The 1991 Spanish local elections were held on Sunday, 26 May 1991, to elect all 66,308 councillors in the 8,060 municipalities of Spain and all 1,032 seats in 38 provincial deputations.[1][2] The elections were held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities, as well as local elections in the three foral deputations of the Basque Country and the ten island councils in the Balearic and Canary Islands.
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66,308 councillors in 8,060 municipal councils 1,032 seats in 38 provincial deputations | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Registered | 30,223,384  6.3% | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 18,973,514 (62.8%) 6.6 pp | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Provincial results map for municipal elections | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Electoral system
edit- Municipal elections
Municipalities in Spain were local corporations with independent legal personality. They had a governing body, the municipal council or corporation, composed of a mayor, deputy mayors and a plenary assembly of councillors. Voting for the local assemblies was on the basis of universal suffrage, with all nationals over eighteen, registered in the corresponding municipality and in full enjoyment of all political rights entitled to vote. The mayor was in turn elected by the plenary assembly, with a legal clause providing for the candidate of the most-voted party to be automatically elected to the post in the event no other candidate was to gather an absolute majority of votes.
Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:
| Population | Councillors |
|---|---|
| <250 | 5 |
| 251–1,000 | 7 |
| 1,001–2,000 | 9 |
| 2,001–5,000 | 11 |
| 5,001–10,000 | 13 |
| 10,001–20,000 | 17 |
| 20,001–50,000 | 21 |
| 50,001–100,000 | 25 |
| >100,001 | +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction +1 if total is an even number |
Councillors of municipalities with populations between 100 and 250 inhabitants were elected under an open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties and for up to four candidates. Additionally, municipalities below 100 inhabitants, as well as those whose geographical location or the best management of municipal interests or other circumstances made it advisable, were to be organized through the open council system (Spanish: régimen de concejo abierto), in which voters would directly elect the local major.[3][4][5]
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 the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election:
- At least 1 percent of the electors in municipalities below 5,000 inhabitants, provided that the number of signers was more than double that of councillors at stake.
- At least 100 signatures in municipalities between 5,001 and 10,000.
- At least 500 signatures in municipalities between 10,001 and 50,000.
- At least 1,500 signatures in municipalities between 50,001 and 150,000.
- At least 3,000 signatures in municipalities between 150,001 and 300,000.
- At least 5,000 signatures in municipalities between 300,001 and 1,000,000.
- At least 8,000 signatures in municipalities over 1,000,001.
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 of the election being called.[3][4]
- Deputations and island councils
Provincial deputations were the governing bodies of provinces in Spain, having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary. Basque provinces had foral deputations instead—called Juntas Generales—, whereas deputations for single-province autonomous communities were abolished: their functions transferred to the corresponding regional parliaments. For insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, deputations were replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza–Formentera this figure was referred to in Spanish as consejo insular (Catalan: consell insular), whereas for Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma its name was cabildo insular.
Most deputations were indirectly elected by local councillors from municipalities in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale:
| Population | Seats |
|---|---|
| <500,000 | 25 |
| 500,001–1,000,000 | 27 |
| 1,000,001–3,500,000 | 31 |
| >3,500,001 | 51 |
Island councils and foral deputations were elected directly by electors under their own, specific electoral regulations.[3][4]
Municipal elections
editOverall
edit| Parties and coalitions | Popular vote | Councillors | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | ||
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 7,224,242 | 38.34 | +1.26 | 25,260 | +2,019 | |
| People's Party (PP) | 4,843,733 | 25.71 | +3.45 | 19,543 | +1,738 | |
| Navarrese People's Union (UPN)2 | 68,682 | 0.36 | +0.06 | 245 | +84 | |
| United Left (IU) | 1,582,703 | 8.40 | +0.53 | 2,625 | +49 | |
| Agreement of the Left of Menorca (PSM–EU) | 3,606 | 0.02 | ±0.00 | 11 | +1 | |
| Convergence and Union (CiU) | 915,291 | 4.86 | –0.29 | 4,360 | +10 | |
| Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)4 | 731,331 | 3.88 | –6.04 | 2,939 | –3,234 | |
| Andalusian Party (PA) | 342,927 | 1.82 | +0.68 | 540 | +246 | |
| Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 299,840 | 1.59 | +0.35 | 993 | +174 | |
| Popular Unity (HB) | 199,090 | 1.06 | –0.17 | 701 | +32 | |
| Valencian Union (UV) | 187,385 | 0.99 | +0.23 | 335 | +120 | |
| Canarian Independent Groups (AIC) | 140,462 | 0.75 | +0.03 | 281 | +38 | |
