Barcelona (Spanish Congress Electoral District)

Barcelona is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies

Spanish Congress of Deputies

The Spanish Congress of Deputies is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spain's legislative branch. It has 350 members, elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation in constituencies matching the Spanish provinces using the D'Hondt method. Deputies serve four-year terms...

- the lower chamber of the Spanish

Spain

Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...

Parliament, the Cortes Generales

Cortes Generales

The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...

. When first contested in modern times in the 1977 General Election

Spanish general election, 1977

The Spanish general election of 1977 took place on 15 June 1977. It was the first election since the death of Francisco Franco.Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. The elections were held using closed list proportional representation in 52 electoral districts...

, Barcelona was the largest electoral district in Congress in terms of electorate. However by the time of the 1986 election

Spanish general election, 1986

General elections were held in Spain on 23 June 1986. In this election, the Communist Party of Spain merged with other minor left parties to form the coalition Izquierda Unida; in Catalonia they ran as the Catalan Left Union. Similarly, the People's Alliance merged with two other conservative...

, Madrid

Madrid (Spanish Congress Electoral District)

Madrid is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales. It has the largest electorate of all the 52 districts. Madrid is the largest city...

had overtaken it.

Boundaries and electoral system

Under Article 68 of the Spanish constitution
the boundaries must be the same as the province of Barcelona

Barcelona (province)

Barcelona is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia.-Overview:It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea....

and under Article 140 this can only be altered with the approval of congress. Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage

Universal suffrage

Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...

in a secret ballot

Secret ballot

The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...

. The electoral system used is closed list

Closed list

Closed list describes the variant of party-list proportional representation where voters can only vote for political parties as a whole and thus have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected...

proportional representation

Proportional representation

Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...

with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method

D'Hondt method

The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...

. Only lists which poll 3% or more of all valid votes cast, including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above" can be considered for seats. Under article 12 of the constitution, the minimum voting age is 18.

Eligibility

Article 67.3 of the Spanish Constitution prohibits dual membership 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.

Number of members

In the general elections of 1977

Spanish general election, 1977

, 1979

Spanish general election, 1979

General elections were held in Spain on 1 March 1979.-References:* *...

, 1982

Spanish general election, 1982

General elections were held in Spain on 28 October 1982.PSOE and PSC presented two different lists of candidates: with the PSOE contesting most of Spain and the PSC only standing in Catalonia...

and 1986

Spanish general election, 1986

Barcelona returned 33 members. That figure was reduced to 32 members for the 1989 General Election

Spanish general election, 1989

-Results:-External links:**...

. It lost a further seat in the 1990s and from the 1996 election

Spanish general election, 1996

General elections were held in Spain on March 3, 1996. The Prime Minister Felipe González of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party lost the elections to Partido Popular and their leader José María Aznar....

onwards has elected 31 members.

Under Spanish electoral law, all provinces are entitled to a minimum of 2 seats with a remaining 248 seats apportioned according to population. These laws are laid out in detail in the 1985 electoral law. (Ley Orgánica del Régimen Electoral General) The practical effect of this law has been to overrepresent smaller provinces at the expense of larger provinces like Barcelona.

In 2004 for example Spain had 34,571,831 voters giving an average of 98,777 voters per deputy. In Barcelona however the number of voters per deputy was 129,269 - the highest ratio of all 52 constituencies. In contrast the ratio was only 38,714 and 26,177 respectively in the smaller provinces of Teruel

Teruel (Spanish Congress Electoral District)

Teruel is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales. It is one of the three electoral districts which correspond to the provinces of Aragon...

and Soria

Soria (Spanish Congress Electoral District)

Soria is one of the 52 electoral districts used for the Spanish Congress of Deputies - the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales...

Summary of seats won 1977–2008

	1977	1979	1982	1986	1989	1993	1996	2000	2004	2008
Seats	33	33	33	33	32	32	31	31	31	31
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in... (PSC-PSOE)	11	12	18	16	14	12	13	12	14	16
United Left United Left (Spain) The United Left is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 bringing together several political organisations opposed to Spain joining NATO. It was formed by a number of groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was dominated by the Communist Party of Spain... -Initiative for Catalonia Greens Initiative for Catalonia Greens Initiative for Catalonia Greens is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. It was formed as a merger of Iniciativa per Catalunya and Els Verds. IC had been an alliance led by Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya and was the equivalent of Izquierda Unida in Catalonia... (IU-ICV)	7	7	1	1	3	3	2	1	2	1
Democratic Convergence of Catalonia Democratic Convergence of Catalonia The Democratic Convergence of Catalonia is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. Together with Democratic Union of Catalonia, it forms part of the Convergence and Union coalition. It is affiliated with the European Liberal, Democrat and Reform Party and with the Liberal International... (CDC)	6
Convergence and Union (CiU)		6	8	11	11	10	9	9	6	6
Democratic Union of Catalonia Democratic Union of Catalonia The Democratic Union of Catalonia is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. Together with the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, it is part of the Convergence and Union coalition.It describes itself as Catalan nationalist and Christian Democrat.... (UDC)	2
Democratic Centre Union (UCD)	5	6
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)	1	1	1			1	1	1	4	2
People's Party People's Party (Spain) The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship... (PP)	1	1	5	4	3	6	6	8	5	6
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)				1	1

