Spanish general election, 1986
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The 1986 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 22 June, to elect the 3rd Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. At stake were all 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 208 of 254 seats in the Senate. This was a snap election, since new elections were not due until October 1986.
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party remained the largest party in the Congress of Deputies, winning 184 of the 350 seats.
Overview
Electoral system
- Congress of Deputies
The 350 members of the Congress of Deputies were elected in 50 multi-member districts using the D'Hondt method and a closed-list proportional representation. Ceuta and Melilla elected 1 member each using plurality voting. Each district was entitled to an initial minimum of 2 seats, with the remaining 248 seats being allocated among the 50 provinces in proportion to their populations. Only lists polling above 3% of the total vote in each district (which includes blank ballots—for none of the above) were entitled to enter the seat distribution.
- Senate
For the Senate, each of the 47 peninsular provinces was assigned 4 seats. For insular provinces, such as Baleares and Canarias, districts are the islands themselves, with the larger — Mallorca, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife — being assigned 3 seats each, and the smaller — Menorca, Ibiza-Formentera, Fuerteventura, Gomera, Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma — 1 each. Ceuta and Melilla were assigned 2 seats each, for a total of 208 directly elected seats. In districts electing 4 seats, electors could vote for up to 3 candidates; in those with 2 or 3 seats, for up to 2 candidates; and for 1 candidate in single member constituencies. Electors would vote for individual candidates: those attaining the largest number of votes in each district would be elected for a 4-year term of office.
In addition, the legislative assemblies of the autonomous communities are entitled to appoint at least 1 senator each, as well as 1 senator for every million inhabitants, adding up a variable number of appointed seats to the directly-elected 208 senators.[1] This appointment usually did not take place at the same time that the general election, but when the autonomous communities held their elections.
Eligibility
Dual membership of both chambers of the Cortes or of the Cortes and regional assemblies was prohibited. Active judges, magistrates, public defenders, serving military personnel, active police officers and members of constitutional and electoral tribunals were also ineligible,[2] as well as CEOs or equivalent leaders of state monopolies and public bodies, such as the Spanish state broadcaster RTVE.[3]
Parties and coalitions of different parties which had registered with the Electoral Commission could present lists of candidates. Groups of electors which had not registered with the commission could also present lists, provided that they obtained the signatures of 1% of registered electors in a particular district.[3]
Background
In this election, the Communist Party of Spain joined with other minor left parties to form the electoral coalition United Left; in Catalonia they ran as the Catalan Left Union. Similarly, the People's Alliance formed an electoral alliance with two other conservative parties to form the People's Coalition.
Opinion polls
Congress of Deputies results
Overall
 | ||||||
| Party | Vote | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Won | +/− | ||
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 8,901,718 | 44.06 |  4.05 |
184 | 18 | |
| People's Coalition (AP-PDP-PL)[lower-alpha 1] | 5,247,677 | 25.97 | 0.39 |
105 | 2 | |
| Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | 1,861,912 | 9.22 |  6.35 |
19 | 17 | |
| Convergence and Union (CiU) | 1,014,258 | 5.02 | 1.35 |
18 | 6 | |
| United Left (IU)[lower-alpha 2] | 935,504 | 4.63 | 0.61 |
7 | 3 | |
| Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV) | 309,610 | 1.53 | 0.35 |
6 | 2 | |
| People's Unity (HB) | 231,722 | 1.15 | 0.15 |
5 | 3 | |
| Communists’ Unity Board (MUC) | 229,695 | 1.14 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Democratic Reformist Party (PRD) | 194,538 | 0.96 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Basque Country Left (EE) | 107,053 | 0.53 | 0.05 |
2 | 1 | |
| Andalusian Party (PA) | 94,008 | 0.47 | 0.07 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) | 84,628 | 0.42 | 0.24 |
0 | 1 | |
| Galician Coalition (CG) | 79,972 | 0.40 | New | 1 | 1 | |
| Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 77,914 | 0.39 | 0.10 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) | 73,004 | 0.36 | New | 1 | 1 | |
| Canarian Independent Groups (AIC) | 65,664 | 0.33 | New | 1 | 1 | |
| Valencian Union (UV) | 64,403 | 0.32 | New | 1 | 1 | |
