under articles 12 and 68 of the constitution, the minimum voting age is 18.[5]

Criticism

Apportionment displays some incoherence since the population count includes non-voting foreigners but excludes voting citizens living abroad. Another oddity is that apportionment and the election itself use different rules. Lastly, as in most countries (Scandinavia being an exception), the minimum seat requirement generates malapportionment i.e, the fact that a Soria voter weights 4 times more than a Madrid voter (using official 2010 population data).[7]

Eligibility

Article 67.3 of the Spanish Constitution prohibits dual membership of both chambers of the Cortes or of the Cortes and regional assemblies, meaning that candidates must resign from regional assemblies if elected. Article 70 also makes active judges, magistrates, public defenders, serving military personnel, active police officers and members of constitutional and electoral tribunals ineligible.[5] Additionally, under Article 11 of the Political Parties Law, June 2002 (Ley Orgánica 6/2002, de 27 de junio, de Partidos Políticos), parties and individual candidates may be prevented from standing by the Spanish Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo), if they are judged to have violated Article 9 of that law which prohibits parties which are perceived to discriminate against people on the basis of ideology, religion, beliefs, nationality, race, gender or sexual orientation (Article 9a), foment or organise violence as a means of achieving political objectives (Article 9b) or support or compliment the actions of "terrorist organisations" (Article 9c).[8] Article 55, Section 2 of the 1985 electoral law also disqualifies director generals or equivalent leaders of state monopolies and public bodies such as the Spanish state broadcaster RTVE.[9] Lastly, following changes to the electoral law which took effect for the 2007 municipal elections, candidates' lists must be composed of at least 40% of candidates of either gender and each group of five candidates must contain at least two males and two females.[10]

Presenting candidates

Parties and coalitions of different parties which have registered with the Electoral Commission can present lists of candidates (Article 44, 1985 electoral law). Groups of electors which have not registered with the commission can also present lists, provided that they obtain the signatures of 1% of registered electors in a particular district (Article 169).[9]

Currently, the autonomous regions that hold the largest representation of seats in Congress are Andalusia, with 61 seats; Catalonia, with 47 seats; and Madrid, with 35. Historically, these three autonomous regions have played a key role in determining the final outcome of the national elections.[11]

Since 1982 the two most voted parties, PP and PSOE, have become the two main national parties. Since then, a number of minority parties have struggled for the distant third place (IU, the nationalist CiU and the now-defunct CDS), with IU usually winning the highest number of votes but with CiU getting the most seats.

Political parties

Spain has more than 50 registered national parties, but fewer than 10 are considered significant. Since 1982, only 2 political parties have won in Spanish national elections:[11]

At the 2008 General elections the only two other nationally represented parties which won seats were the United Left and the Union, Progress and Democracy.[11] A number of other regional parties also won seats, which were Convergence and Union and Republican Left in Catalonia, the Basque Nationalist Party in the Basque Country, the Galician Nationalist Bloc in Galicia, the Canarian Coalition in the Canary Islands and the Navarrese People's Union and Nafarroa Bai in Navarre.

At a local level there are many other parties, but none of them are considered to be of significance at a national level. This does not mean that they play a small role. Some of these parties are considered key strategic players at a national level in the event of a hung parliament (where no single party wins a majority of seats). However, not all parties are able to run for elections due to a change in the law.[12] For an updated list please see the following link.

Outgoing Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero said he would not seek a third term in office, thus forcing the Socialist Party to hold a primary to choose a new leader after 22 May local elections. This was also read as problematic for Spain's efforts to curb its deficit amidst the European sovereign debt crisis. His austerity measures had been appreciated by investors which led to Spanish bond yields falling despite neighbour Portugal's bond yields soaring.[13]

Opinion polls

Opinion polling for major parties is as such (included only significant parties at the national level. CiU also included due to their comparatively large parliamentary representation):