Note: Seats shown for the PP include seats won by their predecessors, the Popular Alliance and Popular Coalition before 1989. They ran in an electoral alliance with a smaller regional grouping (Convivencia Catalana) in 1977.

PSOE has contested elections under the label Socialist Party of Catalonia (Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya).

Democratic Convergence of Catalonia contested the 1977 election under the label Democratic Pact for Catalonia (Pacte Democràtic per Catalunya). After 1977 they have contested elections as part of an alliance with Democratic Union of Catalonia called Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió).

Prior to 1986, the equivalent of United Left was the Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia

Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia

The Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia , was formed on July 23, 1936 through the unification of four left-wing groups; the Catalan Federation of Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , the Partit Comunista de Catalunya , the Unió Socialista de Catalunya and the...

(Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya).

Republican Left of Catalonia contested the 1977 election as part of an electoral alliance called Catalan Left - Electoral Democratic Front (Esquerra de Catalunya-Front Electoral Democràtic) as openly republican parties were unable to contest the 1977 elections.

Democratic Centre Union fought the 1979 election as part of an alliance called Catalan Centrists (Centristes de Catalunya.)

Party strength in largest municipalities in 2004

Municipality	PSOE	CiU	PP	ERC	ICV
Barcelona (province) Barcelona (province) Barcelona is a province of eastern Spain, in the center of the autonomous community of Catalonia.-Overview:It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Lleida, and Girona, and by the Mediterranean Sea....	41.7	19.3	16.0	14.1	6.5
Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...	38.1	20.0	18.1	14.6	6.9
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat L'Hospitalet de Llobregat L'Hospitalet de Llobregat or briefly L'Hospitalet is a city to the immediate southwest of Barcelona in Catalonia, Spain, and the second largest in Catalonia by population...	52.9	10.6	18.2	8.2	7.0
Badalona Badalona Badalona is a city in eastern Catalonia, Spain. It is located in the comarca of the Barcelonès, near the city of Barcelona and part of its metropolitan area. It is situated on the left bank of the small Besòs River and on the Mediterranean Sea, backed by the Serra de la Marina mountain range...	49.4	13.6	16.6	10.2	7.2
Sabadell Sabadell Sabadell is the second largest city in the comarca of the Vallès Occidental in Catalonia, Spain. It is in the south of the comarca, on the River Ripoll, 20 km north-west of Barcelona...	46.7	17.8	13.0	12.9	7.2
Terrassa Terrassa Terrassa is a city in the east central region of Catalonia, Spain, in the comarca of Vallès Occidental, of which it is the co-capital along with Sabadell, the historic capital....	45.6	18.5	14.1	12.5	6.7
Santa Coloma de Gramenet Santa Coloma de Gramenet Santa Coloma de Gramenet is a city in Catalonia, Spain. It is situated on the south-east side of the Litoral range, with the Puig Castellar...	56.9	8.3	17.2	6.3	8.0
Mataró Mataró Mataró is the capital and largest city of the comarca of the Maresme, in the province of Barcelona, Catalonia Autonomous Community, Spain. It is located on the Costa del Maresme, to the south of Costa Brava, between Cabrera de Mar and Sant Andreu de Llavaneres, to the north-east of Barcelona. , it...	41.1	19.8	17.5	12.6	6.4
Cornellà de Llobregat Cornellà de Llobregat Cornellà de Llobregat is a municipality in the comarca of the Baix Llobregat inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated on the left bank of the Llobregat river.- History :...	56.1	8.7	16.1	7.5	8.7
Sant Boi de Llobregat Sant Boi de Llobregat Sant Boi de Llobregat is a town of 80,000 inhabitants in the Barcelona province in Catalonia, located aside the Llobregat river.The town distributes its territory into six districts: Ciutat Cooperativa-Molí Nou, Marianao-Can Paulet, Barri Centre, Vinyets-Molí Vell, Camps Blancs-Canons-Orioles and...	53.8	11.3	15.0	9.3	7.3
Manresa Manresa Manresa is the capital of the Comarca of Bages, located in the geographic centre of Catalonia, Spain, and crossed by the river Cardener. It is an industrial area with textile, metallurgical, and glass industries. The houses of Manresa are arranged around the basilica of Santa María de la Seo....	33.6	26.9	11.4	21.6	4.7
El Prat de Llobregat El Prat de Llobregat El Prat de Llobregat , commonly known as El Prat, is a municipality in the comarca of Baix Llobregat inCatalonia, Spain. It is situated in the delta of the Llobregat river on the right bank, bordering the coast of the Mediterranean Sea between Barcelona and Viladecans. More than a quarter of the...	54.2	10.5	15.6	8.6	8.2

