Elections to the Aragonese Corts, 1991
Encyclopedia
The Elections to the Aragonese Corts, 1991 were the third democratic elections to the Aragonese Corts
, the Argonese regional parliament, in Spain
since the death of the dictator Franco
and were held on 26 May of that year. The elections were held using closed list
proportional representation
in three electoral districts corresponding to each of the three Provinces of Aragon
. Seats were allocated on a Provincial basis using the D'Hondt method
of allocation. Only lists which polled at least 3% of the total votes in a particular province (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats in that province. With a total number of 67 seats, Zaragoza
elected 33 members, Huesca
18 and Teruel
16.
The main losers in the elections were the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) who lost all of their six seats. The Aragonese Party
(PAR) also dropped two seats. The main gainers were the main two national parties, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) and People's Party
(PP). United Left
also gained a seat.
The new legislature elected Emilio Eiroa of the PAR as the new President of Aragon by 34 votes to 33. The PAR and PP deputies backed Eiroa while the PSOE and IU deputies voted against. The tight arithmetic in the new legislature was further complicated in November 1992 when a PP deputy, Emilio Gomáriz, resigned from the PP, leaving him holding the balance of power between the PP-PAR bloc and the PSOE-IU bloc. In September 1993 the PSOE introduced a no-confidence motion against President Eiroa. In the subsequent vote Gomáriz appeared visibly nervous and claimed that he had received death threats against his children. He voted with the PSOE and IU deputies for José Marco of the PSOE as new President.
Additionally 7,992 (1.3%) votes were cast “en blanco” i.e. for “none of the above.”
*The PP was formed in January 1989 as a merger of the Popular Alliance (AP) and the Democratic Popular Party (PDP). At the previous election the AP had received 15.75% of the votes and won 13 seats while the PDP had received 1.25% and no seats.
Aragonese Corts
The Aragonese Corts is the regional parliament for the Spanish autonomous community of Aragon. The Corts traces its history back to meetings summoned by the Kings of Aragon which began in 1162...
, the Argonese regional parliament, in Spain
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...
since the death of the dictator Franco
Francisco Franco
Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was a Spanish general, dictator and head of state of Spain from October 1936 , and de facto regent of the nominally restored Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in November, 1975...
and were held on 26 May of that year. The elections were held using 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...
in three electoral districts corresponding to each of the three Provinces of Aragon
Aragon
Aragon is a modern autonomous community in Spain, coextensive with the medieval Kingdom of Aragon. Located in northeastern Spain, the Aragonese autonomous community comprises three provinces : Huesca, Zaragoza, and Teruel. Its capital is Zaragoza...
. Seats were allocated on a Provincial basis 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...
of allocation. Only lists which polled at least 3% of the total votes in a particular province (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats in that province. With a total number of 67 seats, Zaragoza
Zaragoza (province)
Zaragoza is a province of northern Spain, in the central part of the autonomous community of Aragon.Its capital is Zaragoza, which is also the capital of the autonomous community. Other towns in Zaragoza include Calatayud, Borja, La Almunia de Doña Godina, Ejea de los Caballeros and Tarazona.Its...
elected 33 members, Huesca
Huesca (province)
Huesca , officially Huesca/Uesca, is a province of northeastern Spain, in northern Aragon. The capital is Huesca.Positioned just south of the central Pyrenees, Huesca borders France and the French Departments of Pyrénées-Atlantiques and Hautes-Pyrénées...
18 and Teruel
Teruel (province)
Teruel is a province of Aragon, in the northeast of Spain. The capital is Teruel.It is bordered by the provinces of Tarragona, Castellón, Valencia , Cuenca, Guadalajara, and Zaragoza....
16.
The main losers in the elections were the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) who lost all of their six seats. The Aragonese Party
Aragonese Party
The Aragonese Party is a political party which advocates the interests of Aragon within Spain. The party was founded in 1978 under the name Aragonese Regionalist Party, but changed its name in 1990, keeping the initials PAR....
(PAR) also dropped two seats. The main gainers were the main two national parties, the 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...
(PSOE) and 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). 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...
also gained a seat.
The new legislature elected Emilio Eiroa of the PAR as the new President of Aragon by 34 votes to 33. The PAR and PP deputies backed Eiroa while the PSOE and IU deputies voted against. The tight arithmetic in the new legislature was further complicated in November 1992 when a PP deputy, Emilio Gomáriz, resigned from the PP, leaving him holding the balance of power between the PP-PAR bloc and the PSOE-IU bloc. In September 1993 the PSOE introduced a no-confidence motion against President Eiroa. In the subsequent vote Gomáriz appeared visibly nervous and claimed that he had received death threats against his children. He voted with the PSOE and IU deputies for José Marco of the PSOE as new President.
Results
| ← |
|||||
| Party | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | +/- |
| PSOE 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... |
247,485 | 40.34 | +4.09 | 30 | +3 |
| Aragonese Party Aragonese Party The Aragonese Party is a political party which advocates the interests of Aragon within Spain. The party was founded in 1978 under the name Aragonese Regionalist Party, but changed its name in 1990, keeping the initials PAR.... |
151,420 | 24.68 | -3.80 | 17 | -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... |
126,892 | 20.68 | +3.68* | 17 | +4* |
| 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... |
41,367 | 6.74 | +1.76 | 3 | +1 |
| Democratic and Social Centre | 18,929 | 3.09 | -7.30 | -6 | |
| Chunta Aragonesista | 14,116 | 2.30 | +1.33 | ||
| Workers' Party of Spain-Communist Unity | 2,441 | 0.40 | -0.93 | ||
| Others | 2,914 | 0.48 | |||
Additionally 7,992 (1.3%) votes were cast “en blanco” i.e. for “none of the above.”
*The PP was formed in January 1989 as a merger of the Popular Alliance (AP) and the Democratic Popular Party (PDP). At the previous election the AP had received 15.75% of the votes and won 13 seats while the PDP had received 1.25% and no seats.