Asturian regional election, 1999

Asturian regional election, 1999

13 June 1999
All 45 seats in the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias 23 seats needed for a majority
Registered	979,618 3.7%
Turnout	623,242 (63.6%) 5.5 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Vicente Álvarez Areces Ovidio Sánchez Gaspar Llamazares Party PSOE PP IU Leader since 14 June 1998 9 December 1998 1991 Leader's seat Central Central Central Last election 17 seats, 33.8% 21 seats, 42.0% 6 seats, 16.4% Seats won 24 15 3 Seat change 7 6 3 Popular vote 284,972 200,164 55,747 Percentage 46.0% 32.3% 9.0% Swing 12.2 pp 9.7 pp 7.4 pp   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Sergio Marqués Xuan Xosé Sánchez Party URAS PAS Leader since 2 December 1998 1985 Leader's seat Central Central (lost) Last election Did not contest 1 seat, 3.2% Seats won 3 0 Seat change 3 1 Popular vote 44,261 15,998 Percentage 7.1% 2.6% Swing New party 0.6 pp
Constituency results map for the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias
President before election Sergio Marqués URAS Elected President Vicente Álvarez Areces PSOE

The 1999 Asturian regional election was held on Sunday, 13 June 1999, to elect the 5th General Junta of the Principality of Asturias. All 45 seats in the General Junta were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in 12 other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain, as well as the 1999 European Parliament election.

An internal People's Party (PP) crisis starting in 1997 between the regional PP leadership and President Sergio Marqués resulted in a party split, with Marqués' government breaking away from the PP in 1998, maintaining the support of only 5 of the 21 PP deputies for the remainder of the legislature.

As a result of the ensuing political crisis, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) of Vicente Álvarez Areces went on to win an absolute majority of seats, at the cost of the greatly weakened PP. United Left (IU) also suffered from the party crisis at the national level and lost half of its support, while Sergio Marqués' party, the Asturian Renewal Union (URAS), entered parliament with 3 seats.

Electoral system

The 45 members of the General Junta of the Principality of Asturias were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 3 per 100 of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Additionally, the use of the D'Hondt method might result in an effective threshold over three percent, dependant on the district magnitude.^[1] Seats were allocated to constituencies, which were established by law to comprise the following municipalities:

• Central: Aller, Avilés, Bimenes, Carreño, Caso, Castrillón, Corvera de Asturias, Gijón, Gozón, Illas, Las Regueras, Langreo, Laviana, Lena, Llanera, Mieres, Morcín, Noreña, Oviedo, Proaza, Quirós, Ribera de Arriba, Riosa, San Martín del Rey Aurelio, Santo Adriano, Sariego, Siero, Sobrescobio and Soto del Barco.
• Eastern: Amieva, Cabrales, Cabranes, Cangas de Onís, Caravia, Colunga, Llanes, Nava, Onís, Parres, Peñamellera Alta, Peñamellera Baja, Piloña, Ponga, Ribadedeva, Ribadesella and Villaviciosa.
• Western: Allande, Belmonte de Miranda, Boal, Candamo, Cangas del Narcea, Castropol, Coaña, Cudillero, Degaña, El Franco, Grado, Grandas de Salime, Ibias, Illano, Muros del Nalón, Navia, Pesoz, Pravia, Salas, San Martín de Oscos, Santa Eulalia de Oscos, San Tirso de Abres, Somiedo, Tapia de Casariego, Taramundi, Teverga, Tineo, Valdés, Vegadeo, Villanueva de Oscos, Villayón and Yernes y Tameza.

Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of two seats, with the remaining 39 allocated among the constituencies in proportion to their populations.^[2][3] Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, with all nationals over eighteen, registered in Asturias and in full enjoyment of all political rights entitled to vote.

The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure at least the signature of 1 per 100 of the electors entered in electoral register of the constituency for which they were seeking election. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days from the election call.^[2][4][5]

Elections were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. A 1999 statutory amendment granted the President of the Principality of Asturias the prerogative to dissolve the General Junta and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met—namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure—. Additionally, the chamber was to be automatically dissolved and a new election called if an investiture process failed to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.^[3][4]

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 13 June 1999 General Junta of the Principality of Asturias election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Won	+/−
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	284,972	46.00	+12.17	24	+7
	People's Party (PP)	200,164	32.31	–9.69	15	–6
	United Left of Asturias (IU)	55,747	9.00	–7.42	3	–3
	Asturian Renewal Union (URAS)	44,261	7.14	New	3	+3
	Asturianist Party (PAS)	15,998	2.58	–0.61	0	–1

Distribution by constituency

References

Elections in Asturias
Regional elections	1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2012 2015 2019
General elections	1977 1979 1982 1986 1989 1993 1996 2000 2004 2008 2011 2015 2016 Next
European elections	1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019