1987 Cantabrian regional election

The 1987 Cantabrian regional election was held on Wednesday, 10 June 1987, to elect the 2nd Regional Assembly of the autonomous community of Cantabria. All 39 seats in the Regional Assembly were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in 12 other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain, as well as the 1987 European Parliament election.

1987 Cantabrian regional election

← 1983 10 June 1987 1991 →

All 39 seats in the Regional Assembly of Cantabria
20 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered395,043 Green arrow up2.6%
Turnout299,115 (75.7%)
Green arrow up2.3 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Juan Hormaechea Jaime Blanco Miguel Ángel Revilla
Party AP PSOE PRC
Leader since 1987 1977 1983
Last election 18 seats, 44.0%[a] 15 seats, 38.4% 2 seats, 6.7%
Seats won 19 13 5
Seat change Green arrow up1 Red arrow down2 Green arrow up3
Popular vote 122,964 87,230 37,950
Percentage 41.7% 29.6% 12.9%
Swing Red arrow down2.3 pp Red arrow down8.8 pp Green arrow up6.2 pp

  Fourth party
 
Leader Manuel Garrido
Party CDS
Leader since 1987
Last election 0 seats, 2.6%
Seats won 2
Seat change Green arrow up2
Popular vote 19,370
Percentage 6.6%
Swing Green arrow up4.0 pp

President before election

Ángel Díaz de Entresotos
AP

Elected President

Juan Hormaechea
Independent

The election was a victory for the People's Alliance (AP), which despite the breakup of the People's Coalition with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Liberal Party (PL), remained the Assembly's largest force, albeit losing the absolute majority of seats it had held in the previous parliament. As in other communities, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) lost votes and seats, while the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) and Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) made gains.

The legislature would be marked by dissensions between the elected President of Cantabria, Juan Hormaechea, and his own party AP (from 1989 the People's Party). In 1989 the PP would demand Hormaechea's resignation, but he would continue in a government formed by independents. In December 1990, he will be forced out by a no-confidence motion supported by PP, PSOE, PRC and CDS, which would result in a coalition government headed by Socialist Jaime Blanco being formed until the 1991 election.

Overview

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Electoral system

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The Regional Assembly of Cantabria was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Cantabria, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Cantabrian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Regional Deputation.[1] Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Cantabria and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 39 members of the Regional Assembly of Cantabria 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 regionally.[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 1 percent of the electors registered in Cantabria. 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

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The term of the Regional Assembly of Cantabria expired four years after the date of its previous election. Election day was to take place between the thirtieth and the sixtieth day from the date of expiry of parliament. The previous election was held on 8 May 1983, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 8 May 1987. The election was required to take place no later than the sixtieth day from the date of expiry of parliament, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 7 July 1987.[1][2][3][4]

The Regional Assembly of Cantabria 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.[1]

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; 20 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Regional Assembly of Cantabria.

Results

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Summary of the 10 June 1987 Regional Assembly of Cantabria election results
 
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Alliance (AP)1 122,964 41.68 –2.31 19 +1
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 87,230 29.57 –8.84 13 –2
Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) 37,950 12.86 +6.13 5 +3
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 19,370 6.57 +4.00 2 +2
United Left (IU)2 10,659 3.61 –0.35 0 ±0
People's Democratic Party (PDP) 6,964 2.36 New 0 ±0
Workers' Party of Spain–Communist Unity (PTE–UC) 2,441 0.83 New 0 ±0
Radicals' Movement for Cantabria (MRC) 1,863 0.63 New 0 ±0
Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI) 1,518 0.51 New 0 ±0
Humanist Platform (PH) 767 0.26 New 0 ±0
Blank ballots 3,292 1.12 +0.56
Total 295,018 39 +4
Valid votes 295,018 98.63 +0.11
Invalid votes 4,097 1.37 –0.11
Votes cast / turnout 299,115 75.72 +2.16
Abstentions 95,928 24.28 –2.16
Registered voters 395,043
Sources[5][6][7]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
AP
41.68%
PSOE
29.57%
PRC
12.86%
CDS
6.57%
IU
3.61%
PDP
2.36%
Others
2.23%
Blank ballots
1.12%
Seats
AP
48.72%
PSOE
33.33%
PRC
12.82%
CDS
5.13%

Aftermath

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Government formation

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Investiture
Juan Hormaechea (Independent)
Ballot → 22 July 1987 24 July 1987
Required majority → 20 out of 39  N Simple  Y
Yes
  • AP (19)
19 / 39
19 / 39
No
  • PSOE (13) (12 on 24 Jul)
  • PRC (5)
18 / 39
17 / 39
Abstentions
2 / 39
2 / 39
Absentees
  • PSOE (1) (on 24 Jul)
0 / 39
1 / 39
Sources[7][8]

1990 motion of no confidence

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Motion of no confidence
Jaime Blanco (PSOE)
Ballot → 5 December 1990
Required majority → 20 out of 39  Y
Yes
26 / 39
No
12 / 39
Abstentions
1 / 39
Absentees
0 / 39
Sources[7]

Notes

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  1. ^ Results for AP–PDP–UL in the 1983 election.
  2. ^ a b c d Within CP.
  3. ^ Result for PCE.

References

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Opinion poll sources
  1. ^ "Se mantendrán las grandes líneas con ascenso de centristas y comunistas" (PDF). El País (in Spanish). 4 June 1987.
  2. ^ "Una encuesta de AP pronostica un fuerte descenso del PSOE en las municipales". ABC (in Spanish). 17 April 1987.
  3. ^ "Notable descenso del PSOE en los próximos comicios, según una encuesta encargada por AP". ABC Sevilla (in Spanish). 17 April 1987.
Other
  1. ^ a b c d Statute of Autonomy of Cantabria of 1981 (Organic Law 8) (in Spanish). 30 December 1981. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Regional Assembly of Cantabria Elections Law of 1987 (Law 5) (in Spanish). 27 March 1987. Retrieved 18 September 2017.
  3. ^ a b General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985 (Organic Law 5) (in Spanish). 19 June 1985. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. ^ a b "Representation of the people Institutional Act". www.juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  5. ^ "Regional election, 10 June 1987". parlamento-cantabria.es (in Spanish). Parliament of Cantabria. Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  6. ^ "Number 75. Audit report on the regularity of electoral accounting derived from the elections held on June 10, 1987" (PDF). tcu.es (in Spanish). Court of Auditors. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b c "Elecciones al Parlamento de Cantabria (1983 - 2019)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 September 2017.
  8. ^ "Elegidos los presidentes autonómicos de La Rioja, Asturias y Cantabria". El País (in Spanish). 25 July 1987. Retrieved 9 December 2019.