1983 Balearic regional election

The 1983 Balearic regional election was held on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect the 1st Parliament of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. All 54 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

1983 Balearic regional election

8 May 1983
All 54 seats in the Parliament of the Balearic Islands 28 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	488,336
Turnout	315,795 (64.7%)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Gabriel Cañellas Félix Pons Jeroni Albertí Party AP–PDP–UL PSOE UM Leader since 1980 1979 1982 Leader's seat Mallorca Mallorca Mallorca Seats won 21 21 6 Popular vote 110,629 107,906 46,915 Percentage 35.6% 34.7% 15.1%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Sebastià Serra Joan López Casasnovas Alonso Marí Calbet Party PSM–PSI PSM PDL Leader since 1983 1983 1983 Leader's seat Mallorca Menorca Ibiza Seats won 2 2 1 Popular vote 16,979 3,732 3,896 Percentage 5.5% 1.2% 1.3%
Constituency results map for the Parliament of the Balearic Islands
President before election Francesc Tutzó Independent (ex-UCD)[lower-alpha 1] Elected President Gabriel Cañellas AP–PDP–UL

The regional picture, at first glance, had been dominated by the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD), heading the pre-autonomic government since 1978 and having won the 1979 elections to the Mallorca and Menorca Island Councils. However, the UCD was dissolved in early 1983 after its disastrous defeat in the 1982 Spanish general election, with its supporters fleeing to the People's Alliance (AP), the People's Democratic Party (PDP) or, as one of its erstwhile leaders, the newly founded Majorcan Union (UM). Other parties which had also contested the Island Council elections four years previously were the regional branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), the Socialist Party of Majorca (PSM) or the Communist Party of the Balearic Islands (PCIB).

The election resulted in a tie at 21 seats between the People's Coalition—formed by AP, the PDP and the Liberal Union (UL)—and the PSOE, with a narrow overall victory for the centre-right parties.[2] AP candidate Gabriel Cañellas was able to access the regional government through the support of UM—which had obtained 6 seats—and the votes from the Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) and the Menorcan Independent Candidacy (CIM).[3][4]

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of the Balearic Islands was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Balearic Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Government.[5] Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the Balearic Islands and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 54 members of the Parliament of the Balearic Islands were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 3 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the islands of Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera. Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of seats: 30 for Mallorca, 12 for Menorca, 11 for Ibiza and 1 for Formentera.[5]

The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election—needing to secure, in any case, the signature of 500 electors—. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within fifteen days of the election being called.[6]

Election date

The Inter-island General Council, in agreement with the Government of Spain, was required to call an election to the Parliament of the Balearic Islands before 31 May 1983. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a sixty-day period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.[5]

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within fifteen days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one-thousandth of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election—with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.[6]

Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:

Candidacy		Parties and alliances	Leading candidate		Ideology	Gov.	Ref.
	PSOE	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)		Félix Pons	Social democracy	N
	AP–PDP–UL	List People's Alliance (AP) People's Democratic Party (PDP) Liberal Union (UL)		Gabriel Cañellas	Conservatism Christian democracy	N
	PSM–PSI	List Socialist Party of Majorca (PSM) Socialist Party of the Islands (PSI)		Sebastià Serra	Democratic socialism Left-wing nationalism	N
	PCIB	List Communist Party of the Balearic Islands (PCIB)		Josep Valero	Eurocommunism	N
	PSMe	List Socialist Party of Menorca (PSMe)		Joan López Casasnovas	Democratic socialism Left-wing nationalism	N
	UM	List Majorcan Union (UM) Liberal Democratic Party (PDL)		Jeroni Albertí	Liberalism Balearic regionalism	N	[7]
	PDL	List Liberal Democratic Party (PDL)		Alonso Marí Calbet	Liberalism	N
	CIM	List Menorcan Independent Candidacy (CIM)		Cristòfor Triay	Liberalism Regionalism	N