Date(s) Conducted Polling institute PSOE PP IU CiU UPyD Others / undecided Lead
20 November 2011 Election Results 28.8%
110 seats		 44.6%
186 seats		 6.9%
11 seats		 4.2%
16 seats		 4.7%
5 seats		 10.8%
22 seats		 15.8%
20 November Exit Poll - Demoscopia 30.0%
115 – 119 seats		 43.5%
181 – 185 seats		 6.7%
9 – 11 seats		 3.4%
13 – 15 seats		 4.3%
3 – 4 seats		 12.1%
16 – 29 seats		 13.5%
20 November Exit Poll - NC Report 31.7%
112 – 116 seats		 45.5%
186 – 192 seats		 7.9%
11 seats		 3.3%
13 seats		 2.4%
2 seats		 9.2%
16 – 26 seats		 13.8%
14 November NC Report [7] 31.0%
115 seats		 45.9%
188 seats		 7.2%
11 seats		 3.3%
13 seats		 2.8%
2 seats		 9.8%
21 seats		 14.9%
14 November Opina 32.0% 45.0% 6.7% 3.5% 3.0% 9.8% 13.0%
13 November Metroscopia 30.9%
110 – 113 seats		 45.4%
192 – 196 seats		 8.8%
11 seats		 3.3%
14 seats		 4.2%
2 seats		 7.4%
14 – 21 seats		 14.5%
13 November Sigma Dos 29.8%
112 seats		 47.6%
198 seats		 5.7%
7 seats		 3.8%
14 seats		 3.0%
3 seats		 10.1%
16 seats		 17.8%
13 November Gesop 30.2%
115 – 118 seats		 46.2%
188 – 192 seats		 —
8 – 10 seats		 —
13 – 14 seats		 —
4 seats		 —
12 – 22 seats		 16.0%
13 November Tábula V 31.3%
121 – 123 seats		 45.2%
184 – 187 seats		 8.9%
9 – 10 seats		 3.2%
11 – 13 seats		 3.2%
2 – 3 seats		 8.2%
14 – 23 seats		 13.9%
13 November DYM [8] 34.2%
123 – 126 seats		 46.5%
187 – 188 seats		 —
7 seats		 —
12 – 14 seats		 —
2 – 3 seats		 —
12 – 19 seats		 12.3%
13 November Noxa Consulting 30.3%
116 – 120 seats		 44.7%
184 – 189 seats		 7.8%
8 – 10 seats		 3.3%
12 – 14 seats		 4.6%
3 – 4 seats		 9.3%
13 – 27 seats		 14.4%
12 November Metroscopia [9] 30.9%
110 – 113 seats		 45.4%
192 – 196 seats		 8.8%
11 seats		 3.3%
14 seats		 4.2%
2 seats		 7.4%
13 – 21 seats		 14.5%
12 November Fundación Ortega-Marañon [10] 28.7% 47.7% 7.6% 3.4% 4.2% 8.4% 19.0%
12 November GAD3 [11] [12] 31.8%
115 – 118 seats		 45.4%
185 – 192 seats		 5.6%
8 seats		 3.3%
13 seats		 3.4%
3 seats		 10.5%
16 – 26 seats		 13.6%
10 November Celeste Tel 31.5%
118 – 120 seats		 44.7%
186 – 188 seats		 7.0%
9 – 10 seats		 3.3%
12 – 13 seats		 2.6%
2 seats		 10.9%
17 – 23 seats		 13.2%
6 November NC Report 31.3%
119 seats		 46.0%
185 seats		 —
11 seats		 —
13 seats		 —
2 seats		 —
20 seats		 14.7%
6 November Sigma Dos 30.6%
117 seats		 47.6%
194 seats		 5.3%
6 seats		 3.5%
13 seats		 3.0%
3 seats		 10.0%
17 seats		 17.0%
4 November GAD3 32.7%
120 – 127 seats		 45.2%
182 – 189 seats		 5.1%
4 – 7 seats		 3.3%
11 – 14 seats		 3.4%
2 – 3 seats		 10.3%
10 – 31 seats		 12.5%
2 November Sigma Dos 30.7%
117 seats		 47.4%
193 seats		 5.4%
6 seats		 3.5%
13 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 9.9%
18 seats		 16.7%
November CIS 29.9%
116 – 121 seats		 46.6%
190 – 195 seats		 6.2%
8 seats		 3.3%
13 seats		 2.9%
3 seats		 11.1%
10 – 20 seats		 16.7%
31 October NC Report 31.4%
118 – 120 seats		 45.9%
184 – 187 seats		 7.4%
10 – 11 seats		 2.9%
12 seats		 2.8%
2 – 3 seats		 9.6%
17 – 24 seats		 14.5%
30 October Sigma Dos 31.0%
119 seats		 47.4%
191 seats		 5.3%
6 seats		 3.5%
13 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 9.7%
18 seats		 16.4%
30 October Metroscopia 30.3% 45.3% 6.0% — 4.2% — 15.0%
30 October Celeste Tel 32.3%
120 – 121 seats		 46.1%
186 – 188 seats		 6.8%
8 – 9 seats		 3.3%
12 – 13 seats		 2.8%
2 seats		 8.7%
17 – 22 seats		 13.8%
29 October TEMAS [13] 32.2% 46.3% 4.9% 2.8% 4.4% 9.4% 14.1%
28 October NC Report 31.4%
118 – 120 seats		 45.9%
184 – 187 seats		 7.4%
10 – 11 seats		 2.9%
12 seats		 2.8%
2 – 3 seats		 9.6%
17 – 24 seats		 14.5%
26 October Sigma Dos 31.3%
121 seats		 47.5%
191 seats		 5.3%
6 seats		 3.3%
13 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 9.5%
16 seats		 16.2%
24 October Público 33.1% 44.7% 6.7% 2.7% 2.6% 10.2% 11.6%
23 October NC Report 31.2%
115 – 118 seats		 46.2%
186 – 189 seats		 7.2%
10 – 11 seats		 3.1%
13 seats		 3.1%
2 – 3 seats		 9.2%
16 – 24 seats		 15.0%
23 October Sigma Dos 30.7%
119 seats		 47.8%
194 seats		 5.4%
6 seats		 3.4%
13 seats		 3.2%
3 seats		 9.5%
15 seats		 17.1%
17 October NC Report 30.9%
115 – 117 seats		 46.4%
187 – 190 seats		 7.0%
10 – 11 seats		 3.3%
13 – 14 seats		 2.9%
2 – 3 seats		 9.5%
15 – 23 seats		 15.5%
16 October Metroscopia 29.7%
115 – 120 seats		 45.5%
185 – 190 seats		 7.6% — 4.5% — 15.8%
16 October Sigma Dos 30.8%
117 seats		 48.0%
196 seats		 5.3%
6 seats		 3.4%
13 seats		 3.0%
3 seats		 9.5%
15 seats		 17.2%
11 October Sigma Dos 31.4%
121 seats		 47.6%
193 seats		 5.2%
6 seats		 3.3%
13 seats		 3.0%
3 seats		 9.5%
14 seats		 16.2%
10 October Celeste Tel 32.7%
120 – 122 seats		 45.5%
185 – 187 seats		 6.8%
9 – 10 seats		 3.3%
12 – 13 seats		 3.0%
2 seats		 8.7%
16 – 22 seats		 12.8%
