1991 Cantabrian regional election

The 1991 Cantabrian regional election was held on Sunday, 26 May 1991, to elect the 3rd Regional Assembly of the autonomous community of Cantabria. All 39 seats in the Regional Assembly were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in 12 other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

1991 Cantabrian regional election

26 May 1991
All 39 seats in the Regional Assembly of Cantabria 20 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	412,406 4.4%
Turnout	298,348 (72.3%) 3.4 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Jaime Blanco Juan Hormaechea José Luis Vallines Party PSOE UPCA PP Leader since 1977 23 January 1991 1990 Last election 13 seats, 29.6% Did not contest 18 seats, 43.7%[lower-alpha 1] Seats won 16 15 6 Seat change 3 15 12 Popular vote 102,958 99,194 42,714 Percentage 34.8% 33.5% 14.4% Swing 5.2 pp New party 29.3 pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Miguel Ángel Revilla Ángel Agudo Manuel Garrido Party PRC IU CDS Leader since 1983 1983 1987 Last election 5 seats, 12.9% 0 seats, 3.6% 3 seats, 6.6% Seats won 2 0 0 Seat change 3 0 3 Popular vote 18,789 13,023 7,926 Percentage 6.4% 4.4% 2.7% Swing 6.5 pp 0.8 pp 3.9 pp
President before election Jaime Blanco PSOE Elected President Juan Hormaechea UPCA

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) under incumbent President Jaime Blanco went on to win its first and only regional election in Cantabria. Juan Hormaechea's Union for the Progress of Cantabria (UPCA), a split from the People's Party (PP), won 15 seats and 33% of the vote, with the PP vote collapsing to 6 seats and 14% of the vote as a result. The Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) suffered from the UPCA's surge and returned to its 1983 results, while the Democratic and Social Centre did not reach the required 5% threshold and was expelled from parliament.

Juan Hormaechea managed to get re-elected as regional President thanks to a UPCA-PP agreement. He had been forced to resign in late 1990, after a no-confidence motion was passed against him by an alliance of PSOE, PP, PRC and CDS.

Overview

Background

The 1987 election had seen AP candidate Juan Hormaechea win the election with 19 out of 39 seats, 1 short for the absolute majority. Hormaechea, who had been Mayor of Santander between 1974 and 1987 and stood as an independent within AP, was elected as President of Cantabria thanks to the abstention vote of the CDS two deputies.[1]

However, from the beginning Hormaechea's tenure as regional President was controversial. Shortly after being elected, in August 1987, Hormaechea announced "difficulties" in forming a regional government, claiming pressures from AP to force him to name prominent party members as regional ministers,[2] accusing AP of "seeking to create wealth for themselves instead of wanting to serve the region" and threatening to resign from his office.[3][4] The government crisis was temporarily solved with the naming of three independents and four AP members as regional ministers.[5]

Hormaechea would star another incidents throughout the legislature, including insults to other parties' deputies,[6] accusations to the Assembly Speaker Eduardo Obregón (PSOE) of official misconduct[7] (which resulted in a legal complaint against Hormaechea),[8] as well as accusations from the three opposition parties (PSOE, PRC and CDS) of a continued disregard for the regional chamber.[9] Hormaechea was also accused of political misconduct, such as extorting other deputies in exchange of their votes,[10] bribing MPs from other parties,[11] as well as influence peddling favoring family members[12] and physically attacking a PSOE senator.[13]

Further, in late 1989, a controversy arose after Hormaechea declared he was not supporting the People's Party, successor party to AP, for that year's general election.[14] From that point, the deteriorating relationship between the PP and Hormaechea as a result of the latter's personalism and marginalization of the party's structure in the region triggered a political crisis.[15][16] Hormaechea's insults to party leaders in late 1990[17] motivated the PP's decision not to choose him as candidate for the incoming 1991 election,[18] as well as the party presenting a motion of censure on Hormaechea to remove him from the regional government,[19] with the support from the PSOE, PRC and CDS, electing PSOE leader Jaime Blanco as the head of a coalition administration for the remainder of the legislature.[20] This caused a split within the regional PP, with 12 deputies supporting Hormaechea and 7 supporting the no-confidence motion against him. Hormaechea's grouping went on to form a separate party, the Union for the Progress of Cantabria (UPCA), to stand for the 1991 election.[21]

