Elections to the Aragonese Corts, 1995
Encyclopedia
The Elections to the Aragonese Corts, 1995 were the fourth 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.
(PP) holding the balance of power. This had resulted in a coalition between the PP and Aragonese Party
(PAR) being replaced by a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) administration in 1993. However legal difficulties had forced the resignation of the PSOE President of Aragon José Marco in January 1995 and he was replaced by party colleague Ramón Tejedor. The federal executive of the PSOE selected Marcelino Iglesias as candidate for President in the 1995 elections.
(IU) improved their position while the left wing regional party Chunta Aragonesista (ChA) won seats in the Corts for the first time.
The new legislature elected Santiago Lanzuela Marina
as the first PP President of Aragon by 41 votes to 26. The PAR and PP deputies backed Lanzuela while the PSOE, ChA and IU deputies voted against. Lanzuela headed a PP administration with the initial support of the PAR.
Additionally 11,098 (1.6%) votes were cast “en blanco” i.e. for “none of the above.”
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.
Background
The previous legislature had been tightly divided between left and right with an independent former deputy of the People's PartyPeople'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) holding the balance of power. This had resulted in a coalition between the PP and 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) being replaced by a 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) administration in 1993. However legal difficulties had forced the resignation of the PSOE President of Aragon José Marco in January 1995 and he was replaced by party colleague Ramón Tejedor. The federal executive of the PSOE selected Marcelino Iglesias as candidate for President in the 1995 elections.
Results
The elections saw a marked increase in the vote share of the PP who almost doubled their share of the vote and gained ten seats. Much of the increase came at the expense of the PSOE. The PAR lost ground for the second election running. United LeftUnited 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...
(IU) improved their position while the left wing regional party Chunta Aragonesista (ChA) won seats in the Corts for the first time.
The new legislature elected Santiago Lanzuela Marina
Santiago Lanzuela Marina
Santiago Lanzuela Marina is a Spanish politician who belongs to the People's Party and who previously served as President of Aragon, one of the Spanish regional administrations....
as the first PP President of Aragon by 41 votes to 26. The PAR and PP deputies backed Lanzuela while the PSOE, ChA and IU deputies voted against. Lanzuela headed a PP administration with the initial support of the PAR.
Detailed results
| ← |
|||||
| Party | Votes | % | +/- | Seats | +/- |
| 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... |
262,848 | 37.56 | +16.88 | 27 | +10 |
| 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... |
179,305 | 25.62 | -14.72 | 19 | -11 |
| 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.... |
143,233 | 20.46 | -4.22 | 14 | -3 |
| 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... |
64,370 | 9.20 | +1.76 | 5 | +2 |
| Chunta Aragonesista | 34,042 | 4.86 | +2.56 | 2 | +2 |
| Others | 5,052 | 0.72 | |||
Additionally 11,098 (1.6%) votes were cast “en blanco” i.e. for “none of the above.”