The electoral disaster of the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) in the October 1982 general election and the outcome of its extraordinary congress held in December, in which the party's leadership chose to transform the UCD into a christian democratic political force,[8] brought the party to a process of virtual disintegration as many of its remaining members either switched party allegiances, split into new, independent candidacies or left politics altogether.[9][10] Subsequent attempts to seek electoral allies ahead of the incoming 1983 local and regional elections, mainly the conservative People's Alliance (AP) and the christian democratic People's Democratic Party (PDP),[11][12] had limited success due to concerns from both AP and UCD over such an alliance policy:[13][14] AP strongly rejected any agreement that implied any sort of global coalition with UCD due to the party's ongoing decomposition,[15][16] and prospects about a possible PDP–UCD merger did not come into fruition because of the latter's reluctance to dilute its brand within another party.[17][18][19] In Mallorca, the former president of the Inter-island General Council, Jeroni Albertí, led the formation of the regionalist coalition Majorcan Union (UM) as a continuation of UCD on the island.[7]

Together with AP, the PDP had agreed to maintain their general election alliance—now rebranded as the People's Coalition—for the May local and regional elections,[20][21][22] with the inclusion of the Liberal Union (UL), a political party created in January 1983 out of independents from the AP–PDP coalition in an attempt to appeal to former UCD liberal voters.[23][24] The Coalition had seen its numbers soar from late February as a result of many former members from the UCD's christian democratic wing joining the PDP.[25][26][27]

Opinion polls

The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 28 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of the Balearic Islands.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout				PSM	PSMe	UM		CIM	Lead
1983 regional election	8 May 1983	N/A	64.7	34.7 21	35.6 21	2.1 0	5.5 2	1.2 2	15.1 6	1.3 1	1.0 1	0.9
Sofemasa/El País[p 1][p 2]	23–26 Apr 1983	?	?	? 26/33	? 15/19	–	? 4/5	? 2/3	–	–	–	?
1982 general election	28 Oct 1982	N/A	79.7	40.5	37.7	5.3	2.4	[lower-alpha 2]	–	–	–	2.8

Results

Overall

Summary of the 8 May 1983 Parliament of the Balearic Islands election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL)	110,629	35.58	n/a	21	n/a
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	107,906	34.71	n/a	21	n/a
	Majorcan Union (UM)	46,915	15.09	n/a	6	n/a
	Socialist Party of Majorca–Socialist Party of the Islands (PSM–PSI)	16,979	5.46	n/a	2	n/a
	Communist Party of the Balearic Islands (PCIB)	7,669	2.47	n/a	0	n/a
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	6,611	2.13	n/a	0	n/a
	Liberal Democratic Party (PDL)	3,896	1.25	n/a	1	n/a
	Socialist Party of Menorca (PSM)	3,732	1.20	n/a	2	n/a
	Menorcan Independent Candidacy (CIM)	3,250	1.05	n/a	1	n/a
	Spanish Communist Workers' Party (PCOE)	1,509	0.49	n/a	0	n/a
Blank ballots		1,820	0.59	n/a
Total		310,916			54	n/a
Valid votes		310,916	98.46	n/a
Invalid votes		4,879	1.54	n/a
Votes cast / turnout		315,795	64.67	n/a
Abstentions		172,541	35.33	n/a
Registered voters		488,336
Sources[28][29]

Popular vote AP–PDP–UL   35.58% PSOE   34.71% UM   15.09% PSM–PSI   5.46% PCIB   2.47% CDS   2.13% PDL   1.25% PSM   1.20% CIM   1.05% PCOE   0.49% Blank ballots   0.59%

Seats AP–PDP–UL   38.89% PSOE   38.89% UM   11.11% PSM–PSI   3.70% PSM   3.70% PDL   1.85% CIM   1.85%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	CP		PSOE		UM		PSM–PSI		PDL		PSM		CIM
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
Formentera	39.2	−	49.1	1					11.5	−
Ibiza	51.5	6	30.7	4					14.6	1
Mallorca	34.3	11	34.7	11	18.3	6	6.6	2
Menorca	32.7	4	37.7	5							13.5	2	11.7	1
Total	35.6	21	34.7	21	15.1	6	5.5	2	1.3	1	1.2	2	1.1	1
Sources[28][29]

Aftermath

Investiture Gabriel Cañellas (AP)
Ballot →		7 June 1983
Required majority →		28 out of 54 Y
	Yes • AP–PDP–UL (21) • UM (6) • PDL (1) • CIM (1)	29 / 54
	No • PSOE (21) • PSM (2) • PSMen (2)	25 / 54
	Abstentions	0 / 54
	Absentees	0 / 54
Sources[4][29]

See also

• Results breakdown of the 1983 Spanish local elections (Balearic Islands)

Notes

1. The UCD was dissolved as a political party in February 1983,[1] with its regional presidents and elected officials maintaining their offices either as independents or joining other parties ahead of the May 1983 regional elections.
2. Within PSM.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "El PSOE vuelve a distanciarse de la coalición de Fraga". El País (in Spanish). 1 May 1983.
2. "Ficha técnica de los sondeos". El País (in Spanish). 1 May 1983.

