Elections to the Murcian Regional Assembly, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 elections to the Murcian Regional Assembly were the eighth elections to the unicameral
regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community
of the Region of Murcia
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 45 members of the Assembly.
Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage
in a secret ballot
. The electoral system used was closed list
proportional representation
in five electoral districts with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method
. Only lists which polled at least 5% of the total votes cast in the Region (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats, which were then allocated in each electoral district according to the vote share in that district. This rule prevented Union, Progress and Democracy
from winning a seat as, although they polled 5.3% in the third district, their vote in the entire Murcian region was 4.5%.
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) won the first three elections in the Murcia Region, however all four elections from 1995 onwards had been won by the People's Party
(PP) who had won an absolute majority of votes and seats since then. The PP gained four seats from the PSOE, with United Left
holding its solitary seat.
One of the first tasks of the new Parliament will be to elect the President of Murcia from among their number. Ramón Luis Valcárcel of the PP, incumbent since 1995, is seeking re-election.
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 Region of Murcia
Region of Murcia
The Region of Murcia is an autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the country, between Andalusia and Valencian Community, on the Mediterranean coast....
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 45 members of the Assembly.
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...
in five electoral districts 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 cast in the Region (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats, which were then allocated in each electoral district according to the vote share in that district. This rule prevented 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...
from winning a seat as, although they polled 5.3% in the third district, their vote in the entire Murcian region was 4.5%.
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) won the first three elections in the Murcia Region, however all four elections from 1995 onwards had been won 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) who had won an absolute majority of votes and seats since then. The PP gained four seats from the PSOE, with 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...
holding its solitary seat.
One of the first tasks of the new Parliament will be to elect the President of Murcia from among their number. Ramón Luis Valcárcel of the PP, incumbent since 1995, is seeking re-election.
Electoral districts
The five electoral districts are numbered one to five, but are also known by geographic descriptors. Following a review of the electoral law, the third district, Murcia, gained a seat at the expense of the second district.| Electoral districts | Number of members | Municipalities |
| One (Lorca) | 7 | Águilas Águilas Águilas is a municipality and seaport of southeastern Spain, in the province of Murcia. It is situated at the southern end of Murcia's Mediterranean coastline, otherwise known as the Costa Cálida, near the border with the Province of Almería.... , Puerto Lumbreras Puerto Lumbreras Puerto Lumbreras is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 12,881 and an area of 139 km² .-External links:* *... , Totana Totana Totana is a municipality of the Region of Murcia province in Spain. It has a population of about 25,000 people.- External links :***... , Alhama de Murcia Alhama de Murcia Alhama de Murcia is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia.-External links:*... , Librilla Librilla Librilla is a Spanish village in the Murcia region. It had a population of 4614 in 2010 and an area of 56 km².-Geography:Librilla is located next to the Algecira's stream and it's crossed by the Oron river... , Lorca Lorca Lorca is a municipality and town in the autonomous community of Murcia in southeastern Spain, 36 miles southwest of the city of Murcia. It had a population of 92,694 in 2010, up from the 2001 census total of 77,477. Lorca is the municipality with the second-largest surface area in Spain with... , Aledo Aledo, Murcia Aledo is a municipality in the Region of Murcia, southern Spain.It is home to a castle built in the early Middle Ages by the Moors, to command the Guadalentín valley. When the Taifa of Murcia was conquered by the Kingdom of Castile, it was assigned to the Order of Santiago, which renovated it and... and Mazarrón Mazarrón Mazarrón is a municipality in the autonomous community and province of Murcia, southeastern Spain. The municipality has an area of , and a population of more than 34,351 inhabitants... |
| Two (Cartagena) | 10 | Cartagena Cartagena, Spain Cartagena is a Spanish city and a major naval station located in the Region of Murcia, by the Mediterranean coast, south-eastern Spain. As of January 2011, it has a population of 218,210 inhabitants being the Region’s second largest municipality and the country’s 6th non-Province capital... , La Unión La Unión La Union or La Unión may refer to:-Colombia:*La Unión, Antioquia*La Unión, Nariño*La Unión, Sucre*La Unión, Valle del Cauca-Peru:*La Unión Province, Peru... , Fuente Álamo, Torre Pacheco, San Javier San Javier San Javier, a Spanish language reference to Saint Francis Xavier, is sometimes used as a toponym in parts of the world where that tongue is spoken:-*San Javier, Santa Fe*San Javier Department, Córdoba*San Javier Department, Misiones... , San Pedro del Pinatar and Los Alcázares Los Alcázares Los Alcázares - pronounced Los Al-Katha-Res is a small, but expanding coastal spa town and former fishing village on the Western side of the Mar Menor in the autonomous community and province of Murcia, southeastern Spain.... |
