1989 Galician regional election

The 1989 Galician regional election was held on Sunday, 17 December 1989, to elect the 3rd Parliament of the autonomous community of Galicia. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

1989 Galician regional election

17 December 1989
All 75 seats in the Parliament of Galicia 38 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	2,246,455 0.9%
Turnout	1,336,578 (59.5%) 2.1 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Manuel Fraga Fernando González Laxe Xosé Manuel Beiras Party PP PSdeG–PSOE BNG Leader since 1989 19 June 1985 1982 Leader's seat Lugo La Coruña La Coruña Last election 34 seats, 40.9%[lower-alpha 1] 22 seats, 28.7% 1 seat, 4.2% Seats won 38 28 5 Seat change 4 6 4 Popular vote 583,579 433,256 105,703 Percentage 44.0% 32.7% 8.0% Swing 3.1 pp 4.0 pp 3.8 pp   Fourth party Fifth party   Leader Camilo Nogueira Xosé Luís Barreiro Party PSG–EG CG Leader since 1980 22 November 1987 Leader's seat Pontevedra Orense Last election 3 seats, 5.7% 11 seats, 12.9% Seats won 2 2 Seat change 1 9 Popular vote 50,047 48,208 Percentage 3.8% 3.6% Swing 1.9 pp 9.3 pp
Constituency results map for the Parliament of Galicia
President before election Fernando González Laxe PSdG–PSOE Elected President Manuel Fraga PP

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of Galicia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Galicia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the regional Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[1]

Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Galicia and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The 75 members of the Parliament of Galicia 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 La Coruña, Lugo, Orense and Pontevedra, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 10 seats and the remaining 35 being distributed in proportion to their populations.[1][2]

The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[3]

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 ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.[2][4]

Election date

The term of the Parliament of Galicia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Journal of Galicia (DOG), with election day taking place between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication. The previous election was held on 24 November 1985, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 24 November 1989. The election decree was required to be published in the DOG no later than 31 October 1989, with the election taking place up to the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Saturday, 30 December 1989.[1][2][4]

After legal amendments in 1988, the president was granted the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Galicia and call a snap election, provided that it did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure. 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.[5]

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. 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Galicia (36 until 24 November 1985).[lower-alpha 2]

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout			CG		BNG					ARM	Lead
1989 regional election	17 Dec 1989	N/A	59.5	–	32.7 28	3.6 2	3.8 2	8.0 5	2.9 0	1.5 0	w.PP	44.0 38	0.5 0	11.3
El Correo Gallego[p 1]	11 Dec 1989	?	?	–	? 24/27	? 4/5	? 1/2	? 1/2	? 1/3	? 1	w.PP	? 37/39	–	?
Demoscopia/El País[p 2][p 3][p 4]	30 Nov–4 Dec 1989	1,600	58–60	–	34.0 30/31	? 2	? 2	? 3	? 2	? 0	w.PP	39.0 35/36	–	5.0
Sigma Dos/COPE[p 5]	2 Dec 1989	?	?	–	32.2 25/27	? 2	? 3	? 2/3	5.4 3/4	? 2	w.PP	40.0 34/38	–	7.8
Demoscopia/El País[p 6][p 7][p 8]	14–19 Nov 1989	1,600	55–60	–	? 27/30	? 2	? 2/3	? 2/3	? 3/4	? 0/1	w.PP	? 33/37	–	?
1989 general election	29 Oct 1989	N/A	60.1	–	34.6 29	3.4 2	2.6 0	3.6 2	7.8 6	3.3 1	w.PP	39.0 35	1.0 0	4.4
Eco Consulting	16 Jul 1989	?	?	–	? 28	? 2	? 4	? 3	? 3	–	w.PP	? 35	–	?
1989 EP election	15 Jun 1989	N/A	42.7	–	33.0 30	3.1 2	3.3 2	4.2 2	6.7 5	2.0 0	w.PP	33.5 32	4.3 2	0.5
Gallup/Ya	18–19 Sep 1987	?	?	–	28.3	7.2	–	–	–	–	43.0	–	–	14.7
1987 EP election	10 Jun 1987	N/A	57.1	–	29.6 26	–	2.9 0	3.7 1	10.2 7	1.3 0	41.7 41	–	–	12.1
1987 local elections	10 Jun 1987	N/A	62.4	–	26.6	11.0	4.2	4.5	8.0	1.4	33.9	–	–	7.3
1986 general election	22 Jun 1986	N/A	57.9	39.2 34	35.8 29	6.2 5	3.6 2	2.1 0	8.6 5	1.1 0	w.CP	–	–	3.4
1985 regional election	24 Nov 1985	N/A	57.4	40.9 34	28.7 22	12.9 11	5.7 3	4.2 1	3.3 0	0.8 0	w.CP	–	–	12.2