Only municipalities with more than 50,000 voters shown.

2008 General Election

Summary of the 11 March 2008 Congress of Deputies

Spanish Congress of Deputies

Socialists' Party of Catalonia

The Socialists' Party of Catalonia is a social-democratic political party in Catalonia, Spain resulting from the merge of two parties PSC Reagrupament led by Josep Pallach i Carolà and PSC Comgres. It is the Catalan referent of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party , and its Aranese section is...

/Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...

People's Party (Spain)

The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...

Initiative for Catalonia Greens

Initiative for Catalonia Greens is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. It was formed as a merger of Iniciativa per Catalunya and Els Verds. IC had been an alliance led by Partit Socialista Unificat de Catalunya and was the equivalent of Izquierda Unida in Catalonia...

-United and Alternative Left

United and Alternative Left

United and Alternative Left is a political party from Catalonia, Spain. EUiA has 4000 members and it is the Catalan correspondent of the Spain-wide United Left ....

Citizens – Party of the Citizenry

The Citizens – Party of the Citizenry is a Spanish political party which describes itself as centre-left and non-nationalist...

Confederation of The Greens

The Confederation of the Greens is a green political party in Spain....

|align="right" valign=top|12,561
|align="right" valign=top|0.45
|align="right" valign=top|0
|align="left" |
|-
|align=left|Others
|align="right" |51,702
|align="right" |1.90
|align="right" |0
|align="right" |
|-
|}

2004 General Election

Summary of the 14 March 2004 Congress of Deputies

Spanish Congress of Deputies

election results

Spanish legislative election, 2004

Legislative elections were held in Spain on 14 March 2004. At stake were all 350 seats in the lower house of the Cortes Generales, the Congress of Deputies, and 208 seats in upper house, the Senate. The governing People's Party was led into the campaign by Mariano Rajoy, successor to outgoing...

Socialists' Party of Catalonia

/Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

Spanish Socialist Workers' Party

Carme Chacón

Carme Chacón Piqueras is a Spanish politician who is currently serving as Minister of Defence in the cabinet led by Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero. She is married and gave birth to her first child, a son named Miquel on 19 May 2008....

Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida

Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida is a Spanish politician. A qualified lawyer, Duran began his political career when he was elected MP in the General Elections of Spain in 1979, representing Lleida becoming tinent d'alcalde in the municipality of Lleida.Currently Duran is an MP for Barcelona district,...

, Carles Campuzano, Jordi Jane, Mercè Pigem, Josep Sánchez i Llibre, Jordi Vilajoana
|-
|align=left|People's Party

People's Party (Spain)

Alicia Sánchez-Camacho

Alicia Sánchez-Camacho Pérez is a Spanish lawyer and politician. She has served as the President of the People's Party in Catalonia since 6 July 2008....

Agustí Cerdà i Argent

Agustí Cerdà i Argent is a Valencian Spanish politician, president of the minority Catalan nationalist party Republican Left of the Valencian Country since its foundation in September of year 2000...

, Georgina Oliva, Joan Tardà, Rosa María Bonas
|-
|align=left| Initiative for Catalonia Greens

Initiative for Catalonia Greens

-United and Alternative Left

United and Alternative Left

United and Alternative Left is a political party from Catalonia, Spain. EUiA has 4000 members and it is the Catalan correspondent of the Spain-wide United Left ....

Confederation of The Greens

The Confederation of the Greens is a green political party in Spain....

|align="right" valign=top|26,739
|align="right" valign=top|0.88
|align="right" valign=top|0
|align="left" |
|-
|align=left|Others
|align="right" |21,629
|align="right" |0.70
|align="right" |0
|align="right" |
|-
|}

^* for the 2004 elections the Greens reached an agreement with PSOE to run on their lists.

External links

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