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1983 Castilian-Leonese regional election
8 May 1983 1987 →
All 84 seats in the Cortes of Castile and León
43 seats needed for a majority
Registered1,993,809
Turnout1,392,403 (69.8%)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Demetrio Madrid None/Various [a] Daniel de Fernando
Party PSOE AP–PDP–PL CDS
Leader since 12 February 1983 — 1983
Leader's seat Zamora — Ávila
Seats won 42 39 2
Popular vote 608,604 543,851 81,741
Percentage 44.4% 39.7% 6.0%
  Fourth party
 
Leader Francisco Montoya
Party PDL
Leader since 1983
Leader's seat Burgos
Seats won 1
Popular vote 37,301
Percentage 2.7%
Constituency results map for the Cortes of Castile and León
President before election

José Manuel García-Verdugo
Independent (ex- UCD) [b]

Elected President

Demetrio Madrid
PSOE

The 1983 Castilian-Leonese regional election was held on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect the 1st Cortes of the autonomous community of Castile and León. All 84 seats in the Cortes were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

The election granted a victory for the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) with 44.4% of the vote, but at 42 seats the party remained one seat short of an overall majority and at exactly half the size of the Cortes. The People's Coalition, an electoral alliance led by the right-wing People's Alliance (AP) and including the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Liberal Union (UL), became the second largest force in the community closely behind the PSOE, with 39 seats and 39.7%. Former Spanish prime minister Adolfo Suárez's Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) and the small Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) both entered the Cortes with two and one seats, respectively. The Communist Party of Spain (PCE), on the other hand, performed poorly, being unable to win any seats and obtaining 2.4% of the share. [2]

Throughout the abstentions from CDS and PDL, the PSOE candidate Demetrio Madrid became the new regional president in a second round of voting, as the PSOE's 42 seats did not secure an absolute majority of seats to be elected in the first round. [3] [4] This would be the only time that the PSOE would go on to form the regional government, as well as the only out of two times—the other being in 2019—that the party would become the most voted political force in a regional election.

Overview

Electoral system

The Cortes of Castile and León were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Castile and León, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Castilian-Leonese Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president. [5] Transitory Provision Second of the Statute established a specific electoral procedure for the first election to the Cortes of Castile and León, to be supplemented by the provisions within the national electoral law. Voting for the Cortes was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Castile and León and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

All members of the Cortes of Castile and León 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 Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora, with each being allocated an initial minimum of three seats, as well as one additional member per each 45,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 22,500. [5] [6]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Cortes constituency was entitled the following seats:

Seats Constituencies
15 León
14 Valladolid
11 Burgos, Salamanca
8 Zamora
7 Ávila, Palencia
6 Segovia
5 Soria

The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude. [7]

Election date

The General Council of Castile and León, in agreement with the Government of Spain, was required to call an election to the Cortes of Castile and León before 31 May 1983. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms. [5]

Parties and candidates

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 fifteen days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one-thousandth of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election—with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. [6]

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

Candidacy Parties and
alliances 		Leading candidate Ideology Gov. Ref.
PSOE
List
 Demetrio Madrid Social democracy ☒N
AP–PDP–UL
List
 None/Various [a] Conservatism
Christian democracy 		☒N [8]
[9]
CDS
List
 Daniel de Fernando Centrism
Liberalism 		☒N
PCCL–PCE
List
 Angel Cristóbal Rodríguez Eurocommunism ☒N
PDL
List
 Francisco Montoya Liberalism ☒N

