1991 Murcian regional election

The 1991 Murcian regional election was held on Sunday, 26 May 1991, to elect the 3rd Regional Assembly of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia. All 45 seats in the Regional Assembly were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

1991 Murcian regional election
26 May 1991
All 45 seats in the Regional Assembly of Murcia
23 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered778,256 10.9%
Turnout522,820 (67.2%)
5.8 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Carlos Collado Juan Ramón Calero Pedro Antonio Ríos
Party PSOE PP IU
Leader since 31 March 1984 4 January 1990 1983
Leader's seat Three Three Three
Last election 25 seats, 43.7% 16 seats, 31.5%[lower-alpha 1] 1 seat, 7.5%
Seats won 24 17 4
Seat change 1 1 3
Popular vote 234,421 173,491 52,863
Percentage 45.3% 33.5% 10.2%
Swing 1.6 pp 2.0 pp 2.7 pp
Constituency results map for the Regional Assembly of Murcia
President before election

Carlos Collado
PSOE

 Elected President

Carlos Collado
PSOE

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) under president Carlos Collado won an absolute majority of seats for a third consecutive term in office, as the overall political landscape of the Region remained relatively unchanged.[1] The Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) lost all three of its seats, which were re-distributed among the newly founded People's Party (PP) and the left-wing United Left (IU). The results allowed Collado to be elected as the head of a majority government until April 1993, when he was brought down by his own party and replaced by María Antonia Martínez.[2][3]

This would be the last regional election victory for the PSOE until 2019, as well as the last time to date that the party accessed the regional government.[4]

Overview

Electoral system

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

The 45 members of the Regional Assembly of Murcia 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. Seats were allocated to constituencies, which were established by law as follows:

Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of one seat, with the remaining 40 allocated among the constituencies in proportion to their populations.[6]

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 the constituency for which they sought election. 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.[6][7][8]

Election date

The term of the Regional Assembly of Murcia 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 Regional Assembly on Sunday, 26 May 1991.[5][6][7][8]

The Regional Assembly of Murcia 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.[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. 23 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Regional Assembly of Murcia.

Results

Overall
← Summary of the 26 May 1991 Regional Assembly of Murcia election results →
Parties and coalitions Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 234,42145.27+1.56 24–1
People's Party (PP)1 173,49133.51+2.01 17+1
United Left (IU) 52,86310.21+2.76 4+3
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 25,9385.01–6.92 0–3
Regional Electoral Coalition (PCAN–PRM)2 15,7023.03–0.76 0±0
The Greens (LV) 5,7601.11New 0±0
Rainbow (Arcoiris) 2,9410.57New 0±0
The Greens Ecologist–Humanist List (LVLE–H)3 1,8120.35+0.07 0±0
Blank ballots 4,8530.94–0.02
Total 517,781 45±0
Valid votes 517,78199.04+0.20
Invalid votes 5,0390.96–0.20
Votes cast / turnout 522,82067.18–5.81
Abstentions 255,43632.82+5.81
Registered voters 778,256
Sources[9][10][11][12]
Popular vote
PSOE
 
 45.27%
PP
 
 33.51%
IU
 
 10.21%
CDS
 
 5.01%
PCAN–PRM
 
 3.03%
LV
 
 1.11%
Others
 
 0.92%
Blank ballots
 
 0.94%
Seats
PSOE
 
 53.33%
PP
 
 37.78%
IU
 
 8.89%

Distribution by constituency
Constituency PSOE PP IU
% S % S % S
One 53.1 4 26.9 2 11.4 1
Two 42.7 5 31.7 4 9.5 1
Three 42.4 10 37.7 9 10.3 2
Four 55.3 3 24.9 1 7.4 −
Five 42.0 2 34.8 1 14.4 −
Total 45.3 24 33.5 17 10.2 4
Sources[9][10][11][12]

Aftermath

Government formation
Investiture
Carlos Collado (PSOE)
Ballot → 21 June 1991
Required majority → 23 out of 45 Y
24 / 45
17 / 45
3 / 45
1 / 45
Sources[12]

1993 crisis

The position of the regional president Carlos Collado weakened after the publication of a report from the Court of Auditors recording anomalies in the accounting of the autonomous community throughout 1989; specially the purchase, for an exorbitant price—2 billion Pta compared to its market value of 500 million Pta, a surplus of 1.5 billion—of the Casa Grande estate (Spanish for "Big House") that the community subsequently gave, free of charge, to the General Electric multinational to help its establishment in the Region. The opposition parties PP and IU accused Collado of corruption crimes including embezzlement of public funds, prevarication and bribery, and in February 1993 most of the Socialist Group in the Regional Assembly (22 out of 24 deputies) sent a document to the party's regional executive signalling their loss of confidence in Collado, blaming him for the deterioration of regional governance.[13][14] The PSOE-controlled Economic Commission of the Regional Assembly sent all documentation on the purchase of the Casa Grande estate to the High Court of Justice of Murcia after appreciating signs of embezzlement and prevarication in Collado's actions.[15]

The PP filled a motion of no confidence on Collado because of "the lack of political and social trust of Collado's government, the ungovernability of the Region and the paralysis of the Administration".[16][17] The motion was rejected by the absolute majority of the Regional Assembly, which the PSOE commanded. While Collado denied any wrongdoing and rejected a resignation, his party refused to explicitly support his management.[18][19]