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 17 December 1989 Parliament of Galicia election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)^1	583,579	44.02	+3.13	38	+4
	Socialists' Party of Galicia (PSdeG–PSOE)	433,256	32.68	+4.01	28	+6
	Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)	105,703	7.97	+3.77	5	+4
	Galician Socialist Party–Galician Left (PSG–EG)	50,047	3.78	–1.89	2	–1
	Galician Coalition (CG)	48,208	3.64	–9.30	2	–9
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	38,214	2.88	–0.40	0	±0
	United Left (EU)^2	19,774	1.49	+0.65	0	±0
	Galician Nationalist Party–Galicianist Party (PNG–PG)	18,036	1.36	New	0	±0
	Ruiz-Mateos Group (ARM)	7,058	0.53	New	0	±0
	Workers' Socialist Party (PST)	3,724	0.28	–0.49	0	±0
	The Greens of Galicia (OVG)	3,214	0.24	New	0	±0
	The Ecologist Greens (OVE)	2,789	0.21	New	0	±0
	Galician People's Front (FPG)	2,629	0.20	New	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Galician People (PCPG)	989	0.07	New	0	±0
	Humanist Platform (PH)	748	0.06	–0.52	0	±0
	United Galicia Party (PGU)	746	0.06	New	0	±0
	Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)	691	0.05	–0.18	0	±0
	Communist Party of Spain (Marxist–Leninist) (PCE (m–l))	530	0.04	–0.08	0	±0
	Alliance for the Republic (AxR)	437	0.03	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		5,285	0.40	–0.28
Total		1,325,657			75	+4
Valid votes		1,325,657	99.18	+0.38
Invalid votes		10,921	0.82	–0.38
Votes cast / turnout		1,336,578	59.50	+2.10
Abstentions		909,877	40.50	–2.10
Registered voters		2,246,455
Sources[6][7]

Popular vote PP   44.02% PSdeG–PSOE   32.68% BNG   7.97% PSG–EG   3.78% CG   3.64% CDS   2.88% EU   1.49% PNG–PG   1.36% Others   1.78% Blank ballots   0.40%

Seats PP   50.67% PSdeG–PSOE   37.33% BNG   6.67% PSG–EG   2.67% CG   2.67%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	PP		PSdeG		BNG		PSG–EG		CG
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
La Coruña	40.9	11	35.3	10	9.3	2	4.1	1	1.6	–
Lugo	48.1	8	30.9	5	6.6	1	1.7	–	7.2	1
Orense	44.1	8	32.8	6	5.4	–	2.1	–	6.4	1
Pontevedra	45.8	11	30.2	7	8.1	2	5.1	1	3.1	–
Total	44.0	38	32.7	28	8.0	5	3.8	2	3.6	2
Sources[6][7]

Aftermath

Investiture Manuel Fraga (PP)
Ballot →		31 January 1990
Required majority →		38 out of 75 Y
	Yes • PP–CdG (38)	38 / 75
	No • PSdeG (28) • BNG (5) • CG (2) • PSG–EG (2)	37 / 75
	Abstentions	0 / 75
	Absentees	0 / 75
Sources[6]

Notes

1. Data for AP–PDP–PL–CdG in the 1985 election.
2. The Law No. 2 of 13 August 1985 set the Parliament's size at 75, but it was established that such a provision would not be appliable to the first election held after the law's passing.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "Fraga y Laxe priman el voto urbano en la recta final del 17-D". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 12 December 1989.
2. "Las elecciones se disputarán con muy estrecho margen". El País (in Spanish). 10 December 1989.
3. "El PP no conseguirá la mayoría absoluta en las elecciones gallegas". El País (in Spanish). 10 December 1989.
4. "Ficha técnica". El País (in Spanish). 10 December 1989.
5. "La campaña, al día". ABC (in Spanish). 2 December 1989.
6. "Es improbable la mayoría absoluta del PP en Galicia". El País (in Spanish). 26 November 1989.
7. "El PP tiene muy difícil la mayoría absoluta en Galicia". El País (in Spanish). 26 November 1989.
8. "Ficha técnica". El País (in Spanish). 26 November 1989.

Other

1. "Ley Orgánica 1/1981, de 6 de abril, de Estatuto de Autonomía para Galicia". Organic Law No. 1 of 6 April 1981. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
2. "Ley 8/1985, de 13 de agosto, de elecciones al Parlamento de Galicia". Law No. 2 of 13 August 1985. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
3. Gallagher, Michael (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
4. "Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
5. "Ley 1/1983, de 22 de febrero, de normas reguladoras de la Xunta y su Presidencia". Law No. 1 of 22 February 1983. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 August 2017.
6. "Parliament of Galicia elections since 1981". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
7. "Parliament of Galicia election results, 17 December 1989" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of Galicia. 8 February 1990. Retrieved 25 September 2017.