1983 Castilian-Leonese regional election

The 1983 Castilian-Leonese regional election was held on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect the 1st Cortes of the autonomous community of Castile and León. All 84 seats in the Cortes were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

1983 Castilian-Leonese regional election

8 May 1983
All 84 seats in the Cortes of Castile and León 43 seats needed for a majority
Registered	1,993,809
Turnout	1,392,403 (69.8%)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Demetrio Madrid None[lower-alpha 1] Daniel de Fernando Party PSOE AP–PDP–UL CDS Leader since 12 February 1983 — 1983 Leader's seat Zamora — Ávila Seats won 42 39 2 Popular vote 608,604 543,851 81,741 Percentage 44.4% 39.7% 6.0%   Fourth party   Leader Francisco Montoya Party PDL Leader since 1983 Leader's seat Burgos Seats won 1 Popular vote 37,301 Percentage 2.7%
Constituency results map for the Cortes of Castile and León
President before election José Manuel García-Verdugo Independent (ex-UCD)[lower-alpha 2] Elected President Demetrio Madrid PSOE

The election granted a victory for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) with 44.4% of the vote, but at 42 seats the party remained one seat short of an overall majority and at exactly half the size of the Cortes. The People's Coalition, an electoral alliance led by the right-wing People's Alliance (AP) and including the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Liberal Union (UL), became the second largest force in the community closely behind the PSOE, with 39 seats and 39.7%. Former Spanish prime minister Adolfo Suárez's Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) and the small Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) both entered the Cortes with 2 and 1 seats, respectively. The Communist Party of Spain (PCE), on the other hand, performed poorly, being unable to win any seats and obtaining 2.4% of the share.[4]

Throughout the abstentions from CDS and PDL, the PSOE candidate Demetrio Madrid became the new regional president in a second round of voting, as the PSOE's 42 seats did not secure an absolute majority of seats to be elected in the first round.[5][6] This would be the only time that the PSOE would went on to form the regional government, as well as the only out of two times—the other being in 2019—that the party would become the most voted political force in a regional election.

Overview

Electoral system

The Cortes of Castile and León were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Castile and León, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Castilian-Leonese Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[7]

Transitory Provision Second of the Statute established a specific electoral procedure for the first election to the Cortes of Castile and León, to be supplemented by the provisions within Royal Decree-Law 20/1977, of 18 March, and its related regulations. Voting for the Cortes was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Castile and León and in full enjoyment of their political rights. All members of the Cortes of Castile and León were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of three 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 provinces of Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora, with each being allocated an initial minimum of three seats, as well as one additional member per each 45,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 22,500.[7][8]

The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[9]

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.[8]

Election date

The General Council of Castile and León, in agreement with the Government of Spain, was required to call an election to the Cortes of Castile and León before 31 May 1983. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.[7]

Results

Overall

Summary of the 8 May 1983 Cortes of Castile and León election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	608,604	44.37	n/a	42	n/a
	People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL)	543,851	39.65	n/a	39	n/a
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	81,741	5.96	n/a	2	n/a
	Communist Party of Spain (PCE)	44,357	3.23	n/a	0	n/a
	Liberal Democratic Party (PDL)	37,301	2.72	n/a	1	n/a
	Agrarian Bloc–Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (BAR–PREPAL)	34,398	2.51	n/a	0	n/a
	Party of El Bierzo (PB)	4,301	0.31	n/a	0	n/a
	Spanish Communist Workers' Party–Unified Communist Party (PCOE–PCEU)	1,974	0.14	n/a	0	n/a
	Castilian Communal Unity (UCC)	1,958	0.14	n/a	0	n/a
Blank ballots		13,103	0.96	n/a
Total		1,371,588			84	n/a
Valid votes		1,371,588	98.51	n/a
Invalid votes		20,815	1.49	n/a
Votes cast / turnout		1,392,403	69.84	n/a
Abstentions		601,406	30.16	n/a
Registered voters		1,993,809
Sources[10][11][12]

Popular vote PSOE   44.37% AP–PDP–UL   39.65% CDS   5.96% PCE   3.23% PDL   2.72% BAR–PREPAL   2.51% Others   0.60% Blank ballots   0.96%

Seats PSOE   50.00% AP–PDP–UL   46.43% CDS   2.38% PDL   1.19%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	PSOE		CP		CDS		PDL
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
Ávila	31.4	2	41.3	3	23.3	2
Burgos	36.9	4	45.3	6	4.6	−	7.9	1
León	47.7	9	35.2	6	2.4	−	4.3	−
Palencia	41.0	3	46.9	4	4.9	−
Salamanca	49.8	6	37.6	5	3.7	−
Segovia	39.8	3	45.8	3	5.7	−	4.7	−
Soria	38.5	2	44.2	3	7.7	−
Valladolid	53.3	9	34.5	5	4.7	−
Zamora	41.1	4	40.8	4	7.4	−	6.0	−
Total	44.4	42	39.7	39	6.0	2	2.7	1
Sources[10][11][12]

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture Demetrio Madrid (PSOE)
Ballot →		23 May 1983	23 May 1983
Required majority →		43 out of 84 N	Simple Y
	Yes • PSOE (42)	42 / 84	42 / 84
	No • AP–PDP–UL (39)	39 / 84	39 / 84
	Abstentions • CDS (2) • PDL (1)	3 / 84	3 / 84
	Absentees	0 / 84	0 / 84
Sources[5][12]

