October 2003 Madrilenian regional election

The October 2003 Madrilenian regional election was held on Sunday, 26 October 2003, to elect the 7th Assembly of the Community of Madrid. All 111 seats in the Assembly were up for election. It was a snap election, held as a result of the parliamentary deadlock resulting from the Tamayazo scandal after the May 2003 election.

October 2003 Madrilenian regional election
26 October 2003
All 111 seats in the Assembly of Madrid
56 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered4,455,706 0.3%
Turnout2,788,495 (62.6%)
6.6 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Esperanza Aguirre Rafael Simancas Fausto Fernández
Party PP PSOE IUCM
Leader since 16 October 2002 26 November 2000 11 July 2002
Last election 55 seats, 46.7% 47 seats, 40.0% 9 seats, 7.7%
Seats won 57 45 9
Seat change 2 2 0
Popular vote 1,346,588 1,083,205 236,013
Percentage 48.5% 39.0% 8.5%
Swing 1.8 pp 1.0 pp 0.8 pp
President before election

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (acting)
PP

 Elected President

Esperanza Aguirre
PP

The People's Party (PP) recovered the absolute majority it had lost in the previous election. This came at the expense of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which suffered from the scandal of the rebel MPs who refused to support a PSOE–IU government led by Rafael Simancas. United Left (IU) saw a slight increase in support but failed to translate its gains into new seats.

As a result of the election, Esperanza Aguirre was elected as President of the Community of Madrid, becoming the first woman to be appointed to the office.

Overview

Electoral system

The Assembly of Madrid was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Madrid, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Madrilenian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Community.[1] Voting for the Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the Community of Madrid and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

All members of the Assembly of Madrid 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. The Assembly was entitled to one member per each 50,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 25,000.[1][2]

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 0.5 percent of the electors registered in the Community of Madrid. 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.[2][3][4]

Election date

The term of the Assembly of Madrid expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Assembly were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years.[1][2][3][4]

The President of the Community had the prerogative to dissolve the Assembly of Madrid 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 had 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 Assembly 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.[1]

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. 56 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Assembly of Madrid.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Results

Overall
← Summary of the 26 October 2003 Assembly of Madrid election results →
Parties and coalitions Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 1,346,58848.48+1.81 57+2
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 1,083,20539.00–0.99 45–2
United Left of the Community of Madrid (IUCM) 236,0138.50+0.82 9±0
The Greens of the Community of Madrid (LVCM) 14,0670.51–0.41 0±0
The Greens (LV) 12,6650.46–0.92 0±0
Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB) 8,1110.29New 0±0
New Socialism (NS) 6,1760.22New 0±0
National Democracy (DN) 3,6940.13+0.02 0±0
Family and Life Party (PFyV) 2,3260.08–0.05 0±0
The Phalanx (FE) 2,2120.08–0.05 0±0
Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)1 2,0360.07–0.01 0±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) 1,8940.07–0.01 0±0
Romantic Mutual Support Party (PMAR) 1,5040.05New 0±0
Party Association of Widows and Legal Wives (PAVIEL) 1,4610.05–0.02 0±0
Republican Left (IR) 1,3960.05–0.03 0±0
Humanist Party (PH) 1,3230.05–0.02 0±0
Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM) 1,2550.05–0.02 0±0
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC) 1,1350.04–0.02 0±0
Another Democracy is Possible (ODeP) 9040.03–0.03 0±0
Citizen Unity (UC) 7760.03–0.03 0±0
Federal Progresists (PF) 4480.02New 0±0
Spanish Democratic Party (PADE) 00.00–0.12 0±0
Blank ballots 48,4331.74–0.25
Total 2,777,622 111±0
Valid votes 2,777,62299.61+0.06
Invalid votes 10,8730.39–0.06
Votes cast / turnout 2,788,49562.58–6.69
Abstentions 1,667,21137.42+6.69
Registered voters 4,455,706
Sources[5][6][7]
Popular vote
PP
 