| Three (Murcia) | 21 | Murcia Murcia -History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village... , Alcantarilla Alcantarilla Alcantarilla is a town and municipality in southeastern Spain, in the Autonomous Community of the Region of Murcia. The town is only 7 km away from the capital of the region, the city of Murcia, and one of its peculiarities is that it is completely surrounded by "pedanías" of the municipality... , Beniel, Molina de Segura Molina de Segura Molina de Segura is a municipality of Spain in the autonomous community and province of Murcia. It is located 10 km from the provincial capital, Murcia.The town has a line of walls dating to the Almohad era .... , Alguazas Alguazas Alguazas is a municipality of Spain in the autonomous community and province of Murcia.... , Las Torres de Cotillas Las Torres de Cotillas Las Torres de Cotillas is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia.A Roman villa existed here in the 2nd century BC. Despite the presence of two Moorish settlements in the Middle Ages, the modern town was founded in 1318.... , Lorquí Lorquí Lorquí is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 6,493 and an area of 15 km² .- Demographics :... , Ceutí, Cieza Cieza Cieza can refer to:* Pedro Cieza de León, primary source historian of Incan Peru at the time of the Spanish conquest.* Cieza, Murcia, Spain* Cieza, Cantabria, Spain... , Abarán Abarán Abarán is a Spanish municipality located in the province of Murcia. It is situated in the Valley of Ricote on the banks of the River Segura 40 km from the city of Murcia. It belongs to the parish of Santiago. It has a population of 12,917 . Abarán belongs to the comarca of Vega Alta del... , Blanca, Archena Archena Archena is a municipality of Spain in the autonomous community and province of Murcia. It has a population of 16,707 and an area of 16.5 km². It is 24 km from the provincial capital, Murcia.... , Ricote Ricote Ricote is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 1,509 and an area of 87.7 km² .-References:This article contains information from the Spanish Wikipedia article Ricote, accessed on January 10, 2008.... , Ulea Ulea Ulea is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 991 and an area of 40 km² .-External links:* This article contains information from the Spanish Wikipedia article Ulea, accessed on July 15, 2008.... , Villanueva del Río Segura Villanueva del Río Segura Villanueva del Río Segura is a municipality in the Region of Murcia, Spain.... , Ojós, Fortuna Fortuna Fortuna can mean:*Fortuna, the Roman goddess of luck -Geographical:*19 Fortuna, asteroid*Fortuna, California, town located on the north coast of California*Fortuna, United States Virgin Islands... , Abanilla Abanilla Abanilla is a Spanish municipality located in the Comarca Oriental in the Autonomous Community of Murcia. It lies close to the border of the province of Alicante in the Autonomous Community of Valencia.-Geography:... and Santomera Santomera Santomera is a Spanish municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia. It has a population of 13,919 and an area of 44.2 km².-External links:*... |
| Four (Northwest) | 4 | Caravaca de la Cruz Caravaca de la Cruz Caravaca de la Cruz is a town and municipality of southeastern Spain in the province of Murcia, near the left bank of the River Argos, a tributary of the Segura. This city is the capital of the northwest Region of Murcia. It has a population of 26,449 as of 2010... , Cehegín Cehegín Cehegín is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Murcia, Spain, situated some 66 km from the city of Murcia. It has a population of approximately 16,200 . It is crossed by the rivers Argos and Quipar.... , Calasparra Calasparra Calasparra is a municipality in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain.- Geography :Calasparra has an area of 193 km² and a population of 9,700 . Between 2004 and 2006 more than 2,000 British immigrants bought new homes off-plan, built on 3 new urbanisations sateliting the town, with more... , Moratalla, Bullas Bullas Bullas is a municipality and town in the Region of Murcia, southeast Spain, located 53 km from the provincial capital, Murcia. it is the highest municipality in the Region of Murcia after Moratalla.The surrounding area is noted for the production of wine.... , Pliego, Mula Mula -Places:* Mula, Maldives, a city in the Maldives* Mula, Spain, a town in the autonomous community of Murcia, Spain* Muľa, a village and municipality in southern Slovakia* Mula, a drum used in Cuban music... , Albudeite Albudeite -Twin towns: Saint-Geniès-de-Fontedit, France... and Campos del Río |
| Five (Altiplano) | 3 | Yecla Yecla Yecla is a town and municipality in eastern Spain, in the extreme north of the autonomous community of Murcia, located 96 km from the capital of the region, Murcia.... and Jumilla Jumilla Jumilla is a municipality in southeastern Spain. It is located in the province of Murcia, close to the town of Yecla.-Economy:Jumilla is home to the world's largest photovoltaic solar power farm, with an installed peak power capacity of 20 megawatts. The solar farm consists of 120,000 solar... |
Opinion polls
| Poll details | 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... |
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... |
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 | 29 | 15 | 1 | - | - | - |
| 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... (01/06/2010) |
62.7% | 26.8% | 4.6% | - | 5.9% | - |
| Seat Projections | 31-33 | 12-14 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Murcian centre of public opinion studies (CEMOP)(05/06/2010) | 61.7% | 24.5% | 7.7% | 4.2% | - | - |
| CEMOP(19/11/2010) | 63.4% | 21.9% | 8.8% | 4.9% | 1.8% | - |
| 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... (07/01/2011) |
61.8% | 25.4% | 7.3% | - | 5.5% | - |
| Seat Projections | 31-32 | 12-13 | 1 | - | - | - |
| CEMOP(07/01/2011) | 59.2% | 25.5% | 8.8% | 4.8% | - | - |