1999 Riojan regional election

The 1999 Riojan regional election was held on Sunday, 13 June 1999, to elect the 5th Parliament of the autonomous community of La Rioja. All 33 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, as well as the 1999 European Parliament election.

1999 Riojan regional election

13 June 1999
All 33 seats in the Parliament of La Rioja 17 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	229,569 5.1%
Turnout	157,623 (68.7%) 7.5 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Pedro Sanz José Ignacio Pérez Sáenz Miguel González de Legarra Party PP PSOE PR Leader since 2 October 1993 1987 16 December 1995 Last election 17 seats, 49.4% 12 seats, 34.1% 2 seats, 6.7% Seats won 18 13 2 Seat change 1 1 0 Popular vote 80,088 55,126 9,004 Percentage 51.3% 35.3% 5.8% Swing 1.9 pp 1.2 pp 0.9 pp
President before election Pedro Sanz PP Elected President Pedro Sanz PP

In a turnout below 69%, the People's Party (PP) under incumbent President Pedro Sanz was re-elected for a second term in office with an increased absolute majority. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) under former president José Ignacio Pérez Sáenz saw a slight increase in support, but the new PP majority meant that the party would remain in opposition. United Left (IU) failed to reach the 5% electoral threshold, resulting in the loss of all its 2 seats, while the Riojan Party (PR) maintained its 2 seats.[1][2]

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of La Rioja was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of La Rioja, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Riojan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Autonomous Community.[3] Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in La Rioja and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 33 members of the Parliament of La Rioja 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.[3][4]

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 La Rioja. 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.[4][5][6]

Election date

The term of the Parliament of La Rioja expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Parliament were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. Legal amendments introduced in 1998 allowed for these to be held together with European Parliament elections, provided that they were scheduled for within a four month-timespan. The previous election was held on 28 May 1995, setting the election date for the Parliament concurrently with a European Parliament election on Sunday, 13 June 1999.[3][4][5][6]

After legal amendments earlier in 1999, the President of the Autonomous Community was granted the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of La Rioja and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year has elapsed since a previous dissolution. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.[3]

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. 17 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of La Rioja.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout				PR	Lead
1999 regional election	13 Jun 1999	N/A	68.7	51.3 18	35.3 13	3.9 0	5.8 2	16.0
Eco Consulting/ABC[p 1]	24 May–2 Jun 1999	?	?	48.1 16/17	35.9 12/13	5.9 2	7.3 2	12.2
Demoscopia/El País[p 2]	26 May–1 Jun 1999	?	71	53.5 18/19	34.5 12	6.2 2	4.9 0/1	19.0
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 3][p 4]	18–24 May 1999	600	?	48.6 16/18	37.5 12/13	6.0 2	5.4 1/2	11.1
CIS[p 5][p 6][p 7]	3–19 May 1999	398	73.5	54.2 18/19	33.1 11/12	6.1 2	5.0 1	21.1
1996 general election	3 Mar 1996	N/A	80.9	49.4 17	36.6 13	8.7 3	3.4 0	12.8
1995 regional election	28 May 1995	N/A	76.2	49.4 17	34.1 12	7.2 2	6.7 2	15.3

Results

← Summary of the 13 June 1999 Parliament of La Rioja election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	80,088	51.26	+1.82	18	+1
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	55,126	35.28	+1.19	13	+1
	Riojan Party (PR)	9,004	5.76	–0.94	2	±0
	United Left La Rioja (IU)	6,104	3.91	–3.30	0	–2
	The Greens (LV)	1,971	1.26	New	0	±0
	Movement to Humanist Socialism (MASH)	418	0.27	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		3,535	2.26	+0.53
Total		156,246			33	±0
Valid votes		156,246	99.13	–0.17
Invalid votes		1,377	0.87	+0.17
Votes cast / turnout		157,623	68.66	–7.50
Abstentions		71,946	31.34	+7.50
Registered voters		229,569
Sources[7][8][9]

Popular vote PP   51.26% PSOE   35.28% PR   5.76% IU   3.91% LV   1.26% Others   0.27% Blank ballots   2.26%

Seats PP   54.55% PSOE   39.39% PR   6.06%

Aftermath

Investiture Pedro Sanz (PP)
Ballot →		9 July 1999
Required majority →		17 out of 33 Y
	Yes • PP (18)	18 / 33
	No • PSOE (13) • PR (2)	15 / 33
	Abstentions	0 / 33
	Absentees	0 / 33
Sources[9]

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "El mapa electoral no se mueve en La Rioja". ABC (in Spanish). 7 June 1999.
2. "Los populares desplazan al Partido Riojano". El País (in Spanish). 7 June 1999.
3. "La Rioja: el PP, en el filo de la mayoría absoluta". El Mundo (in Spanish). 28 May 1999.
4. "ELECCIONES 13-J /BALANCE DE LAS ENCUESTAS". El Mundo (in Spanish). 6 June 1999.
5. "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas y municipales, 1999. Comunidad Autónoma de La Rioja (Estudio nº 2334. Mayo 1999)". CIS (in Spanish). 4 June 1999.
6. "Estudio CIS nº 2334. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 4 June 1999.
7. "Bono e Ibarra repiten y el PSOE recuperará Asturias". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 5 June 1999.

Other

1. "El PP revalida la mayoría absoluta en la comunidad y en Logroño". El País (in Spanish). 14 June 1999. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
2. "El PP afianza la mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 15 June 1999. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
3. "Statute of Autonomy of La Rioja of 1982". Organic Law No. 3 of 9 June 1982. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2017.
4. "General Deputation of La Rioja Elections Law of 1991". Law No. 3 of 21 March 1991. Official Gazette of La Rioja (in Spanish). Retrieved 15 September 2017.
5. "General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
6. "Representation of the people Institutional Act". www.juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
7. "Parliament of La Rioja election, 1999". www.datoselecciones.com (in Spanish). Election Data. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
8. "Parliament of La Rioja election results, 13 June 1999" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of La Rioja. 26 June 1999. p. 2813. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
9. "Parliament of La Rioja elections since 1983". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 30 September 2017.