1985 Galician regional election

The 1985 Galician regional election was held on Sunday, 24 November 1985, to elect the 2nd Parliament of the autonomous community of Galicia. All 71 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

1985 Galician regional election

← 1981 24 November 1985 1989 →

All 71 seats in the Parliament of Galicia
36 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered2,226,449 Green arrow up2.4%
Turnout1,277,897 (57.4%)
Green arrow up11.1 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Gerardo Fernández Albor Fernando González Laxe Pablo González Mariñas
Party AP–PDP–PLCdG PSdG–PSOE CG
Leader since 1981 19 June 1985 23 July 1985
Leader's seat La Coruña La Coruña La Coruña
Last election 26 seats, 30.5%[a] 16 seats, 19.6% Did not contest
Seats won 34 22 11
Seat change Green arrow up8 Green arrow up6 Green arrow up11
Popular vote 516,218 361,946 163,425
Percentage 40.9% 28.7% 12.9%
Swing Green arrow up10.4 pp Green arrow up9.1 pp New party

  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Camilo Nogueira Xosé Manuel Beiras
Party PSG–EG BNG
Leader since 1980 1982
Leader's seat Pontevedra La Coruña
Last election 1 seat, 3.4%[b] 3 seats, 6.3%[c]
Seats won 3 1
Seat change Green arrow up2 Red arrow down2
Popular vote 71,599 53,072
Percentage 5.7% 4.2%
Swing Green arrow up2.3 pp Red arrow down2.1 pp

Constituency results map for the Parliament of Galicia

President before election

Gerardo Fernández Albor
AP–PDP–PL–CdG

Elected President

Gerardo Fernández Albor
AP–PDP–PL–CdG

Overview

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Electoral system

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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 and the Galician 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 18 years of age, registered in Galicia and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 71 members of the Parliament of Galicia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of La Coruña, Lugo, Orense and Pontevedra, with each being allocated a fixed number of seats:[1][2]

Seats Constituencies
22 La Coruña
19 Pontevedra
15 Lugo, Orense

In smaller constituencies, the use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.[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

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The term of the Parliament of Galicia expired four years after the date of its previous election. 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 20 October 1981, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 20 October 1985. The election decree was required to be published in the DOG no later than 26 September 1985, with the election taking place up to the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 25 November 1985.[1][2][4]

The Parliament of Galicia 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 Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.[5]

Opinion polls

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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 poll. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 36 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Galicia.

Results

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Overall

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Summary of the 24 November 1985 Parliament of Galicia election results
 
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Coalition (APPDPPLCdG)1 516,218 40.89 +10.37 34 +8
Socialists' Party of Galicia (PSdG–PSOE) 361,946 28.67 +9.05 22 +6
Galician Coalition (CG) 163,425 12.94 New 11 +11
Galician Socialist Party–Galician Left (PSG–EG)2 71,599 5.67 +2.27 3 +2
Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)3 53,072 4.20 –2.07 1 –2
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 41,411 3.28 New 0 ±0
Communist Party of Galicia (PCE–PCG) 10,625 0.84 –2.09 0 –1
Workers' Socialist Party (PST) 9,689 0.77 –1.08 0 ±0
Communist Party of Galicia (Revolutionary Marxist) (PCG (m–r)) 8,318 0.66 New 0 ±0
Humanist Platform (PH) 7,280 0.58 New 0 ±0
Galician Party of the Country (PGC) 3,172 0.25 New 0 ±0
Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) 2,922 0.23 +0.08 0 ±0
Communist Party of Spain (Marxist–Leninist) (PCE (m–l)) 1,554 0.12 ±0.00 0 ±0
Galician Socialist Unity (USG) 1,379 0.11 –1.18 0 ±0
Communist Movement of Galicia (MCG) 1,327 0.11 –0.38 0 ±0
Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) n/a n/a –27.80 0 –24
Blank ballots 8,627 0.68 +0.68
Total 1,262,564 71 ±0
Valid votes 1,262,564 98.80 +0.79
Invalid votes 15,333 1.20 –0.79
Votes cast / turnout 1,277,897 57.40 +11.12
Abstentions 948,552 42.60 –11.12
Registered voters 2,226,449
Sources[6][7]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
CP
40.89%
PSdG–PSOE
28.67%
CG
12.94%
PSG–EG
5.67%
BNG
4.20%
CDS
3.28%
Others
3.66%
Blank ballots
0.68%
Seats
CP
47.89%
PSdG–PSOE
30.99%
CG
15.49%
PSG–EG
4.23%
BNG
1.41%