1986 investiture

The poor economic situation of a textile company property of the newly-elected regional president Demetrio Madrid, Pekus, weakened his standing within his party and would eventually lead to Madrid's political downfall.[13] In the years previous to his accession to power, Madrid had saved the company from default by borrowing several loans from the Zamora Provincial Savings Bank.[14] By early 1984, Madrid's debts—amounting to 15 million Pta—resulted in an embargo notice over his patrimony, unraveling a crisis within the regional PSOE as the party was about to hold a regional congress in which Madrid's suitability for the office came under scrutiny in light of a possible conflict of interest.[15][16] On 29 January, a slim majority voted to re-elect Madrid as secretary general,[17][18] but during the following year the political landscape of the autonomous community would become dominated by the PSOE's internal division over Madrid's management and confrontational style.[19][20][21]

In March 1985, amid growing tensions, the PSOE replaced Madrid as their regional secretary general by Juan José Laborda.[22][23] In July 1985, Madrid sold Pekus to stop criticism on the company's dire economic situation,[24] but a lawsuit was filed against him by the company's workers over the alleged fraudulent sale of the firm.[25] Despite Madrid's will to remain in the post and stand as candidate in the 1987 election for a second term in office, the judicial investigation compromised his personal position,[26][27][28] being forced to resign as regional president after his indictment for a societary crime on 29 October 1986,[29][30][31] though he would later be acquitted of any wrongdoing.[32][33] José Constantino Nalda, who served as regional minister of the Presidency and Territorial Administration, was selected to replace Madrid in the post.[34][35][36]

Investiture José Constantino Nalda (PSOE)
Ballot →		14 November 1986
Required majority →		43 out of 84 Y
	Yes • PSOE (41) • Independents (2)	43 / 84
	No • AP–PDP–PL (36) • CDS (1) • Independents (2)	39 / 84
	Abstentions • PANCAL (1)	1 / 84
	Absentees • PSOE (1)	1 / 84
Sources[12][37]

Notes

1. The People's Coalition did not field a single candidate for the post of President of the Junta of Castile and León nor did have a visible leader of the candidacy.[1][2]
2. The UCD was dissolved as a political party in February 1983,[3] with its regional presidents and elected officials maintaining their offices either as independents or joining other parties ahead of the May 1983 regional elections.

References

1. "El candidato socialista a la Junta acusa de "fraude al elector" a la coalición de Fraga". El País (in Spanish). 22 April 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
2. "AP propone varios candidatos para la presidencia regional". El País (in Spanish). 3 May 1983. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
3. "La crisis de UCD culmina con la decisión de disolverse como partido político". El País (in Spanish). 19 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
4. "Temor a un nuevo bloqueo". El País (in Spanish). 10 May 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
5. "La abstención de CDS y PDL facilitó al PSOE la presidencia de Castilla-León". El País (in Spanish). 25 May 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
6. "Los miembros del nuevo Gobierno autónomo de Castilla-León toman posesión de sus cargos". El País (in Spanish). 4 June 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
7. "Ley Orgánica 4/1983, de 25 de febrero, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Castilla-León". Organic Law No. 4 of 25 February 1983. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 September 2017.
8. "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.
9. Gallagher, Michael (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
10. "Elections to the Cortes of Castile and León". servicios.jcyl.es (in Spanish). Junta of Castile and León. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
11. "Cortes of Castile and León election results, 8 May 1983" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Central Electoral Commission. 28 October 1983. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
12. "Cortes of Castile and León elections since 1983". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
13. "Acoso y derribo de Demetrio Madrid". El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). 21 October 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
14. "Sectores del PSOE de Castilla y León intentan sustituir al líder regional Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 20 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
15. "Un juez autoriza el embargo de bienes del presidente de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 21 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
16. "Posible aplazamiento del embargo judicial contra el presidente de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 23 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
17. "El congreso del PSOE castellano-leonés apoya la gestión de la ejecutiva de Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 29 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
18. "Demetrio Madrid obtiene la reelección como secretario general del PSOE de Castilla y León en el congreso regional celebrado en Burgos". El País (in Spanish). 30 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
19. "Miembros del PSOE de Segovia acusan al presidente de Castilla y León de atizar la crisis provincial". El País (in Spanish). 18 July 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
20. "Polémico Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 21 July 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
21. "El imperio de Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 4 March 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
22. "La dirección del PSOE teme fuertes tensiones en el próximo congreso regional de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 4 March 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
23. "El burgalés Juan José Laborda, nuevo secretario general del PSOE de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 11 March 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
24. "El presidente regional vende su empresa, que atravesaba graves dificultades económicas". El País (in Spanish). 6 July 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
25. "Demetrio Madrid declara por una querella interpuesta por ex trabajadores suyos". El País (in Spanish). 1 May 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
26. "Preocupación en el PSOE por el posible procesamiento de Demetrio Madrid". ABC (in Spanish). 7 August 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
27. "Hoy se hará pública la resolución sobre la querella contra Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 16 September 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
28. "El sumario contra Demetrio Madrid se ampliará con nuevas diligencias". El País (in Spanish). 17 September 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
29. "La Audiencia Territorial de Valladolid se reúne para decidir si procesa a Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 27 October 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
30. "Corredor de fondo". El País (in Spanish). 30 October 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
31. "El presidente de Castilla y León dimite tras su procesamiento". El País (in Spanish). 30 October 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
32. "Demetrio Madrid será juzgado hoy por presunto delito social". ABC (in Spanish). 18 December 1989. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
33. "Demetrio Madrid, absuelto de un delito social, dice que nunca ha dejado la política". El País. 11 January 1990. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
34. "Seis de los ocho consejeros de Castilla y León se oponen al nombramiento de Nalda". El País. 2 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
35. "José Nalda, candidato socialista para sustituir a Demetrio Madrid". El País. 4 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
36. "José Nalda inicia contactos para formar Gobierno en Castilla y León". El País. 5 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
37. "Nalda, elegido presidente de la Junta de Castilla y León por mayoría absoluta". El País. 15 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.