9 October NC Report [14] 30.6%
114 – 116 seats		 45.9%
182 – 184 seats		 7.2%
11 – 12 seats		 —
14 – 15 seats		 — — 15.3%
9 October Sigma Dos 31.6%
122 seats		 47.8%
193 seats		 5.2%
6 seats		 3.2%
12 seats		 2.9%
3 seats		 9.3%
14 seats		 16.2%
8 October Noxa Consulting 33.0%
115 – 122 seats		 46.0%
186 – 192 seats		 —
4 seats		 —
11 – 12 seats		 —
2 – 4 seats		 —
16 – 32 seats		 13.0%
5 October Celeste Tel 32.1%
120 seats		 45.1%
183 seats		 7.0%
11 seats		 3.5%
13 seats		 2.9%
2 seats		 9.4%
21 seats		 13.0%
2 October NC Report 30.6%
116 – 118 seats		 46.1%
183 – 185 seats		 6.8%
10 – 12 seats		 3.6%
13 – 15 seats		 3.0%
2 – 3 seats		 9.9%
17 – 26 seats		 15.5%
2 October Sigma Dos 31.8% 47.4% 5.0% 3.2% 3.1% 9.5% 15.6%
30 September Tábula V —
115 seats		 —
189 seats		 —
8 seats		 —
14 seats		 —
3 seats		 —
21 seats		 —
30 September Celeste Tel 31.3%
121 seats		 44.0%
179 seats		 7.4%
11 seats		 3.6%
14 seats		 2.9%
3 seats		 10.8%
22 seats		 12.7%
26 September Gesop 31.4%
121 – 125 seats		 46.1%
185 – 189 seats		 4.7%
4 – 6 seats		 3.7%
14 – 15 seats		 5.0%
4 – 6 seats		 9.1%
9 – 22 seats		 14.7%
20 September Celeste Tel 31.5%
128 seats		 44.2%
176 seats		 6.9%
9 seats		 3.8%
14 seats		 2.9%
3 seats		 10.7%
19 seats		 12.7%
12 September Metroscopia 30.4% 44.8% 6.2% — 4.4% 14.2% 14.4%
12 September Opina 32.0% 45.0% 6.5% 4.0% 2.0% 10.5% 13.0%
9 September GAD3 31.1%
128 seats		 45.1%
180 seats		 6.1%
8 seats		 3.4%
13 seats		 3.9%
4 seats		 10.4%
17 seats		 14.0%
4 September Sigma Dos 32.3% 47.1% 5.0% 3.2% 3.5% 8.9% 14.8%
28 August NC Report 30.8%
117 – 119 seats		 46.5%
182 – 185 seats		 6.2%
6 – 7 seats		 3.8%
14 – 16 seats		 3.2%
3 – 4 seats		 9.5%
19 – 28 seats		 15.7%
7 August DYM 35.0% 47.6% 4.7% 3.5% 1.8% 7.4% 12.6%
August Metroscopia 30.8% 44.8% — — — — 14.0%
30 July NC Report 30.9%
118 – 121 seats		 46.9%
183 – 186 seats		 6.6%
7 – 8 seats		 3.8%
12 – 14 seats		 3.2%
4 seats		 8.6%
17 – 26 seats		 16.0%
29 July: Zapatero calls an early election set to take place on 20 November.[14]
27 July Onda Cero 36.0% 43.1% — — — — 7.1%
10 July Celeste Tel 34.3%
137 seats		 44.2%
170 seats		 5.9%
8 seats		 3.9%
14 seats		 3.2%
3 seats		 8.5%
17 seats		 9.9%
8 July GAD3 30.9% 46.4% 6.1% 3.5% 3.4% 9.7% 15.5%
4 July NC Report 31.0%
118 – 122 seats		 47.1%
182 – 185 seats		 7.0%
7 – 8 seats		 3.7%
12 – 13 seats		 3.3%
4 – 5 seats		 7.9%
17 – 27 seats		 16.1%
July CIS 36.0% 43.1% 5.1% 3.1% 3.0% 9.7% 7.1%
27 June Opina 38.0% 47.0% 3.5% 3.0% 1.5% 7.0% 9.0%
13 June: Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba becomes the de-facto PSOE candidate for the next general elections.[15]
10 June GAD3 30.7% 46.6% 6.2% 3.6% 3.2% 9.7% 15.9%
10 June Celeste Tel 32.8%
133 seats		 45.5%
173 seats		 6.5%
8 seats		 3.9%
15 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 8.2%
17 seats		 12.7%
6 June NC Report 31.5%
120 – 123 seats		 47.2%
186 – 187 seats		 6.4%
7 – 8 seats		 3.9%
13 – 14 seats		 3.2%
4 – 5 seats		 7.8%
13 – 20 seats		 15.7%
4 June Sigma Dos 32.1% 45.9% 5.8% 3.5% 3.6% 9.1% 13.8%
3 June Gesop 35.3%
133 – 137 seats		 44.0%
176 – 180 seats		 5.8%
7 – 9 seats		 3.0%
12 – 13 seats		 4.1%
4 – 5 seats		 7.8%
6 – 18 seats		 8.7%
22 May: Opposition People's Party wins a landslide victory in 2011 regional elections.
10 May Celeste Tel 32.0%
133 seats		 46.2%
173 seats		 6.8%
6 seats		 4.0%
14 seats		 3.1%
4 seats		 7.9%
19 seats		 14.2%
1 May DYM 35.5% 44.5% 6.0% 3.9% 2.5% 7.6% 9.0%
May Metroscopia 31.7% 44.3% — — — — 12.6%
25 April Público 37.8% 40.1% 7.2% 3.9% 2.3% 8.7% 2.3%
11 April Opina 35.0% 47.0% 4.3% 3.5% 1.5% 8.7% 12.0%
10 April Celeste Tel 32.3%
136 seats		 46.1%
172 seats		 6.6%
7 seats		 4.1%
14 seats		 3.0%
4 seats		 7.9%
16 seats		 13.8%
4 April NC Report 31.6%
123 – 124 seats		 46.8%
185 – 187 seats		 6.6%
8 – 10 seats		 3.9%
13 – 14 seats		 3.4%
3 – 4 seats		 7.7%
11 – 18 seats		 15.2%
2 April: José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero announces his intention not to seek a third term as prime minister in the next general election.[16]
April CIS 33.4% 43.8% 5.2% 3.5% 3.5% 10.6% 10.4%
28 March Público 30.2% 43.5% 8.1% 3.7% 4.8% 9.7% 13.3%
24 March Demoscopia 29.6% 46.0% — — — — 16.4%
13 March Sigma Dos 31.4% 47.9% 6.2% 3.2% 2.4% 8.9% 16.5%
10 March Celeste Tel 32.9%
138 seats		 45.9%
170 seats		 6.5%
8 seats		 3.9%
14 seats		 3.2%
4 seats		 7.6%
15 seats		 13.0%
6 March Metroscopia 28.1% 44.0% — — — — 15.9%
28 February Público 30.7% 44.4% 7.1% 3.8% 4.3% 9.7% 13.7%
28 February NC Report 33.0%
123 – 125 seats		 46.0%
184 – 187 seats		 6.3%
8 – 10 seats		 3.8%
13 – 14 seats		 3.3%
3 – 4 seats		 7.6%
10 – 19 seats		 13.0%
24 February Demoscopia 31.1% 45.8% 7.1% 3.4% 3.5% 9.1% 14.7%
