2023 Zaragoza City Council election

The 2023 Zaragoza City Council election, also the 2023 Zaragoza municipal election, was held on Sunday, 28 May 2023, to elect the 12th City Council of the municipality of Zaragoza. All 31 seats in the City Council were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

2023 Zaragoza City Council election

← 2019 28 May 2023 2027 →

All 31 seats in the City Council of Zaragoza
16 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered503,743 Red arrow down0.4%
Turnout335,350 (66.6%)
Green arrow up0.8 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Natalia Chueca Lola Ranera Julio Calvo
Party PP PSOE Vox
Leader since 10 January 2023 19 February 2020 22 April 2019
Last election 8 seats, 22.0% 10 seats, 28.0% 2 seats, 6.2%
Seats won 15 10 4
Seat change Green arrow up7 Blue arrow right0 Green arrow up2
Popular vote 125,751 87,790 41,061
Percentage 37.9% 26.4% 12.4%
Swing Green arrow up15.9 pp Red arrow down1.6 pp Green arrow up6.2 pp

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Elena Tomás Fernando Rivarés Daniel Pérez
Party ZGZ/ZeC PodemosAV CS–Tú Aragón
Leader since 19 December 2022 15 July 2020 22 March 2023
Last election 3 seats, 10.1% 2 seats, 6.2% 6 seats, 18.3%
Seats won 2 0 0
Seat change Red arrow down1 Red arrow down2 Red arrow down6
Popular vote 19,381 14,908 5,530
Percentage 5.8% 4.5% 1.7%
Swing Red arrow down4.3 pp Red arrow down1.7 pp Red arrow down16.6 pp

Mayor before election

Jorge Azcón
PP

Elected mayor

Natalia Chueca
PP

Electoral system

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The City Council of Zaragoza (Spanish: Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza) was the top-tier administrative and governing body of the municipality of Zaragoza, composed of the mayor, the government council and the elected plenary assembly.[1] Elections to the local councils in Spain were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years.[2] Voting for the local assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality of Zaragoza and in full enjoyment of their political rights, as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty.

Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council.[1][2] Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:

Population Councillors
<100 3
101–250 5
251–1,000 7
1,001–2,000 9
2,001–5,000 11
5,001–10,000 13
10,001–20,000 17
20,001–50,000 21
50,001–100,000 25
>100,001 +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction
+1 if total is an even number

The mayor was indirectly elected by the plenary assembly. A legal clause required that mayoral candidates earned the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party in the assembly was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the appointee would be determined by lot.[1]

Parties and candidates

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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 a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. For the case of Zaragoza, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required.[2]

Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:

Candidacy Parties and
alliances
Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Votes (%) Seats
PSOE   Lola Ranera Social democracy 28.00% 10  N [3]
PP
List
  Natalia Chueca Conservatism
Christian democracy
22.04% 8  Y [4]
[5]
CS–
Tú Aragón
List
  Daniel Pérez Liberalism 18.27% 6  Y [6]
[7]
ZGZ/ZeC   Elena Tomás Localism
Left-wing populism
Participatory democracy
10.08% 3  N [8]
PodemosAV
List
  Fernando Rivarés Left-wing populism
Direct democracy
Democratic socialism
6.20% 2  N [9]
Vox
List
  Julio Calvo Right-wing populism
Ultranationalism
National conservatism
6.17% 2  N [10]

Opinion polls

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The tables below list opinion polling results 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.

Voting intention estimates

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The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 16 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Zaragoza.

