Elections to the Balearic Islands Parliament, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 elections to the Balearic Islands Parliament were the eighth elections to the unicameral
regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community
of the Balearic Islands
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 59 members of the Assembly. Voting was in four electoral districts corresponding to the islands of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza
and Formentera
. Majorca elected thirty three members, Menorca thirteen, Ibiza twelve and Formentera one.
Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage
in a secret ballot
. The electoral system used was closed list
proportional representation
with seats allocated in each electoral district using the D'Hondt method
. Only lists which polled at least 3% of the votes in a particular district (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats.
Political control of the islands had fluctuated in the preceding elections with the People's Party
(PP) losing their majority and consequently, control to a coalition headed by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) at the 2007 elections. The 2011 elections saw the PP regain their overall majority. The gains came largely at the expense of United Left
, Convergència per les Illes (formerly Majorcan Union,) Republican Left and The Greens
, all of whom lost their representation in the legislature. These parties had all won seats as part of various coalitions in the previous elections.
One of the first tasks of the Assembly was to elect the President of the Balearic Islands from among their number, with José Ramón Bauzà set to replace the current President, Francesc Antich, incumbent since 2007.
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 59 members of the Assembly. Voting was in four electoral districts corresponding to the islands of Majorca, Menorca, Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
and Formentera
Formentera
Formentera is the smaller and more southerly island of the Pine Islands group , which belongs to the Balearic Islands autonomous community .-Geography:...
. Majorca elected thirty three members, Menorca thirteen, Ibiza twelve and Formentera one.
Voting was 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 was 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 in each electoral district 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 polled at least 3% of the votes in a particular district (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats.
Political control of the islands had fluctuated in the preceding elections with the 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) losing their majority and consequently, control to a coalition headed by 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) at the 2007 elections. The 2011 elections saw the PP regain their overall majority. The gains came largely at the expense of 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...
, Convergència per les Illes (formerly Majorcan Union,) Republican Left and The Greens
Confederation of The Greens
The Confederation of the Greens is a green political party in Spain....
, all of whom lost their representation in the legislature. These parties had all won seats as part of various coalitions in the previous elections.
One of the first tasks of the Assembly was to elect the President of the Balearic Islands from among their number, with José Ramón Bauzà set to replace the current President, Francesc Antich, incumbent since 2007.
Parties currently represented in Parliament
| Candidates |
||
| Party | Candidate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| PP 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... |
José Ramón Bauzà José Ramón Bauzà José Ramón Bauzà is a Spanish politician and the current president of the Autonomous Community of the Balearic Islands.-References:... |
|
| 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... (PSIB-PSOE) |
Francesc Antich | |
| Majorca Socialist Party Majorca Socialist Party The Majorca Socialist Party is a political party in Majorca, Spain. The PSM defines itself as socialist, environmentalist, and Catalan nationalist, from a Majorcan point of view.... - IniciativaVerds Confederation of The Greens The Confederation of the Greens is a green political party in Spain.... - Entesa per Mallorca (PSM-IV-ExM) |
Gabriel Barceló | |
| Esquerra Alternativa i Verda 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... (EAiV) |
Manel Carmona | |
| Convergència per les Illes (CxI) | Josep Melià Ques | |
| Ibiza for change (ExC) | Miquel Ramon |
Parties currently unrepresented in Parliament
| Candidates |
||
| Party | Candidate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Union, Progress and Democracy Union, Progress and Democracy Union, Progress and Democracy is a Spanish political party founded in September 2007.It is a progressivist party, between social democracy and social liberalism. One of its goals is to build a federal system for Spain and European Union, with clear responsibilities distributed among local... (UPyD) |
Juan Luis Calbarro | |
| Lliga Regionalista de les Illes Balears (IB-LLIGA) | Jaume Font | |