10 February Celeste Tel 34.7%
141 seats		 45.0%
171 seats		 6.4%
6 seats		 4.0%
14 seats		 3.3%
4 seats		 6.6%
14 seats		 10.3%
3 February Opina 34.0% 44.0% 5.5% 3.0% 2.0% 11.5% 10.0%
24 January Público 30.9% 44.0% 7.5% 4.8% 2.9% 9.9% 13.1%
21 January Demoscopia 30.2% 47.0% 7.6% 3.3% 2.8% 9.1% 16.8%
14 January Opina 34.0% 45.0% 6.0% 3.5% 3.4% 8.1% 11.0%
13 January GAD3 31.3%
120 seats		 46.5%
189 seats		 6.2%
9 seats		 3.6%
15 seats		 3.7%
3 seats		 8.7%
14 seats		 15.2%
10 January Celeste Tel 34.4%
139 seats		 45.2%
172 seats		 6.6%
7 seats		 4.0%
14 seats		 3.5%
4 seats		 6.3%
14 seats		 10.8%
January CIS 34.0% 44.1% 5.7% 3.9% 2.9% 9.4% 10.1%
2011
24 December Gesop 31.0%
120 – 124 seats		 44.5%
178 – 182 seats		 7.4%
13 – 15 seats		 4.0%
15 – 16 seats		 4.2%
4 – 5 seats		 8.9%
8 – 20 seats		 13.5%
20 December Público 30.0% 43.2% 7.5% 4.5% 4.5% 10.3% 13.2%
15 December GAD3 31.7%
123 seats		 46.2%
189 seats		 5.9%
8 seats		 3.6%
15 seats		 3.1%
2 seats		 9.5%
13 seats		 14.5%
10 December Celeste Tel 34.7%
138 seats		 44.8%
173 seats		 6.7%
7 seats		 4.1%
14 seats		 3.5%
4 seats		 6.2%
14 seats		 10.1%
8 December NC Report 30.6%
124 – 125 seats		 47.6%
186 – 188 seats		 7.6%
10 – 14 seats		 4.3%
14 – 15 seats		 3.7%
3 – 4 seats		 6.2%
4 – 13 seats		 17.0%
December Metroscopia 24.3% 43.1% — — — — 18.8%
21 November NC Report 32.8%
128 – 130 seats		 46.3%
179 – 182 seats		 7.2%
10 – 11 seats		 4.2%
14 – 15 seats		 3.4%
3 – 4 seats		 6.1%
8 – 12 seats		 13.5%
18 November Demoscopia 32.1% 45.1% 7.1% 3.5% 3.2% 9.0% 13.0%
15 November Público 33.2% 41.2% 6.5% 4.0% 4.5% 10.6% 8.0%
10 November Celeste Tel 34.8%
138 seats		 44.4%
172 seats		 6.9%
8 seats		 4.0%
14 seats		 3.6%
4 seats		 6.3%
14 seats		 9.6%
November Metroscopia 33.8% 42.9% — — — — 9.1%
29 October Opina 37.5% 45.0% 5.5% 3.5% 3.4% 5.1% 7.5%
20 October: Zapatero announces his second major cabinet reshuffle.[17]
15 October GAD3 33.9%
130 seats		 43.6%
178 seats		 6.3%
10 seats		 3.5%
14 seats		 3.6%
3 seats		 9.1%
15 seats		 9.7%
11 October Público 29.4% 42.8% 6.9% 4.8% 5.4% 10.7% 13.4%
10 October Celeste Tel 35.0%
140 seats		 44.0%
169 seats		 6.7%
8 seats		 3.8%
14 seats		 3.5%
4 seats		 7.0%
15 seats		 9.0%
8 October Opina 34.0% 46.5% 6.0% 4.0% 3.0% 6.5% 12.5%
October Metroscopia 28.5% 42.9% — — — — 14.4%
October CIS 34.3% 42.2% 6.2% 3.5% 4.1% 9.7% 7.9%
13 September NC Report 35.4%
136 – 138 seats		 45.4%
173 – 175 seats		 6.2%
8 – 9 seats		 4.1%
13 – 14 seats		 3.6%
3 – 4 seats		 5.3%
10 – 17 seats		 10.0%
10 September Celeste Tel 35.2%
147 seats		 43.8%
165 seats		 6.4%
8 seats		 3.7%
13 seats		 3.3%
3 seats		 7.6%
14 seats		 8.6%
31 August Opina 36.5% 44.5% 6.0% 3.5% 2.5% 7.0% 8.0%
10 August Celeste Tel 35.8%
147 seats		 43.9%
166 seats		 6.3%
7 seats		 3.6%
13 seats		 3.2%
3 seats		 7.2%
14 seats		 8.1%
12 July NC Report 35.8%
137 – 139 seats		 45.2%
173 – 175 seats		 6.3%
8 – 9 seats		 3.7%
13 – 14 seats		 3.6%
3 – 4 seats		 5.4%
9 – 16 seats		 9.4%
10 July Celeste Tel 36.1%
147 seats		 43.8%
165 seats		 5.9%
7 seats		 3.6%
13 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 7.5%
15 seats		 7.7%
July Metroscopia 34.5% 43.3% — — — — 8.8%
July CIS 34.9% 41.2% 5.4% 4.1% 3.8% 10.6% 6.3%
14 June Público 33.1% 41.7% 7.5% 3.5% 5.5% 8.7% 8.6%
14 June DYM 33.5% 45.3% 6.4% 4.2% 2.9% 7.7% 11.8%
10 June Celeste Tel 36.8%
149 seats		 43.5%
163 seats		 5.9%
7 seats		 3.6%
13 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 7.1%
15 seats		 6.7%
31 May NC Report 36.0%
137 – 139 seats		 45.0%
172 – 174 seats		 6.0%
8 – 9 seats		 3.5%
12 – 13 seats		 3.7%
3 – 4 seats		 5.8%
11 – 18 seats		 9.0%
30 May Sigma Dos 35.1% 45.6% 5.1% 3.3% 3.0% 7.9% 10.5%
24 May Público 34.1% 40.4% 6.5% 3.2% 6.4% 9.4% 6.3%
14 May Demoscopia 32.1% 44.3% 7.0% 3.5% 4.2% 8.9% 12.2%
10 May Celeste Tel 38.2%
153 seats		 42.9%
161 seats		 5.5%
5 seats		 3.5%
13 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 6.8%
15 seats		 4.7%
May Metroscopia 33.7% 42.8% — — — — 9.1%
30 April Demoscopia 36.1% 41.5% 5.4% 3.1% 3.0% 10.9% 5.4%
10 April Celeste Tel 38.3%
152 seats		 42.8%
162 seats		 5.5%
5 seats		 3.5%
13 seats		 3.0%
3 seats		 6.9%
15 seats		 4.5%
April CIS 38.0% 39.5% 5.8% 3.6% 3.3% 9.8% 1.5%
16 March Demoscopia 34.5% 41.4% 6.0% 3.0% 4.1% 11.0% 6.9%
10 March Celeste Tel 38.5%
153 seats		 42.6%
162 seats		 5.4%
5 seats		 3.4%
12 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 7.0%
15 seats		 4.1%
10 February Celeste Tel 38.1%
150 seats		 42.7%
162 seats		 5.8%
7 seats		 3.5%
12 seats		 3.6%
3 seats		 6.3%
16 seats		 4.6%
7 February Sigma Dos 38.5% 43.5% 4.5% 3.1% 2.0% 8.4% 5.0%
February Metroscopia 37.5% 43.4% — — — — 5.9%