Investiture
Juan Ramón Calero (PP)
Ballot → 10 March 1993
Required majority → 23 out of 45 N
17 / 45
24 / 45
4 / 45
Absentees
0 / 45
Sources[12]

The political crisis in the Region escalated by mid-April 1993 after several PSOE members publicly demanded Collado's resignation, with the regional executive considering filling a motion of no confidence on their own president if he kept refusing to stand down.[20][21] Carlos Collado announced his resignation on 15 April, formalized on 19 April, in order to end the ongoing crisis,[22][23] being replaced in the post by María Antonia Martínez, who subsequently became the first woman in presiding over a Spanish autonomous community.[24][25][26] In 1997, Collado would be acquitted of all charges against him in the Casa Grande scandal that forced his resignation.[27]

Investiture
María Antonia Martínez (PSOE)
Ballot → 27 April 1993
Required majority → 23 out of 45 Y
24 / 45
16 / 45
4 / 45
1 / 45
Sources[12]

The motives behind the political crisis in the Region were later attributed to the ongoing clash between the two main factions in the PSOE: the guerristas—supporters of Alfonso Guerra, advocating for a strong party organization, and an ideology with more rhetorical, historical and trade union appeals—and the renovadores—centered around Felipe González, aiming for a more pragmatic, social democratic ideology and a more flexible organizational vision.[28] The then regional executive of the PSOE, controlled by the guerristas since 1990,[29] was said to have lost confidence in Collado and to have sought his downfall by putting him in the spotlight of judicial and parliamentary investigations, then having him replaced by the guerrista María Antonia Martínez.[3][30]

Notes
  1. Data for AP 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. "Los ojos se vuelven hacia IU". El País (in Spanish). 19 May 1991.
  4. "Ficha técnica". El País (in Spanish). 19 May 1991.
Other
  1. "El PSOE renueva la mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 28 May 1991. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  2. "Presidente de Murcia". El País (in Spanish). 22 June 1991. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  3. "Collado reitera al dejar el Gobierno de Murcia que es ajeno a la corrupción". El País (in Spanish). 17 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  4. "El ajustado triunfo socialista en Murcia deja en el aire el Gobierno". El País (in Spanish). 26 May 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  5. "Statute of Autonomy for the Region of Murcia of 1982". Organic Law No. 4 of 9 June 1982. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  6. "Region of Murcia Electoral Law of 1987". Law No. 2 of 24 February 1987. Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  7. "General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  8. "Representation of the people Institutional Act". www.juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  9. "Regional Assembly of Murcia election results, 26 May 1991" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of Murcia. 19 October 1991. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  10. "Number 150. Report-declaration of the Regional Assembly of Murcia election of 26 May 1991" (PDF). tcu.es (in Spanish). Court of Auditors. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  11. Sierra Rodríguez, Javier (2015). El Sistema Electoral de la Región de Murcia: Balance y Perspectivas (PDF) (in Spanish). Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Facultad de Derecho. p. 321. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  12. "Regional Assembly of Murcia elections since 1983". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  13. "Los parlamentarios socialistas murcianos desautorizan al presidente autonómico". El País (in Spanish). 21 February 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  14. "El presidente de Murcia afirma que nadie en el PSOE pide su dimisión". El País (in Spanish). 23 February 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  15. "La Asamblea de Murcia lleva a Collado al tribunal por presunta prevaricación". El País (in Spanish). 26 February 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  16. "El PP presenta una moción de censura contra el presidente de Murcia". El País (in Spanish). 25 February 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  17. "El PP centrará su moción de censura en Murcia en la falta gobernación". El País (in Spanish). 8 March 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  18. "Collado niega valor jurídico a la comisión parlamentaria que le acusa de prevaricación". El País (in Spanish). 10 March 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  19. "El PSOE deja a Collado como presidente, pero evita respaldarle". El País (in Spanish). 11 March 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  20. "Dirigentes socialistas de Murcia piden públicamente la dimisión de Collado". El País (in Spanish). 13 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  21. "El presidente de Murcia, atacado por su partido". El País (in Spanish). 15 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  22. "Dimite el presidente de Murcia presionado por la ejecutiva de su partido". El País (in Spanish). 16 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  23. "Collado formaliza su dimisión como presidente de Murcia en un escrito sin explicaciones". El País (in Spanish). 20 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  24. "Una militante disciplinada con amplia experiencia en el Gobierno regional". El País (in Spanish). 17 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  25. "El PS0E designa a su candidata a la presidencia del Gobierno de Murcia". El País (in Spanish). 24 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  26. "María Antonia Martínez, elegida presidenta de la autonomía murciana". El País (in Spanish). 28 April 1993. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  27. "El ex presidente socialista de Murcia, exculpado en el caso que le obligó a dimitir". El País (in Spanish). 14 February 1997. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  28. "A vueltas con España.- Tendencias en los partidos". Europa Press (in Spanish). 18 December 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  29. "La lista oficialista de Carlos Collado perdió el congreso de los socialistas murcianos". El País (in Spanish). 30 September 1990. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  30. "Carlos Collado: "Me sentí traicionado y apuñalado por mis propios compañeros, y el PSOE no ha repuesto mi honor"". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 24 February 2017. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
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