Other

1. "La crisis de UCD culmina con la decisión de disolverse como partido político". El País (in Spanish). 19 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
2. "Apretada mayoría de la derecha". El País (in Spanish). 10 May 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
3. "UM pactará hoy el gobierno regional con la Coalición Popular". El País (in Spanish). 31 May 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
4. "El candidato de AP, investido presidente de la comunidad autónoma de Baleares". El País (in Spanish). 8 June 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
5. "Statute of Autonomy of the Balearic Islands of 1983". Organic Law No. 2 of 25 February 1983. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 13 September 2017.
6. "Real Decreto-ley 20/1977, de 18 de marzo, sobre Normas Electorales". Royal Decree-Law No. 20 of 18 March 1977. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 December 2019.
7. Pasaron, Juan (21 October 1982). "Unión Mallorquina, nuevo partido de Albertí en Baleares". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 20 February 2020.
8. "Los democristianos ganan la batalla a los 'azules' en el congreso de UCD y mantienen a Lavilla en la presidencia". El País (in Spanish). 13 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
9. "Ex ministros y 'notables' de UCD inician la fuga del partido". El País (in Spanish). 14 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
10. "El proceso de desintegración de UCD se acelera con peticiones de bajas en numerosas regiones". El País (in Spanish). 16 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
11. "Sigue en el aire la posibilidad de pacto electoral entre AP-UCD". El País (in Spanish). 21 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
12. "UCD, a favor de seguir negociando con AP para llegar a un pacto de cara a las municipales". El País (in Spanish). 30 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
13. "Fraga se muestra reticente sobre la conveniencia de llegar a un pacto electoral con UCD". El País (in Spanish). 18 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
14. "División en UCD sobre la conveniencia de un pacto electoral con Alianza Popular". El País (in Spanish). 22 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
15. "Aumentan los obstáculos para un acuerdo electoral entre UCD y AP". El País (in Spanish). 4 January 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
16. "UCD negociará pactos locales para los próximos comicios". El País (in Spanish). 18 January 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
17. "Lavilla desmiente su dimisión y asegura que "aun existen muchas incógnitas por decidir" en UCD". El País (in Spanish). 9 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
18. "El mantenimiento de las siglas, máximo obstáculo para el acercamiento de UCD al Partido Demócrata Popular". El País (in Spanish). 17 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
19. "La mayoría de los parlamentarios de UCD se opone a las negociaciones para una integración en el PDP". El País (in Spanish). 18 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
20. "Formado un comité coordinador de los partidos coaligados con AP". El País (in Spanish). 3 March 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
21. "El Partido Demócrata Popular considera "correctas, pero muy difíciles", las negociaciones con AP para las próximas elecciones". El País (in Spanish). 13 March 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
22. "Formalizada la coalición AP-PDP-UL en todas las provincias". El País (in Spanish). 22 March 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
23. "Dos nuevos grupos se unen a la 'operación liberal' de Fraga". El País (in Spanish). 19 January 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
24. "UCD y AP-PDP sólo irán en coalición a las municipales en el País Vasco". El País (in Spanish). 11 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
25. "El partido de Oscar Alzaga trata de forzar una próxima 'fuga' de militantes de UCD". El País (in Spanish). 8 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
26. "Centenares de militantes democristianos de UCD se integrarán hoy en el partido de Oscar Alzaga". El País (in Spanish). 20 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
27. "19 dirigentes democristianos de UCD se integran en el consejo político del PDP". El País (in Spanish). 21 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
28. "Regional elections, 1983. Balearic Islands". www.caib.es (in Catalan). Government of the Balearic Islands. Archived from the original on 28 September 2017. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
29. "Parliament of the Balearic Islands and Island Council elections since 1979". historiaelectoral.com (in Catalan). Electoral History. Retrieved 28 September 2017.