| Party of the Communists of Catalonia (PCC) | 57,107 | 0.28 | 0.06 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Galician Socialist Party-Galician Left (PSG-EG) | 45,574 | 0.23 | 0.12 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Spanish Falange of the JONS (FE-JONS) | 43,449 | 0.22 | 0.21 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Communist Unification of Spain (UCE) | 42,451 | 0.21 | 0.10 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Valencian People's Unity (UPV) | 40,264 | 0.20 | 0.11 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Canarian Assembly-Canarian Nationalist Left (AC-INC) | 36,892 | 0.18 | 0.09 |
0 | ±0 | |
| The Greens (LV) | 31,909 | 0.16 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Green Alternative (AV) | 29,567 | 0.15 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Spanish Vertex Ecological Development Revindication (VERDE) | 28,318 | 0.14 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Republican People's Unity (UPR) | 27,473 | 0.14 | 0.03 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) | 27,049 | 0.13 | 0.05 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI) | 21,853 | 0.11 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Parties with less than 0.1% of the vote | 76,547 | 0.38 | – | 0 | 11 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Extremadura (EU) | 16,091 | 0.08 | 0.04 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Socialist Party of the Andalusian People (PSPA) | 14,999 | 0.07 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Nationalist Left (PSM-EN) | 7,539 | 0.04 | ±0.00 | 0 | ±0 | |
| National Unity Coalition (CUN) | 5,209 | 0.03 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Spanish Revolutionary Workers' Party (PORE) | 5,126 | 0.03 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Social Democratic Party of Catalonia (PSDC) | 4,885 | 0.02 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Independent Electors' Group (ADEI) | 3,857 | 0.02 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Leonese Convergence (CL) | 2,520 | 0.01 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (PREPAL) | 2,449 | 0.01 | 0.01 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Valencian Nationalist Left (ENV) | 2,116 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Communist Workers League (LOC) | 1,952 | 0.01 | 0.02 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Moderate Party-Centrists of Navarre (PMCN) | 1,932 | 0.01 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Natural Culture (CN) | 1,886 | 0.01 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Murcian Regionalist Party (PRM) | 1,401 | 0.01 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Democratic Spanish Party (PED) | 1,169 | 0.01 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Nationalist Party of Castile and León (PANCAL) | 1,047 | 0.01 | ±0.00 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Candidacy for Autonomy (CA) | 758 | 0.00 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Proverist Party (PPR) | 756 | 0.00 | ±0.00 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Electoral Group-Independent Group of Ceuta (AE-AIC) | 601 | 0.00 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Christian Spanish Party (PAEC) | 254 | 0.00 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Communist Movement of the Basque Country (EMK) | 0 | 0.00 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Revolutionary Communist League (LKI) | 0 | 0.00 | 0.01 |
0 | ±0 | |
| Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) | N/A | N/A | 6.77 |
0 | 11 | |
| Blank ballots | 121,186 | 0.60 | 0.13 |
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| Total | 20,202,919 | 100.00 | 350 | ±0 | ||||||
| Valid votes | 20,202,919 | 98.43 | 0.38 |
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| Invalid votes | 321,939 | 1.57 | 0.38 | |||||||
| Votes cast / turnout | 20,524,858 | 70.49 | 9.48 | |||||||
| Abstentions | 8,592,755 | 29.51 | 9.48 | |||||||
| Registered voters | 29,117,613 | |||||||||
| Source: Ministry of the Interior | ||||||||||
Results by region
Post-election
Investiture voting
| Candidate | Date | Vote | PSOE | CP | PDP | CDS | CiU | IU | PNV | HBa | EE | CG | PAR | AIC | UV | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Felipe González (PSOE) |
23 Jul 1986 Majority required: Absolute (176/350) |
 Yes |
184 | x | 184 / 350 | |||||||||||
| No | 73b | 21 | 19 | 18 | 7 | x | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 144 / 350 | ||||
| Abst. | 6 | x | 6 / 350 | |||||||||||||
| Source: Historia Electoral - Spanish General Election 22 June 1986 | ||||||||||||||||
a All 5 HB MPs refused to take their seats.
b 11 AP MPs missed the voting.
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 People's Coalition results are compared to the People's Alliance totals in the 1982 election.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 United Left results are compared to the Communist Party of Spain totals in the 1982 election.
References
- ↑ "General Aspects of the Electoral System".
- ↑ "The Spanish Constitution of 1978".
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Law governing electoral procedures". Retrieved 6 March 2011.
Sources
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