Galician regional election, 1997

Galician regional election, 1997

19 October 1997
All 75 seats in the Parliament of Galicia 38 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	2,565,131 11.9%
Turnout	1,603,731 (62.5%) 1.7 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Manuel Fraga Xosé Manuel Beiras Abel Caballero Party PP BNG PSdeG–EG–OV Leader since 1989 1982 26 October 1996 Leader's seat Lugo La Coruña Pontevedra Last election 43 seats, 52.1% 13 seats, 18.4% 19 seats, 27.1% Seats won 42 18 15 Seat change 1 5 4 Popular vote 832,751 395,435 310,508 Percentage 52.2% 24.8% 19.5% Swing 0.1 pp 6.4 pp 7.6 pp
Constituency results map for the Parliament of Galicia
President before election Manuel Fraga PP Elected President Manuel Fraga PP

The 1997 Galician regional election was held on Sunday, 19 October 1997, to elect the 5th Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Galicia. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of Galicia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Galicia, having legislative power in matters of regional competence as underlined by the Spanish Constitution and the Galician Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to grant or revoke confidence from a President of the Xunta.^[1] Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, with all nationals over eighteen, registered in Galicia and in full enjoyment of all political rights entitled to vote.

The 75 members of the Parliament of Galicia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 5 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 five percent, dependant on the district magnitude.^[2] Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of La Coruña, Lugo, Orense and Pontevedra. Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of 10 seats, with the remaining 35 allocated among the constituencies in proportion to their populations.^[3][1]

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.^[3][4][5]

Election date

Article 11 of the Statute of Autonomy for Galicia of 1981 established that the term of the Parliament expired four years from the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. Article 12 of the Parliament of Galicia Elections Law of 1985 required for the election Decree to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of the Parliament in the event that the President did not make use of his prerogative of early dissolution. The Decree was to be published on the following day in the Official Journal of Galicia, with election day taking place between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication. The previous election was held on 17 October 1993, which meant that the legislature's term would expire on 17 October 1997. The election Decree was required to be published no later than 23 September 1997, with the election taking place on the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament at Saturday, 22 November 1997.^[1][3]

Article 24 of the Xunta and President Law of 1983 granted the President the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament at any given time and call a snap election, provided that it did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure. Additionally, under Article 17 of the Law the Parliament was to be 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.^[6]

Opinion polls

Vote

Poll results are listed in the table below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. The lead column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the two parties with the highest figures. Poll results use the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. However, if such date is unknown, the date of publication will be given instead.

Seat projections

Opinion polls showing seat projections are displayed in the table below. The highest seat figures in each polling survey have their background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Galicia.

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 19 October 1997 Parliament of Galicia election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Won	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	832,751	52.19	+0.05	42	–1
	Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)	395,435	24.78	+6.40	18	+5
	Socialists' Party of Galicia–Galician Left–The Greens (PSdeG–EG–OV)1	310,508	19.46	–7.61	15	–4

Distribution by constituency

Aftermath

Investiture vote

First round: 3 December 1997
Absolute majority (38/75) required

Candidate: Manuel Fraga
Choice		Vote
		Parties	Votes
	YYes	PP (42)	42 / 75
	No	BNG (18), PSdeG–PSOE (13), EU–EG (2)	33 / 75
	Abstentions		0 / 75
Source: historiaelectoral.com

References