Electoral system

The Regional Assembly of Cantabria was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Cantabria, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Cantabrian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Regional Deputation.[22] Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Cantabria and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 39 members of the Regional Assembly of Cantabria were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 5 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution.[22][23]

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 1 percent of the electors registered in Cantabria. 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 ten days of the election being called.[23][24][25]

Election date

The term of the Regional Assembly of Cantabria expired four years after the date of its previous election. Legal amendments earlier in 1991 established that elections to the Regional Assembly were to be fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 10 June 1987, setting the election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 26 May 1991.[22][23][24][25]

The Regional Assembly of Cantabria could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament except in the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot. In such a case, the Regional Assembly was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.[22]

Election campaign

The unveiling of irregularities within the finances of Hormaechea's government conducted by Blanco's coalition government marked the electoral campaign into the 1991 election. Hormaechea's management of the regional budget had left a public debt worth of 80,000 million pesetas,[26] while auditors discovered expenditures during the 1987-1990 period that were difficult to justify,[27] with evidence pointing to embezzlement during Hormaechea's tenure.[28]

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) tried to benefit from the split in the centre-right vote, with former Deputy Prime Minister Alfonso Guerra asking conservative voters to vote the PSOE "for this time", reminding the chaotic political situation of the community as a result of the infighting between former President Juan Hormaechea and the People's Party leadership.[29]

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. 20 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Regional Assembly of Cantabria.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout			PRC						Lead
1991 regional election	26 May 1991	N/A	72.3	[lower-alpha 2]	34.8 16	6.4 2	2.7 0	4.4 0	[lower-alpha 2]	14.4 6	33.5 15	1.3
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 1][p 2]	18 May 1991	?	?	[lower-alpha 2]	35.1 15/16	8.4 3	4.5 0	5.2 2	[lower-alpha 2]	16.3 7	26.5 11/12	8.6
Metra Seis/El Independiente[p 1][p 2]	12 May 1991	?	?	[lower-alpha 2]	30.6 13/14	11.0 4/5	2.7 0	7.4 3	[lower-alpha 2]	23.0 10	18.8 8	7.6
Demoscopia/El País[p 1][p 2][p 3][p 4]	4–7 May 1991	400	?	[lower-alpha 2]	32.0 14	8.5 3	5.0 0/2	7.8 2/3	[lower-alpha 2]	18.8 8	24.1 10/11	7.9
Eco–Gabes[p 5]	10 Nov 1990	?	?	[lower-alpha 2]	33.2 14	6.1 2	–	–	[lower-alpha 2]	8.1 3	46.9 20	13.7
Demoscopia Hemopública[p 6]	2 Oct 1990	?	?	[lower-alpha 2]	27.0 11	8.0 3	–	–	[lower-alpha 2]	9.0 3	49.5 22	22.5
Eco–Gabes[p 7]	17 Mar 1990	1,860	?	[lower-alpha 2]	32.0	–	–	–	[lower-alpha 2]	48.3	–	16.3
1989 general election	29 Oct 1989	N/A	74.3	[lower-alpha 2]	40.1 17	–	9.7 4	6.4 2	[lower-alpha 2]	38.4 16	–	1.7
1989 EP election	15 Jun 1989	N/A	60.5	[lower-alpha 2]	40.3 20	–	7.0 3	4.2 0	[lower-alpha 2]	32.0 16	–	8.3
1987 regional election	10 Jun 1987	N/A	75.7	41.7 19	29.6 13	12.9 5	6.6 2	3.6 0	2.4 0	–	–	12.1