Color key:

  Poll conducted after legal ban on opinion polls

Voting preferences

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The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Results

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Summary of the 28 May 2023 City Council of Zaragoza election results →
 
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 125,751 37.88 +15.84 15 +7
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 87,790 26.45 –1.55 10 ±0
Vox (Vox) 41,061 12.37 +6.20 4 +2
Zaragoza in Common: United Left–Let's Win Zaragoza (ZGZ/ZeC) 19,381 5.84 –4.24 2 –1
Aragonese Union (CHA) 15,757 4.75 +0.13 0 ±0
We CanGreen Alliance (Podemos–AV) 14,908 4.49 –1.71 0 –2
Aragon Exists–Exists Coalition (Existe) 8,081 2.43 New 0 ±0
Citizens–You Aragon (CS–Tú Aragón) 5,530 1.67 –16.60 0 –6
Aragonese Party (PAR) 2,902 0.87 –0.82 0 ±0
Zaragoza Now (Zaragoza Ya) 2,104 0.63 New 0 ±0
Blank Seats to Leave Empty Seats (EB) 1,641 0.49 +0.26 0 ±0
Communist Party of the Workers of Spain (PCTE) 699 0.21 +0.14 0 ±0
For a Fairer World (PUM+J) 601 0.18 New 0 ±0
Federation of Independents of Aragon (FIA) 370 0.11 +0.05 0 ±0
We Propose for Minorities (Proponemos XM) 188 0.06 New 0 ±0
Blank ballots 5,202 1.57 +0.93
Total 331,966 31 ±0
Valid votes 331,966 98.99 –0.61
Invalid votes 3,384 1.01 +0.61
Votes cast / turnout 335,350 66.57 +0.76
Abstentions 168,393 33.43 –0.76
Registered voters 503,743
Sources[12]
Popular vote
PP
37.88%
PSOE
26.45%
Vox
12.37%
ZGZ/ZeC
5.84%
CHA
4.75%
PodemosAV
4.49%
Existe
2.43%
CS–Tú Aragón
1.67%
Others
2.56%
Blank ballots
1.57%
Seats
PP
48.39%
PSOE
32.26%
Vox
12.90%
ZGZ/ZeC
6.45%

Notes

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  1. ^ a b c d Within Unidas Podemos.