29 January Demoscopia 35.0% 41.2% 5.4% 2.9% 3.6% 11.9% 6.2%
10 January Celeste Tel 38.5%
151 seats		 42.6%
163 seats		 5.5%
5 seats		 3.4%
12 seats		 3.4%
3 seats		 6.6%
16 seats		 4.1%
January CIS 36.2% 40.0% 6.1% 3.7% 4.4% 9.6% 3.8%
2010
10 December Celeste Tel 38.6%
152 seats		 42.4%
162 seats		 5.3%
5 seats		 3.4%
12 seats		 3.2%
3 seats		 7.1%
16 seats		 3.8%
10 November Celeste Tel 38.8%
152 seats		 42.4%
162 seats		 5.3%
5 seats		 3.4%
12 seats		 3.4%
3 seats		 6.7%
16 seats		 3.6%
November Metroscopia 39.9% 40.3% — — — — 0.4%
12 October Público 38.0% 43.0% 4.4% 2.2% 5.2% 7.2% 5.0%
10 October Celeste Tel 39.6%
153 seats		 42.0%
161 seats		 5.2%
5 seats		 3.4%
12 seats		 3.2%
3 seats		 6.6%
16 seats		 2.4%
4 October Noxa Consulting 38.0%
151 seats		 42.4%
169 seats		 5.5%
4 seats		 2.5%
9 seats		 4.4%
4 seats		 7.2%
13 seats		 4.4%
October CIS 37.7% 41.0% 4.7% 3.7% 3.7% 9.2% 3.3%
10 September Celeste Tel 39.9%
154 seats		 41.8%
160 seats		 5.1%
5 seats		 3.3%
12 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 6.8%
16 seats		 1.9%
10 July Celeste Tel 40.1%
155 seats		 41.7%
159 seats		 5.1%
5 seats		 3.2%
12 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 6.8%
16 seats		 1.6%
July Metroscopia 38.7% 41.8% — — — — 3.1%
July CIS 39.0% 40.2% 4.6% 3.4% 3.2% 9.6% 1.2%
10 June Celeste Tel 39.7%
155 seats		 42.0%
159 seats		 5.3%
5 seats		 3.3%
12 seats		 3.3%
3 seats		 6.4%
16 seats		 2.3%
25 May Público 41.1% 42.2% 3.7% 2.6% 3.5% 6.9% 1.1%
10 May Celeste Tel 39.9%
157 seats		 41.1%
158 seats		 5.5%
4 seats		 3.3%
12 seats		 3.4%
3 seats		 6.8%
16 seats		 1.2%
5 May NC Report 39.1%
156 – 158 seats		 41.5%
160 – 162 seats		 5.6%
3 – 6 seats		 3.3%
11 – 12 seats		 3.3%
2 – 3 seats		 7.2%
9 – 18 seats		 2.4%
27 April Público 40.0% 42.3% 3.8% 2.8% 3.5% 7.6% 2.3%
10 April Celeste Tel 40.1%
160 seats		 40.9%
156 seats		 5.4%
4 seats		 3.3%
11 seats		 3.3%
3 seats		 7.0%
16 seats		 0.8%
7 April: Zapatero announces a major cabinet reshuffle.[18]
5 April Público 39.2% 40.7% 5.0% 3.2% 3.7% 8.2% 1.5%
April CIS 40.8% 40.0% 4.5% 3.4% 2.9% 8.4% 0.8%
30 March NC Report 39.9%
157 – 159 seats		 40.8%
158 – 161 seats		 5.5%
4 – 5 seats		 3.4%
11 – 12 seats		 3.3%
3 seats		 7.1%
10 – 17 seats		 0.9%
10 March Celeste Tel 40.4%
161 seats		 40.7%
154 seats		 5.3%
4 seats		 3.1%
11 seats		 3.2%
3 seats		 7.3%
17 seats		 0.3%
21 February Gesop 41.0% 38.5% 4.8% 2.8% 4.4% 8.5% 2.5%
10 February Celeste Tel 40.6%
162 seats		 40.3%
152 seats		 5.2%
4 seats		 3.2%
12 seats		 3.3%
3 seats		 7.4%
17 seats		 0.3%
30 January Público 40.2% 36.7% 5.0% 2.7% 6.0% 9.4% 3.5%
10 January Celeste Tel 40.8%
162 seats		 40.6%
153 seats		 5.2%
4 seats		 3.1%
12 seats		 3.1%
3 seats		 7.0%
16 seats		 0.2%
2 January Sigma Dos 42.6% 39.7% 3.4% 3.2% 3.1% 8.0% 2.9%
2 January NC Report 41.6%
162 – 164 seats		 39.6%
151 – 153 seats		 4.9%
4 – 5 seats		 3.3%
11 – 12 seats		 3.2%
3 – 4 seats		 7.4%
12 – 19 seats		 2.0%
1 January Público 41.3% 38.9% 4.5% 2.6% 3.5% 9.2% 2.4%
January CIS 39.7% 39.5% 4.5% 3.4% 3.1% 9.8% 0.2%
2009
1 December Público 41.3% 39.2% 4.0% 3.2% 4.0% 9.8% 2.1%
1 December Celeste Tel 40.9%
162 seats		 40.5%
156 seats		 5.1%
4 seats		 3.2%
11 seats		 2.7%
3 seats		 7.6%
14 seats		 0.4%
24 November DYM 41.9% 42.2% 3.7% — — — 0.3%
3 November Público 39.4% 39.4% 3.4% 3.8% 4.2% 9.8% 0.0%
2 November Gesop 40.2% 41.3% 4.8% 2.9% 2.9% 8.9% 1.1%
1 November Celeste Tel 41.2%
163 seats		 40.9%
156 seats		 5.0%
4 seats		 3.1%
11 seats		 2.7%
2 seats		 7.1%
14 seats		 0.3%
1 October Celeste Tel 41.4%
163 seats		 40.6%
155 seats		 5.0%
4 seats		 3.0%
12 seats		 2.8%
2 seats		 7.2%
14 seats		 0.8%
October CIS 39.7% 39.7% 4.3% 3.8% 2.9% 9.6% 0.0%
28 September Público 38.6% 39.4% 4.5% 3.2% 2.8% 11.5% 0.8%
1 September Celeste Tel 41.4%
161 seats		 40.5%
154 seats		 5.2%
5 seats		 3.3%
11 seats		 2.8%
3 seats		 6.8%
16 seats		 0.9%
1 August Celeste Tel 41.8%
162 seats		 40.2%
154 seats		 5.1%
5 seats		 3.3%
11 seats		 2.7%
3 seats		 6.9%
15 seats		 1.6%
1 July Celeste Tel 42.4%
164 seats		 40.3%
153 seats		 4.4%
3 seats		 3.3%
11 seats		 2.7%
3 seats		 6.9%
16 seats		 2.1%
July CIS 39.5% 39.3% 4.8% 3.3% 2.5% 10.6% 0.2%
1 June Celeste Tel 43.4%
168 seats		 39.6%
152 seats		 4.3%
2 seats		 3.4%
11 seats		 2.7%
3 seats		 6.6%
14 seats		 3.8%
1 May Celeste Tel 44.5%
169 seats		 39.4%
152 seats		 4.2%
2 seats		 3.3%
11 seats		 2.6%
2 seats		 6.0%
14 seats		 5.1%
1 April Celeste Tel 44.9%
171 seats		 39.5%
151 seats		 3.9%
2 seats		 3.0%
10 seats		 2.4%
2 seats		 6.3%
14 seats		 5.4%
April CIS 43.6% 37.6% 3.9% 3.2% 2.6% 9.1% 6.0%
9 March 2008 Election Results 43.9%
169 seats		 39.9%
154 seats		 3.8%
2 seats		 3.0%
10 seats		 1.2%
1 seat		 8.2%
14 seats		 4.0%

