Elections to the Extremaduran Assembly, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 elections to the Extremaduran Assembly were the eighth elections to the Extremaduran Assembly, the unicameral
regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community
of Extremadura
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 65 members of the Assembly. 36 members were elected for the province of Badajoz, with 29 members elected for the province of Cáceres.
Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage
in a secret ballot
. The electoral system used was closed list
proportional representation
with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method
. Only lists which polled at least 5% of the total votes (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats.
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) had formed the government of the Extremaduran region since the first democratic elections in 1983, achieving an absolute majority of seats at every election except 1995 however opinion polls pointed to the possibility of a close result, with some polls suggesting that they could be overtaken by the People's Party
(PP). The PP overtook the PSOE for the first time, though they fell won seat short of winning an overall majority. This left the balance of power in the hands of United Left
(IU), who had re-entered the Assembly after a four year absence.
One of the first tasks of the Assembly was to elect the President of Extremadura
from among their number. The outgoing President, Guillermo Fernández Vara
of the PSOE, attempted to secure re-election by forming a pact with IU. However IU declined to support the PSOE and abstained in the Presidential vote with the result that José Antonio Monago Terraza
became the first PP President of Extremadura.
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 Extremadura
Extremadura
Extremadura is an autonomous community of western Spain whose capital city is Mérida. Its component provinces are Cáceres and Badajoz. It is bordered by Portugal to the west...
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 65 members of the Assembly. 36 members were elected for the province of Badajoz, with 29 members elected for the province of Cáceres.
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 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 5% of the total votes (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats.
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) had formed the government of the Extremaduran region since the first democratic elections in 1983, achieving an absolute majority of seats at every election except 1995 however opinion polls pointed to the possibility of a close result, with some polls suggesting that they could be overtaken by 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). The PP overtook the PSOE for the first time, though they fell won seat short of winning an overall majority. This left the balance of power in the hands 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...
(IU), who had re-entered the Assembly after a four year absence.
One of the first tasks of the Assembly was to elect the President of Extremadura
President of Extremadura
The President of Extremadura is the head of government of the Spanish autonomous community of Extremadura.José Antonio Monago Terraza is the current President of Extremadura and the first one from the right-wing; he was elected due to the abstention of United Left -List of Presidents of Extremadura:...
from among their number. The outgoing President, Guillermo Fernández Vara
Guillermo Fernández Vara
Guillermo Fernández Vara is a Spanish politician from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party who served as the President of Extremadura from 2007 to 2011. Fernández had previously served as Minister for Health and Social Security in Extremaduran regional governments.He studied medicine at...
of the PSOE, attempted to secure re-election by forming a pact with IU. However IU declined to support the PSOE and abstained in the Presidential vote with the result that José Antonio Monago Terraza
José Antonio Monago Terraza
José Antonio Monago Terraza is a Spanish politician who belongs to the People's Party and who currently serves as President of Extremadura, the Extremaduran regional administration...
became the first PP President of Extremadura.
Parties represented in the 2007-2011 Assembly
| Candidates |
||
| Party | Candidate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 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) |
Guillermo Fernández Vara Guillermo Fernández Vara Guillermo Fernández Vara is a Spanish politician from the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party who served as the President of Extremadura from 2007 to 2011. Fernández had previously served as Minister for Health and Social Security in Extremaduran regional governments.He studied medicine at... |
|
| 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) |
José Antonio Monago Terraza José Antonio Monago Terraza José Antonio Monago Terraza is a Spanish politician who belongs to the People's Party and who currently serves as President of Extremadura, the Extremaduran regional administration... |
|
Parties unrepresented in the 2007-2011 Assembly
| Candidates |
||
| Party | Candidate | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 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... (IU) |
Pedro Escobar(04/04/2011) | |
| 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) |
María Luisa García-Borruel | |
Opinion polls
| Opinion poll | 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... |
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... |
IU 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... |
UPyD 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... |
Others | Undecided |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 results: | 38 | 27 | - | - | - | - |
| Hoy(28/02/2010) | 48.0% | 43.8% | 4.2% | - | 4.0% | - |
| Seat Projections | 33-35 | 30-32 | 0 | - | - | |
| Público(28/03/2010) | 48.1% | 44.4% | 4.6% | - | - | - |
| Seat Projections | 33 | 31 | 1 | - | - | - |
| GESPA(23/04/2010) | 46.6% | 44.9% | 4.4% | - | - | - |
| Seat Projections | 33 | 32 | - | - | - | - |
| El Mundo El Mundo (Spain) El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the... (31/05/2010) |
44.3% | 48.8% | 4.0% | - | - | - |
| Seat Projections | 30-32 | 33-35 | 0 | - | - | - |
| 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... (15/07/2010) |
49.0% | 43.0% | 4-5% | - | - | - |
| Seat Projections | 33-35 | 29-30 | 1-2 | - | - | - |
| 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... (20/09/2011) |
46.6% | 44.9% | - | - | - | - |
| Seat Projections | 33 | 32 | - | - | - | - |
| El Mundo El Mundo (Spain) El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the... (05/01/2011) |
45.6% | 45.5% | 4.9% | - | 4.0% | - |
| Seat Projections | 32 | 31-33 | 0-2 | - | - | - |
| La Razón La Razón (Madrid) La Razón is Spain's fifth highest-circulation general-interest daily newspaper based in Madrid. It is the newest of the five most read, having been founded in 1998 by Luis Maria Ansón.... (22/01/2011) |
48.1% | 43.6% | - | - | - | - |
| Seat Projections | 32-34 | 30-31 | - | - | - | - |
| GESPA(24/01/2011) | 44.7% | 45.8% | 4.9% | - | 4.6% | - |
| Seat Projections | 31-32 | 33 | 0-1 | - | - | - |
| Público | 46.3% | 44.4.% | 4.6% | - | - | - |
| Seat Projections | 32-33 | 31-32 | 1-2 | - | - | - |
Results
| Eligible electorate | 885,124 | |||||
| Tournout | 674,720 | 76.23% | ||||
| Parties and coalitions | 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... |
307,558 | 46.21% | +7.5% | 32 | +5 | |
| 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... |
289,467 | 43.49% | -9.51% | 30 | -8 | |
| United Left-Greens-Independent Socialists of Extremadura 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... |
37,096 | 5.57% | +1.05% | 3 | +3 | |
| 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... |
7,062 | 1.06% | - | - | - | |
| Independents for Extremadura (IPEX) | 4,675 | 0.7% | -0.56% | - | - | |
| Ecologists-Greens (ECOLO-LOS VERDES) | 3,855 | 0.28% | - | - | - | |
| Union of Extremaduran People (UPEX) | 2,184 | 0.33% | +0.1% | - | - | |
| For a More Just World (PUM + J) | 1,565 | 0.24% | - | - | - | |
| Extremadura Convergence (CEX) | 1,054 | 0.16% | - | - | - | |
| Communist Party of the People of Spain (PCPE) | 839 | 0.13% | -0.01% | - | - | |
| Citizens for Blank Votes Citizens for Blank Votes Citizens for Blank Votes is a Spanish political party.In Spanish electoral law, a distinction is made between valid votes, blank votes and null votes. Blank votes are interpreted as correctly executed votes for "none of the above", and consistently about 2% of votes are blank... (CenB) |
772 | 0.12% | +0.04% | - | - | |
| Total | 100% | 65 | ||||