| Basque Solidarity (EA) | 131,384 | 0.70 | –0.36 | 393 | –104 | |
| Aragonese Party (PAR) | 128,025 | 0.68 | +0.02 | 1,221 | +325 | |
| Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) | 107,932 | 0.57 | +0.26 | 241 | +102 | |
| Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) | 92,003 | 0.49 | +0.10 | 228 | +40 | |
| The Greens (LV) | 82,361 | 0.44 | +0.34 | 5 | +3 | |
| Union for the Progress of Cantabria (UPCA) | 71,683 | 0.38 | New | 285 | +285 | |
| Basque Country Left (EE) | 71,382 | 0.38 | –0.17 | 105 | –52 | |
| Valencian People's Union (UPV) | 54,951 | 0.29 | +0.14 | 92 | +27 | |
| Galician Nationalist Convergence (CG–CdG)6 | 52,196 | 0.28 | –0.33 | 137 | –269 | |
| Galician Socialist Party–Galician Left (PSG–EG) | 39,116 | 0.21 | –0.08 | 46 | –14 | |
| Party of the Communists of Catalonia (PCC) | 30,802 | 0.16 | New | 25 | +25 | |
| Left Proposal for Catalonia (PEC) | 6,813 | 0.04 | New | 16 | +16 | |
| Canarian Nationalist Assembly (ACN)7 | 26,188 | 0.14 | –0.07 | 30 | –10 | |
| The Greens Ecologist–Humanist List (PH–LE–FV) | 25,136 | 0.13 | –0.02 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Humanist Party (PH) | 233 | 0.00 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Ruiz-Mateos Group (ARM) | 23,404 | 0.12 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Independent Solution (SI) | 21,951 | 0.12 | –0.25 | 61 | –68 | |
| Alavese Unity (UA) | 21,269 | 0.11 | New | 39 | +39 | |
| Socialist Party of Majorca–Nationalists of Majorca (PSM–NM) | 20,981 | 0.11 | +0.05 | 54 | +29 | |
| Liberal Independent Group (GIL) | 20,531 | 0.11 | New | 19 | +19 | |
| Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) | 18,966 | 0.10 | –0.04 | 69 | –31 | |
| Regional Electoral Coalition (PCAN–PRM)9 | 16,180 | 0.09 | –0.05 | 12 | +2 | |
| Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 11,366 | 0.06 | +0.05 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Asturian Coalition (PAS–UNA)10 | 10,891 | 0.06 | +0.04 | 6 | +4 | |
| Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) | 10,829 | 0.06 | –0.04 | 11 | +5 | |
| Aragonese Union (CHA) | 10,196 | 0.05 | +0.03 | 16 | +14 | |
| Independent Union of Majorca–Independents of Majorca (UIM–IM) | 10,159 | 0.05 | New | 21 | +21 | |
| Green Union (UVE–LVA) | 9,943 | 0.05 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Leonese People's Union (UPL) | 9,595 | 0.05 | +0.03 | 28 | +15 | |
| Progress and Future of Ceuta (PFC) | 9,420 | 0.05 | New | 11 | +11 | |
| Granadin Unity (UG) | 9,333 | 0.05 | New | 53 | +53 | |
| Socialist Democracy (DS) | 8,747 | 0.05 | New | 4 | +4 | |
| Riojan Party (PR) | 8,461 | 0.04 | ±0 | 82 | +31 | |
| United Extremadura (EU) | 8,392 | 0.04 | –0.05 | 32 | –80 | |
| Others | 988,562 | 5.25 | — | 5,405 | –887 | |
| Blank ballots | 212,201 | 1.13 | +0.02 | |||
| Total | 18,841,540 | 100.00 | 66,308 | +731 | ||
| Valid votes | 18,841,540 | 99.30 | +0.56 | |||
| Invalid votes | 131,974 | 0.70 | –0.56 | |||
| Votes cast / turnout | 18,973,514 | 62.78 | –6.64 | |||
| Abstentions | 11,249,870 | 37.22 | +6.64 | |||
| Registered voters | 30,223,384 | |||||
| Sources[6][7] | ||||||
Footnotes:
| ||||||
City control
editThe following table lists party control in provincial capitals, as well as in municipalities above or around 75,000.[8] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
Provincial deputations
editSummary
edit| Parties and coalitions | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | +/− | ||||
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 524 | +35 | |||
| People's Party (PP)1 | 337 | +38 | |||
| Convergence and Union (CiU) | 68 | +1 | |||
| United Left (IU) | 36 | –4 | |||
| Andalusian Party (PA) | 15 | +6 | |||
| Aragonese Party (PAR) | 15 | +2 | |||
| Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | 14 | –63 | |||
| Galician Nationalist Convergence (CG–CdG)2 | 10 | –3 | |||
| Valencian Union (UV) | 4 | +1 | |||
| Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) | 3 | +2 | |||
| Liberal Independent Group (GIL) | 2 | +2 | |||
| Valencian People's Union (UPV) | 1 | +1 | |||
| Leonese People's Union (UPL) | 1 | +1 | |||
| Others | 2 | –15 | |||
| Total | 1,032 | +4 | |||
| Sources[2] | |||||
Footnotes:
| |||||
Deputation control
editThe following table lists party control in provincial deputations.[2] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
Notes
editReferences
edit- ^ "Municipal elections in Spain 1979-2011". interior.gob.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 12 August 2017.
- ^ a b c "Provincial deputation elections since 1979" (in Spanish). historiaelectoral.com. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ a b c General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985. Official State Gazette (Organic Law 5) (in Spanish). 19 June 1985. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
- ^ a b c "Representation of the people Institutional Act". juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
- ^ Regulation of the Basis of Local Regimes Law of 1985. Official State Gazette (Law 7) (in Spanish). 2 April 1985. Retrieved 27 August 2017.
- ^ "Electoral Results Consultation. Municipal. May 1991. National totals". infoelectoral.mir.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ "Municipal elections (overall results 1979-2011)" (in Spanish). historiaelectoral.com. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
- ^ "Municipal elections (city majors by party)". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Historia Electoral. Retrieved 24 February 2018.