Results

As widely expected, the People's Party made significant gains in both chambers of the Cortes Generales during the elections and secured an absolute majority in both of them, with the incumbent Spanish Socialist Workers' Party conceding before complete results were confirmed. They experienced their worst defeat since the transition to democracy in the late 1970s.[19] Prime Minister-elect Mariano Rajoy acknowledged the difficult times Spain was facing, with its government debt yields at a record high. He said, "Today more than ever our destiny is played out in and with Europe. We will stop being part of the problem and start becoming part of the solution. There will be no miracles. We haven't promised any."[20]

Congress

This election saw the worst defeat for a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party candidate ever since the Spanish transition to democracy, losing 59 seats; the most seats lost by a party in Spain since the 1982 election, in which UCD lost 157 seats compared to the previous election (though by the time of the election, UCD's parliamentary group had been reduced from 168 to 123 seats, so the seat net loss was technically lower, though still substantial nonetheless[21]). This is one of the worst electoral results for a Spanish party in a general election since 1977: the PSOE lost more than 4 million votes. In sharp contrast, the (until then) opposition party, the PP, won just 500,000 votes in comparison to the previous election. Many PSOE voters, disenchanted because of the government's policies during the 2008–2011 Spanish financial crisis, either abstained from voting or switched their vote either to the smaller minority parties or to nationalist parties.

Virtually all parties benefited from the PSOE debacle. IU increased their vote by roughly 700,000 votes and gained 9 seats for a total of 11 seats in the Congress of Deputies; as did UPyD, which saw its vote increase from just 300,000 to 1,100,000 (almost 5% of the national vote) and gained 4 seats for a total of 5. Nationalist parties, such as CiU also gained ground, capitalizing on PSOE losses, with the exception of the PNV, which experienced losses due to the newly-born pro-independence Amaiur, which displaced it as the main nationalist force in the Basque Country.

The PSOE decline ensured a strong PP majority in almost every constituency: only 2 out of 52 electoral districts retained a PSOE majority, and by small margins. So far, this marks the only election in which PSOE did not win a single national region. Even Andalusia and Catalonia, which have always been considered PSOE strongholds, fell to the People's Party and to Convergence and Union, respectively (thus marking the first time a nationalist party wins Catalonia's vote in a general election).

The PP achieved their best ever results: with 186 seats out of 350 and almost 11 million votes. With 176 seats needed for a majority, Mariano Rajoy, PP leader, was thus able to form a majority government, ending the hung parliaments of the two previous legislatures under Socialist minority governments.