Results

← Summary of the 26 May 1991 Regional Assembly of Cantabria election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	102,958	34.81	+5.24	16	+3
	Union for the Progress of Cantabria (UPCA)	99,194	33.53	New	15	+15
	People's Party (PP)^1	42,714	14.44	–29.60	6	–13
	Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC)	18,789	6.35	–6.51	2	–3
	United Left (IU)	13,023	4.40	+0.79	0	±0
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	7,926	2.68	–3.89	0	–2
	The Greens (LV)	2,045	0.69	New	0	±0
	Neighborhood Group of Cantabria (AAVV–C)	1,445	0.49	New	0	±0
	Ecologist–Humanist List (LE–H)^2	1,184	0.40	+0.13	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)	896	0.30	New	0	±0
	Nationalist Party of Cantabria (PNC)	623	0.21	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		5,009	1.69	+0.57
Total		295,806			39	±0
Valid votes		295,806	99.15	+0.52
Invalid votes		2,542	0.85	–0.52
Votes cast / turnout		298,348	72.34	–3.38
Abstentions		114,058	27.66	+3.38
Registered voters		412,406
Sources[30][31][32][33]

Popular vote PSOE   34.81% UPCA   33.53% PP   14.44% PRC   6.35% IU   4.40% CDS   2.68% Others   2.09% Blank ballots   1.69%

Seats PSOE   41.03% UPCA   38.46% PP   15.38% PRC   5.13%

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture Juan Hormaechea (UPCA)
Ballot →		2 July 1991
Required majority →		20 out of 39 Y
	Yes • UPCA (15) • PP (6)	21 / 39
	No • PSOE (16) • PRC (2)	18 / 39
	Abstentions	0 / 39
	Absentees	0 / 39
Sources[33]

1993 motion of no confidence

Motion of no confidence Jaime Blanco (PSOE)
Ballot →		1 July 1993
Required majority →		20 out of 39 N
	Yes • PSOE (16) • PRC (2)	18 / 39
	No • PP (12) • UPCA (9)	21 / 39
	Abstentions	0 / 39
	Absentees	0 / 39
Sources[33]

1994 motion of no confidence

Motion of no confidence Jaime Blanco (PSOE)
Ballot →		5 January 1994
Required majority →		20 out of 39 N
	Yes • PSOE (16) • PRC (2)	18 / 39
	No • PP (9) • UPCA (8)	17 / 39
	Abstentions • UxC (4)	4 / 39
	Absentees	0 / 39
Sources[33]

1994 failed investiture attempts

Investiture José Luis Vallines (PP) Ballot → 23 November 1994 25 November 1994 Required majority → 20 out of 39 N Simple N Yes • PP (9) • UxC (4) 13 / 39 13 / 39 No • PSOE (16) • UPCA (7) 23 / 39 23 / 39 Abstentions • PRC (2) 2 / 39 2 / 39 Absentees • UPCA (1) 1 / 39 1 / 39 Sources[33]

Investiture Miguel Ángel Revilla (PRC) Ballot → 27 December 1994 29 December 1994 Required majority → 20 out of 39 N Simple N Yes • PSOE (16) (15 on 27 Dec) • PRC (2) 17 / 39 18 / 39 No • PP (9) • UPCA (7) • UxC (4) (3 on 27 Dec) 19 / 39 20 / 39 Abstentions 2 / 39 2 / 39 Absentees • UPCA (1) • PSOE (1) (on 27 Dec) • UxC (1) (on 27 Dec) 3 / 39 1 / 39 Sources[33]

Notes

1. Aggregated data for AP and PDP in the 1987 election.
2. Within PP.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "Seis comunidades dependen de pactos". ABC (in Spanish). 20 May 1991.
2. "Las elecciones de 26-5-91". CEPC (in Spanish). August 1991.
3. "Hormaechea será un fuerte opositor". El País (in Spanish). 19 May 1991.
4. "Ficha técnica". El País (in Spanish). 19 May 1991.
5. "El PP desiste de censurar a Juan Hormaechea por falta de votos". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 10 November 1990.
6. "La oposición cántabra rechaza una encuesta sobre Homaechea". El País (in Spanish). 2 October 1990.
7. "Hormaechea hace públicos tres sondeos electorales que le dan mayoría absoluta". ABC (in Spanish). 17 March 1990.