The electoral disaster of the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) in the October 1982 general election and the outcome of its extraordinary congress held in December, in which the party's leadership chose to transform the UCD into a christian democratic political force, [10] brought the party to a process of virtual disintegration as many of its remaining members either switched party allegiances, split into new, independent candidacies or left politics altogether. [11] [12] Subsequent attempts to seek electoral allies ahead of the incoming 1983 local and regional elections, mainly the conservative People's Alliance (AP) and the christian democratic People's Democratic Party (PDP), [13] [14] had limited success due to concerns from both AP and UCD over such an alliance policy: [15] [16] AP strongly rejected any agreement that implied any sort of global coalition with UCD due to the party's ongoing decomposition, [17] [18] and prospects about a possible PDP–UCD merger did not come into fruition because of the latter's reluctance to dilute its brand within another party. [19] [20] [21] By the time the UCD's executive had voted for the liquidation of the party's mounting debts and its subsequent dissolution on 18 February 1983, [1] [22] [23] electoral alliances with the AP–PDP coalition had only been agreed in some provinces of the Basque Country and Galicia. [24] [25] [26]

Together with AP, the PDP had agreed to maintain their general election alliance—now rebranded as the People's Coalition—for the May local and regional elections, [27] [28] [29] with the inclusion of the Liberal Union (UL), a political party created in January 1983 out of independents from the AP–PDP coalition in an attempt to appeal to former UCD liberal voters. [30] [26] The Coalition had seen its numbers soar from late February as a result of many former members from the UCD's christian democratic wing joining the PDP. [31] [32] [33]

Results

Overall

Summary of the 8 May 1983 Cortes of Castile and León election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ± pp Total +/−
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 608,604 44.37 n/a 42 n/a
People's Coalition ( AP– PDP– UL) 543,851 39.65 n/a 39 n/a
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 81,741 5.96 n/a 2 n/a
Communist Party of Castile and León (PCCL–PCE) 44,357 3.23 n/a 0 n/a
Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) 37,301 2.72 n/a 1 n/a
Agrarian Bloc–Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (BAR–PREPAL) 34,398 2.51 n/a 0 n/a
Party of El Bierzo (PB) 4,301 0.31 n/a 0 n/a
Spanish Communist Workers' Party– Unified Communist Party (PCOE–PCEU) 1,974 0.14 n/a 0 n/a
Castilian Communal Unity (UCC) 1,958 0.14 n/a 0 n/a
Blank ballots 13,103 0.96 n/a
Total 1,371,588 84 n/a
Valid votes 1,371,588 98.51 n/a
Invalid votes 20,815 1.49 n/a
Votes cast / turnout 1,392,403 69.84 n/a
Abstentions 601,406 30.16 n/a
Registered voters 1,993,809
Sources [34] [35] [36]
Popular vote
PSOE
 
 44.37%
AP–PDP–UL
 
 39.65%
CDS
 
 5.96%
PCCL–PCE
 
 3.23%
PDL
 
 2.72%
BAR–PREPAL
 
 2.51%
Others
 
 0.60%
Blank ballots
 
 0.96%
Seats
PSOE
 
 50.00%
AP–PDP–UL
 
 46.43%
CDS
 
 2.38%
PDL
 
 1.19%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency PSOE CP CDS PDL
% S % S % S % S
Ávila 31.4 2 41.3 3 23.3 2
Burgos 36.9 4 45.3 6 4.6 − 7.9 1
León 47.7 9 35.2 6 2.4 − 4.3 −
Palencia 41.0 3 46.9 4 4.9 −
Salamanca 49.8 6 37.6 5 3.7 −
Segovia 39.8 3 45.8 3 5.7 − 4.7 −
Soria 38.5 2 44.2 3 7.7 −
Valladolid 53.3 9 34.5 5 4.7 −
Zamora 41.1 4 40.8 4 7.4 − 6.0 −
Total 44.4 42 39.7 39 6.0 2 2.7 1
Sources [34] [35] [36]

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Demetrio Madrid ( PSOE)
Ballot → 23 May 1983 23 May 1983
Required majority → 43 out of 84 ☒N Simple checkY
Yes
42 / 84
42 / 84
No
39 / 84
39 / 84
Abstentions
3 / 84
3 / 84
Absentees
0 / 84
0 / 84
Sources [3] [36]

