Spanish political reform referendum, 1976
Encyclopedia
A referendum was held in Spain
on 15 December 1976 to approve the Political Reform Act of 1977 which had been approved by the Spanish Parliament, The Cortes Generales
. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Political Reform Bill? The final result was overwhelming support for the project with 94.17% of voters in favour on a turnout of 77.8%.
and was approved by the Cortes on 18 November 1976. Its aim was to move away from the dictatorship of the Franco
era and turn Spain into a constitutional monarchy
with a parliament system based on representative democracy
. It had been drafted by Torcuato Fernández Miranda, then President of the Cortes, and supported by Prime Minister
Adolfo Suárez
and King Juan Carlos
. The law provided for the legalisation of political parties and a democratic election to Constituent Cortes
, a committee of which then drafted the Constitution.
In total 22,644,290 people had been eligible to vote. The yes vote ranged from 89.8% in Santander to 96.9% in Almería. The vote for "none of the above" only exceeded 5% in the three Basque provinces
and the Basque province of Guipúzcoa was the only province where the turnout, at 45.25%, was less than 50%.
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...
on 15 December 1976 to approve the Political Reform Act of 1977 which had been approved by the Spanish Parliament, The Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
. The question asked was "Do you approve of the Political Reform Bill? The final result was overwhelming support for the project with 94.17% of voters in favour on a turnout of 77.8%.
Purpose
The Political Reform Act was the last of the Fundamental Laws of the RealmFundamental Laws of the Realm
The Fundamental Laws of the Realm were a set of laws organizing the powers of the Spanish state during the dictatorship of General Francisco Franco. In 1977, during the transition, an eighth law with the same status as the others was brought into effect, altering the legislative framework, in order...
and was approved by the Cortes on 18 November 1976. Its aim was to move away from the dictatorship of the 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...
era and turn Spain into a constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy
Constitutional monarchy is a form of government in which a monarch acts as head of state within the parameters of a constitution, whether it be a written, uncodified or blended constitution...
with a parliament system based on representative democracy
Representative democracy
Representative democracy is a form of government founded on the principle of elected individuals representing the people, as opposed to autocracy and direct democracy...
. It had been drafted by Torcuato Fernández Miranda, then President of the Cortes, and supported by Prime Minister
Prime Minister of Spain
The President of the Government of Spain , sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the head of Government of Spain. The current office is established under the Constitution of 1978...
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez y González, 1st Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain, KOGF is a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the key figure in the country's transition to democracy.-Parents:He is a son of...
and King Juan Carlos
Juan Carlos I of Spain
Juan Carlos I |Italy]]) is the reigning King of Spain.On 22 November 1975, two days after the death of General Francisco Franco, Juan Carlos was designated king according to the law of succession promulgated by Franco. Spain had no monarch for 38 years in 1969 when Franco named Juan Carlos as the...
. The law provided for the legalisation of political parties and a democratic election to Constituent Cortes
Constituent Cortes
Constituent Cortes is the description of Spain's parliament, the Cortes, when convened as a constituent assembly.In the 20th century, only one Constituent Cortes was officially opened , and that was the Republican Cortes in 1931.The Cortes in 1977 enacted the new Spanish constitution...
, a committee of which then drafted the Constitution.
Results
| Choice | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 16,573,180 | 94.17% |
| No | 450,102 | 2.56% |
| None of the above | 523,457 | 2.97% |
| Blank ballots | 52,823 | 0.30% |
| Total | 17,599,562 | 100% |
| Source: Ministerio del Interior | ||
In total 22,644,290 people had been eligible to vote. The yes vote ranged from 89.8% in Santander to 96.9% in Almería. The vote for "none of the above" only exceeded 5% in the three Basque provinces
Basque Country (autonomous community)
The Basque Country is an autonomous community of northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa, also called Historical Territories....
and the Basque province of Guipúzcoa was the only province where the turnout, at 45.25%, was less than 50%.