Distribution by constituency

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Constituency CP PSdG CG PSG–EG BNG
% S % S % S % S % S
La Coruña 38.0 10 32.3 8 9.9 2 5.7 1 5.2 1
Lugo 44.9 8 24.4 4 20.4 3 2.0 3.3
Orense 40.1 7 25.7 4 22.8 4 3.0 3.0
Pontevedra 43.0 9 27.4 6 8.9 2 8.6 2 3.9
Total 40.9 34 28.7 22 12.9 11 5.7 3 4.2 1
Sources[6][7]

Aftermath

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Government formation

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Investiture
Gerardo Fernández Albor (AP)
Ballot → 16 January 1986 17 January 1986
Required majority → 36 out of 71  N Simple  N
Yes
34 / 71
34 / 71
No
37 / 71
37 / 71
Abstentions
0 / 71
0 / 71
Absentees
0 / 71
0 / 71
Sources[6]
Investiture
Gerardo Fernández Albor (AP)
Ballot → 20 February 1986 21 February 1986
Required majority → 36 out of 71  N Simple  Y
Yes
33 / 71
34 / 71
No
26 / 71
26 / 71
Abstentions
  • CG (11) (10 on 20 Feb)
10 / 71
11 / 71
Absentees
  • APPDPPLCdG (1) (on 20 Feb)
  • CG (1) (on 20 Feb)
2 / 71
0 / 71
Sources[6]

1987 motion of no confidence

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Motion of no confidence
Fernando González Laxe (PSdG)
Ballot → 23 September 1987
Required majority → 36 out of 71  Y
Yes
40 / 71
No
29 / 71
Abstentions
2 / 71
Absentees
0 / 71
Sources[6]

Notes

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  1. ^ Results for AP in the 1981 election.
  2. ^ Results for EG in the 1981 election.
  3. ^ Results for BNPGPSG in the 1981 election.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Within CP.
  5. ^ a b c Results for EG.
  6. ^ Results for PGCIGA.

References

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Opinion poll sources
  1. ^ "Coalición Popular será la fuerza más votada, pero no tiene segura la mayoría absoluta, según un sondeo de EL PAÍS". El País (in Spanish). 18 November 1985.
  2. ^ "Coalición Popular roza la mayoría absoluta, según un sondeo de EL PAÍS". El País (in Spanish). 18 November 1985.
  3. ^ "Coalición Popular podrá obtener mayoría absoluta en las elecciones del domingo en Galicia". ABC (in Spanish). 17 November 1985.
  4. ^ "Coalicion Popular, al borde de la mayoría absoluta en las elecciones gallegas, según un sondeo de EL PAÍS". El País (in Spanish). 10 November 1985.
  5. ^ "Coalición Popular obtendría ahora mayoría absoluta, según la encuesta realizada para la CEOE". ABC (in Spanish). 25 August 1985.
  6. ^ "Alianza Popular relanza la convocatoria de mayoría natural, con el centro y la derecha". ABC Sevilla (in Spanish). 15 January 1985.
Other
  1. ^ a b c Ley Orgánica 1/1981, de 6 de abril, de Estatuto de Autonomía para Galicia (Organic Law 1) (in Spanish). 6 April 1981. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ley 8/1985, de 13 de agosto, de elecciones al Parlamento de Galicia (Law 2) (in Spanish). 13 August 1985. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ a b Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General (Organic Law 5) (in Spanish). 19 June 1985. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  5. ^ Ley 1/1983, de 22 de febrero, de normas reguladoras de la Xunta y su Presidencia (Law 1) (in Spanish). 22 February 1983. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d e "Elecciones al Parlamento de Galicia (1981 - 2020)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Parliament of Galicia election results, 24 November 1985" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of Galicia. 17 January 1986. Retrieved 25 September 2017.