References

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Opinion poll sources
  1. ^ "El partido más votado en el Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza sería el PP, seguido de PSOE y Vox". CARTV (in Spanish). 28 May 2023.
  2. ^ "El PP roza la mayoría absoluta en Zaragoza". El País. 22 May 2023.
  3. ^ a b "Informe preelectoral para el Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza. Mayo 2023" (PDF). 40dB. 22 May 2023.
  4. ^ a b "Preelectoral elecciones municipales y autonómicas 2023. Zaragoza municipio (Estudio nº 3402. Abril 2023)". CIS (in Spanish). 11 May 2023.
  5. ^ "Estimación de voto. Municipios, grandes ciudades y Comunidades Autónomas (Estudio nº 3402. Abril 2023)" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 11 May 2023.
  6. ^ "Natalia Chueca ganaría pero la alcaldía de Zaragoza quedaría a expensas de si Vox mantiene su representación". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). 23 April 2023.
  7. ^ "Zaragoza seguirá en manos del PP por la mínima si pacta con Vox". El Mundo (in Spanish). 21 November 2022.
  8. ^ "ZARAGOZA. Encuesta SigmaDos 21/11/2022: PODEMOS 4,6%, ZeC 9,3% (3), CHA 5,7% (2), PSOE 29,0% (10), Cs 3,8%, PP 39,0% (14), VOX 6,9% (2)". Electográfica (in Spanish). 21 November 2022.
  9. ^ "Azcón deshoja la margarita: duplicaría el resultado en Zaragoza pero se ve obligado a disputar por la comunidad". El Español (in Spanish). 12 October 2022.
  10. ^ "ZARAGOZA. Encuesta SocioMétrica 12/10/2022: ZeC 8,1% (3), PODEMOS 4,5%, CHA 4,2%, PSOE 26,2% (9/10), PAR 1,6%, Cs 3,6%, PP 36,9% (14/15), VOX 11,6% (4)". Electograph (in Spanish). 12 October 2022.
  11. ^ "El PP ganaría las elecciones en Zaragoza con 14 concejales pero necesitaría los 2 de Vox para llegar a la mayoría absoluta". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). 12 October 2022.
  12. ^ "ZARAGOZA, HUESCA, TERUEL. Encuesta A+M 12/10/2022". Electograph (in Spanish). 12 October 2022.
  13. ^ "Azcón se quedaría a un edil de la mayoría absoluta y el PSOE perdería tres concejales". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). 23 April 2022.
  14. ^ "ZARAGOZA, HUESCA, TERUEL. Encuesta A+M 23/04/2022". Electograph (in Spanish). 23 April 2022.
  15. ^ "EP Zaragoza (10A): absoluta de PP+Vox". Electomanía (in Spanish). 10 August 2021.
  16. ^ "El PP se dispararía hasta los 14 ediles en Zaragoza por el hundimiento de Cs y solo dependería de Vox". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). 23 April 2021.
  17. ^ "ZARAGOZA, HUESCA, TERUEL. Encuesta A+M 23/04/2021". Electograph (in Spanish). 23 April 2021.
  18. ^ "Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 1er semestre 2023" (PDF). City Council of Zaragoza (in Spanish). 28 July 2023.
  19. ^ "Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2o semestre 2022" (PDF). City Council of Zaragoza (in Spanish). 23 December 2022.
  20. ^ "Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 1er semestre 2022" (PDF). City Council of Zaragoza (in Spanish). 29 June 2022.
  21. ^ "Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2o semestre 2021" (PDF). City Council of Zaragoza (in Spanish). 28 December 2021.
  22. ^ "Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 1er semestre 2021" (PDF). City Council of Zaragoza (in Spanish). 5 August 2021.
  23. ^ "Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2o semestre 2020" (PDF). City Council of Zaragoza (in Spanish). 30 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Barómetro semestral de los servicios municipales de la ciudad de Zaragoza. 2020" (PDF). City Council of Zaragoza (in Spanish). 31 July 2020.
Other
  1. ^ a b c Ley 7/1985, de 2 de abril, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local (Law 7) (in Spanish). 2 April 1985. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  2. ^ a b c Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General (Organic Law 5) (in Spanish). 19 June 1985. Retrieved 9 December 2023.
  3. ^ "Lola Ranera, nueva portavoz del PSOE en el Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza y Alfonso Gómez, portavoz adjunto" (in Spanish). Zaragoza: Europa Press. 19 February 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  4. ^ Alonso, Jorge (16 December 2022). "Azcón ratifica su pulso a Lambán en las elecciones: "El PP es la única alternativa ante tanto disparate de la izquierda"". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 16 December 2022.
  5. ^ Gomar, Carlota (9 January 2023). "Natalia Chueca es la candidata del PP para revalidar la Alcaldía de Zaragoza". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 January 2023.
  6. ^ López, M. (17 January 2023). "Sara Fernández anuncia que no será candidata de Cs ni a la alcaldía de Zaragoza ni a la DGA". Heraldo de Aragón (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 9 February 2023.
  7. ^ Martín, Ignacio (22 March 2023). "Cs designa a Ortas presidente y a Pérez Calvo candidato a Zaragoza". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 22 March 2023.
  8. ^ "Elena Tomás será la candidata de ZEC al Ayuntamiento de Zaragoza". Heraldo (in Spanish). 19 December 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  9. ^ "Fernando Rivarés, nombrado portavoz de Podemos Aragón y Nacho Escartín continúa como portavoz parlamentario". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). Europa Press. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 26 April 2022.
  10. ^ "Vox apuesta de nuevo por Julio Calvo como candidato en Zaragoza". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 19 January 2023. Retrieved 28 January 2023.
  11. ^ "Electoral Results Consultation. Congress. November 2019. Zaragoza Municipality". Ministry of the Interior (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  12. ^ "Resolución de 5 de julio de 2023, de la Presidencia de la Junta Electoral Central, por la que se procede a la publicación del resumen de los resultados de las elecciones locales convocadas por Real Decreto 207/2023, de 3 de abril, y celebradas el 28 de mayo de 2023, según los datos que figuran en las actas de proclamación remitidas por cada una de las Juntas Electorales de Zona. Provincias: Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Segovia, Sevilla, Soria, Tarragona, Teruel, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid, Zamora y Zaragoza. Ciudades Autónomas de Ceuta y Melilla" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (261): 145194–146077. 1 November 2023. ISSN 0212-033X.