Other

1. "Elected the autonomic presidents of La Rioja, Asturias and Cantabria" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-07-25.
2. "AP Cantabria denies having "personal desires" to form a government" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-08-08.
3. "Hormaechea criticizes his parliamentary group and threatens to resign" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-08-07.
4. "The crisis preventing Hormaechea from forming a government in Cantabria persists" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-08-11.
5. "Three independents and four AP members, in the new Cantabrian government" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-08-12.
6. "Hormaechea compares the fact of his suspension as deputy with the practice of the old dictatorships" (in Spanish). El País. 1988-03-11.
7. "Juan Hormaechea will be expelled from the Cantabrian Parliament if he causes further incidents" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-11-26.
8. "Accepted the complaint of the Speaker of the Cantabrian Parliament against Hormaechea" (in Spanish). El País. 1988-06-24.
9. "The Regional Assembly reprobates the Cantabrian president, Juan Hormaechea" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-12-17.
10. "A Cantabrian deputy accuses Hormaechea of extorting him to get his vote" (in Spanish). El País. 1987-12-21.
11. "Hormaechea calls "insane" the allegations of bribery in Cantabria" (in Spanish). El País. 1989-05-31.
12. "Opposition accuses Hormaechea of favoring a familiar with the qualification of a solar" (in Spanish). El País. 1989-11-12.
13. "Physical confrontation between the President of Cantabria and a PSOE senator" (in Spanish). El País. 1990-05-12.
14. "Tocino recommends Hormaechea to shut up" (in Spanish). El País. 1989-11-01.
15. "The PP Cantabrian government plans a no-confidence motion against its president" (in Spanish). El País. 1990-03-17.
16. "The PP discards a motion of censure against the President of Cantabria" (in Spanish). El País. 1990-03-20.
17. "Hormaechea insults Fraga, Tocino and Aznar and sings, arm-raised 'Snowy Mountains', in a 'pub' of Santander" (in Spanish). El País. 1990-11-03.
18. "Hormaechea will not be People's Party candidate for President of Cantabria" (in Spanish). El País. 1990-11-04.
19. "Aznar threatens to dissolve the People's Party of Cantabria if it does not support the no-confidence motion against Hormaechea" (in Spanish). El País. 1990-11-06.
20. "Socialist Jaime Blanco, new President of Cantabria with support from the People's Party" (in Spanish). El País. 1990-12-06.
21. "Former President Hormaechea presents his new party in a conciliatory tone" (in Spanish). El País. 1991-01-29.
22. "Statute of Autonomy of Cantabria of 1981". Organic Law No. 8 of 30 December 1981. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2017.
23. "Regional Assembly of Cantabria Elections Law of 1987". Law No. 5 of 27 March 1987. Official Gazette of Cantabria (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 September 2017.
24. "General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
25. "Representation of the people Institutional Act". www.juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
26. "A hole under the carpet" (in Spanish). El País. 1991-01-31.
27. "Auditors discover Hormaechea's expenditures difficult to justify" (in Spanish). El País. 1991-01-21.
28. "Very serious irregularities in Hormaechea's management" (in Spanish). El País. 1991-02-22.
29. "Alfonso Guerra calls in Cantabria for conservatives to vote the PSOE "for this time"" (in Spanish). El País. 1991-05-17.
30. "Regional Assembly of Cantabria election results, 26 May 1991" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of Cantabria. 4 July 1991. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
31. "Regional election, 26 May 1991". parlamento-cantabria.es (in Spanish). Parliament of Cantabria. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
32. "Number 155. Report-declaration of the Regional Assembly of Cantabria election of 26 May 1991" (PDF). tcu.es (in Spanish). Court of Auditors. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
33. "Parliament of Cantabria elections since 1983". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 28 September 2017.