 48.48%
PSOE
 
 39.00%
IUCM
 
 8.50%
Others
 
 2.28%
Blank ballots
 
 1.74%
Seats
PP
 
 51.35%
PSOE
 
 40.54%
IUCM
 
 8.11%

Elected legislators

The following table lists the elected legislators sorted by order of election.[8]

Aftermath

Investiture processes to elect the President of the Community of Madrid required for an absolute majority—more than half the votes cast—to be obtained in the first ballot. If unsuccessful, a new ballot would be held 48 hours later requiring of a simple majority—more affirmative than negative votes—to succeed. If none of such majorities were achieved, successive candidate proposals could be processed under the same procedure. In the event of the investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Assembly would be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.[1]

Investiture
Esperanza Aguirre (PP)
Ballot → 20 November 2003
Required majority → 56 out of 111 Y
57 / 111
54 / 111
Abstentions
0 / 111
Absentees
0 / 111
Sources[7]

References
Opinion poll sources
  1. "Los primeros sondeos dan la mayoría absoluta al PP en Madrid". El Mundo (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  2. "Escaños y % según los sondeos". El Mundo (in Spanish). 26 October 2003. Archived from the original on 28 October 2003.CS1 maint: BOT: original-url status unknown (link)
  3. "Los sondeos a pie de urna le otorgan la mayoría absoluta al PP". El País (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  4. "El PP obtiene mayoría absoluta, según los sondeos". ABC (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  5. "El PP vence en Madrid, según sondeos a pie de urna". La Hora Nacional (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  6. "El Partido Popular recupera la mayoría absoluta". El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 October 2003.
  7. "Intención de voto. Comunidad de Madrid. 16 de octubre de 2003" (PDF). Instituto Opina (in Spanish). 16 October 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2005.
  8. "Aguirre conseguirá mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 19 October 2003.
  9. "Una encuesta del PSOE le da un diputado más". ABC (in Spanish). 14 October 2003.
  10. "Mayoría absoluta para el PP en Madrid, según el Pulsómetro". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 10 October 2003.
  11. "Pulsómetro 10/10/2003". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 10 October 2003.
  12. "Un sondeo de la SER pronostica mayoría absoluta para Aguirre". El País (in Spanish). 11 October 2003.
  13. "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas, 2003. CA de Madrid (Estudio nº 2539. Septiembre-Octubre 2003)" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 16 October 2003.
  14. "El PSOE paga la fuga de Tamayo y entrega al PP la mayoría absoluta en Madrid, según el CIS". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 17 October 2003.
  15. "Prospectiva Electoral de la Comunidad de Madrid". Infortécnica (in Spanish). September 2003.
  16. "El Partido Popular recupera la mayoría absoluta". El Mundo (in Spanish). 29 September 2003.
  17. "Una encuesta del PP le da mayoría absoluta". ABC (in Spanish). 28 September 2003.
  18. "El PP lograría la mayoría absoluta por un solo diputado en Madrid tras la crisis de la Asamblea". ABC (in Spanish). 7 September 2003.
  19. "El partido socialista perdería el Gobierno de Madrid si se celebran unas nuevas elecciones". El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 June 2003.
  20. "Intención de voto en la Comunidad de Madrid". El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 June 2003.
  21. "Los madrileños no cambiarán su voto, según una encuesta de Tele 5". ABC (in Spanish). 16 June 2003.
Other
  1. "Statute of Autonomy of the Community of Madrid of 1983". Organic Law No. 3 of 25 February 1983. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. "Community of Madrid Electoral Law of 1986". Law No. 11 of 16 November 1986. Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  3. "General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. "Representation of the people Institutional Act". www.juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  5. "Summary and electoral results of the VII Legislature". asambleamadrid.es (in Spanish). Assembly of Madrid. Archived from the original on 2 August 2016. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  6. "Assembly of Madrid election results, 26 October 2003" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of Madrid. 24 November 2003. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  7. "Assembly of Madrid elections since 1983". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  8. Junta Electoral Provincial de Madrid: "Elecciones a la Asamblea de Madrid Octubre 2003" (PDF). Boletín Oficial de la Comunidad de Madrid (280): 77–78. 24 November 2003. ISSN 1989-4791.
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