Popular vote
PP
  
 44.63%
PSOE
  
 28.76%
IU
  
 6.92%
UPyD
  
 4.70%
CiU
  
 4.17%
Amaiur
  
 1.37%
PNV
  
 1.33%
Others
  
 8.12%
Parliamentary seats
PP
  
 53.14%
PSOE
  
 31.43%
CiU
  
 4.57%
IU
  
 3.14%
Amaiur
  
 2.00%
UPyD
  
 1.43%
PNV
  
 1.43%
Others
  
 2.86%
e • d Summary of the 20 November 2011 Congress of Deputies elections results
Party Leader(s) Votes % +/– Seats +/–
People's Party (Partido Popular) Mariano Rajoy Brey 10,866,566 44.63 4.69 186 32
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español) Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba 7,003,511 28.76 15.11 110 59
Convergence and Union (Convergència i Unió) Artur Mas i Gavarró 1,015,691 4.17 1.14 16 6
United Left (Izquierda Unida) Cayo Lara Moya 1,685,991 6.92 3.15 11 9
Amaiur Iñaki Antigüedad Auzmendi 334,498 1.37 1.37 7 7
Union, Progress and Democracy (Unión, Progreso y Democracia) Rosa Díez González 1,143,225 4.70 3.51 5 4
Basque Nationalist Party (Euzko Alderdi Jeltzalea) Iñigo Urkullu Renteria 324,317 1.33 0.14 5 1
Republican Left of Catalonia (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) Oriol Junqueras i Vies 256,393 1.05 0.11 3 0
Galician Nationalist Bloc (Bloque Nacionalista Galego) Guillerme Vázquez Vázquez 184,037 0.75 0.08 2 0
Canarian Coalition (Coalición Canaria) Claudina Morales 143,881 0.59 0.09 2 0
Coalition Commitment (Coalició Compromís) Enric Morera i Català 125,306 0.51 0.39 1 1
Asturian Forum (Foru Asturies) Francisco Álvarez Cascos 99,473 0.40 0.41 1 1
Yes to the Future (Geroa Bai) Uxue Barkos Berruezo 42,415 0.17 0.17 1 1
Other parties 790,072 3.24 0.30 0 1
Valid votes 24,348,837 98.71 0.7
Invalid votes 317,555 1.29 0.6
Blank votes 333,461 1.35 0.2
Totals 24,666,392 100.00 — 350 —
Electorate and voter turnout 35,779,208 68.94 4.91
Source: Ministerio del Interior de España

Regional variations

Due to the mostly one-sided nature of the election and the PP's widely expected victory, there were no regions deemed crucial for a victory, as had happened in past elections. Rajoy's party experienced rises in almost every Spanish constituency. Of notable mention are the PSOE losses on Extremadura, Andalusia (to PP) and Catalonia (to CiU), all three of them considered PSOE strongholds for the entire democratic period of Spain running up from 1977 until now, with only Extremadura being lost for a second time (the first one was in the 2000 election, which also resulted in a heavy PSOE defeat). PP wins centered mostly on consolidating already secure majorities or into winning new ones, losing votes only in Navarra, Guipúzcoa, Vizcaya (in benefit of Amaiur) and Asturias (in benefit of the newly-created Asturian Forum party under former PP deputy Francisco Álvarez Cascos).

PSOE only retained two constituencies: Sevilla (with 41.7% of the vote to the PP's 38.7%) and Barcelona (with 27.8% to CiU's 27.2%). The voting in Barcelona was close, with Convergence and Union coming within 15,000 votes of winning all four Catalonian provinces and for the PSOE to lose one of their two remaining traditional strongholds.

Party vote share by electoral district
Electoral District PSOE
(2008)		 PP
(2008)		 PSOE
(2011)		 PP
(2011)		 PSOE
Change		 PP
Change
A Coruña 39.9 43.3 27.2 51.5 -12.7 8.2
Álava 40.8 26.5 23.4 27.2 -17.4 0.7
Albacete 45.5 47.6 30.1 55.1 -15.4 7.5
Alicante 41.1 52.4 27.0 55.2 -14.1 2.8
Almería 41.2 50.7 29.8 57.7 -10.4 7.0
Asturias 46.3 42.1 29.2 35.4 -17.1 -6.7
Ávila 34.5 59.2 22.9 62.0 -11.6 2.8
Badajoz 52.2 41.9 37.5 50.7 -14.7 8.8
Barcelona 46.7 16.8 27.8 21.0 -18.9 4.2
Burgos 40.3 50.7 27.9 54.3 -12.4 3.6
Cáceres 52.0 42.1 36.5 52.1 -15.5 10.0
Cádiz 51.0 38.3 32.8 47.1 -18.3 8.8
Cantabria 43.4 50.2 25.2 52.2 -18.2 2.0
Castellón 44.1 49.1 29.5 52.9 -14.6 3.8
Ceuta 40.2 55.5 20.2 66.0 -20.0 10.5
Ciudad Real 46.6 47.9 32.0 55.3 -14.6 7.4
Córdoba 50.7 37.7 36.3 44.6 -14.4 6.9
Cuenca 45.1 50.0 33.0 56.0 -12.1 6.0
Girona 39.5 12.2 21.4 16.2 -18.1 4.0
Granada 49.6 41.5 36.5 46.8 -13.1 5.3
Guadalajara 41.0 50.8 27.7 54.0 -13.3 3.2
Guipúzcoa 38.9 14.5 21.0 13.7 -17.9 -0.8
Huelva 55.6 35.1 40.6 43.9 -15.0 8.8
Huesca 47.4 37.8 33.7 48.6 -13.7 10.8
Islas Baleares 44.1 44.0 28.9 49.5 -15.2 5.5
Jaen 55.4 36.6 41.0 45.3 -14.4 8.7
La Rioja 43.6 49.6 31.1 54.7 -12.5 5.1
Las Palmas 42.5 39.9 26.1 51.1 -16.4 11.2
León 49.5 43.9 34.1 54.2 -15.4 10.3
Lleida 37.0 15.1 20.3 19.4 -16.7 4.3
Lugo 40.0 45.6 28.2 56.1 -11.8 10.5
Madrid 39.5 49.3 26.0 50.8 -13.5 1.5
Málaga 46.7 43.2 31.6 49.7 -15.1 6.5
Melilla 48.0 49.2 25.3 66.7 -22.7 17.5
Murcia 32.6 61.4 21.0 64.3 -11.6 2.9
Navarra 34.6 39.3 22.0 38.2 -12.6 -1.1
Ourense 37.6 48.1 27.9 56.7 -9.7 8.6
Palencia 43.4 49.9 31.3 55.2 -12.1 5.3
Pontevedra 39.5 44.2 28.0 50.8 -11.5 6.6
Salamanca 39.1 54.6 26.1 60.2 -13.0 5.6
Santa Cruz de Tenerife 36.6 30.9 23.5 44.9 -13.1 14.0
Segovia 39.0 53.5 26.8 56.4 -12.2 2.9
Sevilla 58.1 31.5 41.7 38.7 -16.4 7.2
Soria 42.2 50.2 31.4 54.9 -10.8 4.7
Tarragona 44.9 17.8 26.1 23.7 -18.8 5.9
Teruel 44.1 39.9 32.8 51.7 -10.3 11.8
Toledo 42.9 51.4 29.2 57.3 -13.7 5.9
Valencia 40.1 51.7 26.0 52.2 -14.1 0.5
Valladolid 42.5 49.4 29.0 52.9 -13.5 3.5
Vizcaya 37.0 18.4 21.4 17.7 -15.6 -0.7
Zamora 42.0 52.2 29.6 57.9 -12.4 5.7
Zaragoza 46.3 36.5 30.8 46.9 -15.5 10.4
SPAIN TOTALS 43.9 39.9 28.7 44.6 -15.2 4.7
Party seat allocation by electoral district

Senate

The system for the Senate elections is majoritarian, based on partial block voting. Most constituencies share the same representation of 4 senators, and each elector can freely distribute up to 3 votes among all the running candidates. This usually produces a 3/1 seat split between the winner and the runner-up. Thus, a large swing in votes can amount to nothing if the constituency winner is not altered, but a much smaller swing can invert the province's representation. Senatorial elections are the only case in Spanish democracy where electors can choose candidates from different parties at the same ballot.

Only 208 seats are up for election, since the rest of them (58 as of 2011 due to demographic changes) are appointed by the regional legislatures. The People's Party won 2/3 of the seats (136), to the detriment of the PSOE, who won just 48, losing 40 seats and, with them, the gains they had made since the 2004 election.

e • d Summary of the 20 November 2011 Senate of Spain elections results
Parties MPs
2008 2011 ±
People's Party 101 136 35
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party 88 48 40
Convergence and Union 4 9 5
Entesa pel Progrés de Catalunya 12 7 5
Basque Nationalist Party 2 4 2
Amaiur — 3 3
Canarian Coalition 1 1 0
Total elected 208 208 0
Members appointed by the regional legislatures 56 58 2
Total 264 266 2
Source: Ministerio del Interior de España

Investiture voting

On December 20, the investiture voting was held in the Congress of Deputies. Rajoy was elected Prime Minister of Spain by 187 votes to 149 with 14 abstentions. Only Rajoy's party and the Asturian Forum party voted Yes. Eight political forces (outgoing Prime Minister's PSOE, CiU, IU UPyD, ERC, BNG, Coalició Compromís and Geroa Bai) voted No, with the PNV, Amaiur and CC abstentions, for a total of 350 votes. Rajoy obtained the absolute majority by a lead of 11 votes, allowing him to form a government.[22] Amaiur's abstention came as a surprise, since it was expected that they would vote No. This, they argued, was due to their belief that "It was not their competence to decide who is the Prime Minister of Spain". [23]

20 December 2011
Investiture voting for Mariano Rajoy Brey (PP)
Absolute majority: 176/350
Vote Parties Votes
Y Yes PP (185), UPN (1), FAC (1) 187
No PSOE (110), CiU (16), IU (11), UPyD (5),
ERC (3), BNG (2), Compromís-Q (1), GBai (1)		 149
Abstentions Amaiur (7), PNV (5), CC (2) 14

See also

References

  1. ^ Rubalcaba, "candidato de facto" del PSOE al no lograr avales ningún aspirante - ABC (Spanish)
  2. ^ Spain's embattled prime minister calls early elections
  3. ^ Zapatero anuncia el séptimo adelanto electoral en democracia
  4. ^ General features of Spanish electoral system, ElectionResources.org accessed 20 April 2011
  5. ^ a b c "The Spanish Constitution of 1978". http://www.boe.es/aeboe/consultas/bases_datos/doc.php?id=BOE-A-1978-31229. 
  6. ^ Electoral Law
  7. ^ INE
  8. ^ "Law regarding registration of political parties". http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Admin/lo6-2002.html#c3. Retrieved 6 March 2011. 
  9. ^ a b "Law governing electoral procedures". http://noticias.juridicas.com/base_datos/Admin/lo5-1985.html. Retrieved 6 March 2011. 
  10. ^ "OSCE observers task force report on 2008 Spanish election" (PDF). Organisation for security and cooperation in Europe OSCE. http://www.osce.org/documents/odihr/2008/02/29695_en.pdf. Retrieved 6 March 2011. 
  11. ^ a b c Elections in Spain accessed 6 March 2011
  12. ^ [1] (In Spanish) Noticias- Recogidas de firmas
  13. ^ Ross, Emma (4 April 2011). "Spain's Deficit Fight Risks Setback as Zapatero Bows Out of 2012 Election". Bloomberg. http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2011-04-03/spain-s-deficit-fight-risks-setback-as-zapatero-quits-election.html. Retrieved 12 November 2011. 
  14. ^ "[2]", Metroscopia, 29 July 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  15. ^ "[3]", 20 Minutos, 13 June 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  16. ^ "[4]", Sigma Dos, 2 April 2011. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
  17. ^ "[5]", Sigma Dos, 20 October 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  18. ^ "[6]", Sigma Dos, 20 October 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2011.
  19. ^ "Spain election: Rajoy's Popular Party declares victory". BBC News. 20 November 2011. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15809062. Retrieved 21 November 2011. 
  20. ^ Tremlett, Giles (20 November 2011). "Spain election: People's party sweeps to crushing victory over Socialists". The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/nov/20/spain-election-peoples-party-victory. Retrieved 21 November 2011. 
  21. ^ http://www.historiaelectoral.com/e1979.html
  22. ^ Rajoy, investido presidente
  23. ^ Amaiur se abstiene en la votación de investidura por no ser su "competencia"
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