1986 investiture

The poor economic situation of a textile company property of the newly-elected regional president Demetrio Madrid, Pekus, weakened his standing within his party and would eventually lead to Madrid's political downfall. [37] In the years previous to his accession to power, Madrid had saved the company from default by borrowing several loans from the Zamora Provincial Savings Bank. [38] By early 1984, Madrid's debts—amounting to 15 million Pta—resulted in an embargo notice over his patrimony, unraveling a crisis within the regional PSOE as the party was about to hold a regional congress in which Madrid's suitability for the office came under scrutiny in light of a possible conflict of interest. [39] [40] On 29 January, a slim majority voted to re-elect Madrid as secretary general, [41] [42] but during the following year the political landscape of the autonomous community would become dominated by the PSOE's internal division over Madrid's management and confrontational style. [43] [44] [45]

In March 1985, amid growing tensions, the PSOE replaced Madrid as their regional secretary general by Juan José Laborda. [46] [47] In July 1985, Madrid sold Pekus to stop criticism on the company's dire economic situation, [48] but a lawsuit was filed against him by the company's workers over the alleged fraudulent sale of the firm. [49] Despite Madrid's will to remain in the post and stand as candidate in the 1987 election for a second term in office, the judicial investigation compromised his personal position, [50] [51] [52] being forced to resign as regional president after his indictment for a societary crime on 29 October 1986, [53] [54] [55] though he would later be acquitted of any wrongdoing. [56] [57] José Constantino Nalda, who served as regional minister of the Presidency and Territorial Administration, was selected to replace Madrid in the post. [58] [59] [60]

Investiture
José Constantino Nalda ( PSOE)
Ballot → 14 November 1986
Required majority → 43 out of 84 checkY
Yes
43 / 84
No
39 / 84
Abstentions
1 / 84
Absentees
1 / 84
Sources [36] [61]

Notes

  1. ^ a b AP–PDP–UL did not field a single candidate for the post of president of the Junta of Castile and León nor did have a visible single leader of the candidacy. Instead, the alliance singled out their leading candidate for each province as a prospective candidate for president.
  2. ^ The UCD was dissolved as a political party in February 1983, [1] with its regional presidents and elected officials maintaining their offices either as independents or joining other parties ahead of the May 1983 regional elections.

References

  1. ^ a b "La crisis de UCD culmina con la decisión de disolverse como partido político". El País (in Spanish). 19 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  2. ^ "Temor a un nuevo bloqueo". El País (in Spanish). 10 May 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b "La abstención de CDS y PDL facilitó al PSOE la presidencia de Castilla-León". El País (in Spanish). 25 May 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Los miembros del nuevo Gobierno autónomo de Castilla-León toman posesión de sus cargos". El País (in Spanish). 4 June 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  5. ^ a b c Ley Orgánica 4/1983, de 25 de febrero, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Castilla-León (Organic Law 4) (in Spanish). 25 February 1983. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b Real Decreto-ley 20/1977, de 18 de marzo, sobre Normas Electorales (Royal Decree-Law 20) (in Spanish). 18 March 1977. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  7. ^ 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.
  8. ^ "El candidato socialista a la Junta acusa de "fraude al elector" a la coalición de Fraga". El País (in Spanish). 22 April 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  9. ^ "AP propone varios candidatos para la presidencia regional". El País (in Spanish). 3 May 1983. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Los democristianos ganan la batalla a los 'azules' en el congreso de UCD y mantienen a Lavilla en la presidencia". El País (in Spanish). 13 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  11. ^ "Ex ministros y 'notables' de UCD inician la fuga del partido". El País (in Spanish). 14 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  12. ^ "El proceso de desintegración de UCD se acelera con peticiones de bajas en numerosas regiones". El País (in Spanish). 16 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  13. ^ "Sigue en el aire la posibilidad de pacto electoral entre AP-UCD". El País (in Spanish). 21 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  14. ^ "UCD, a favor de seguir negociando con AP para llegar a un pacto de cara a las municipales". El País (in Spanish). 30 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  15. ^ "Fraga se muestra reticente sobre la conveniencia de llegar a un pacto electoral con UCD". El País (in Spanish). 18 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  16. ^ "División en UCD sobre la conveniencia de un pacto electoral con Alianza Popular". El País (in Spanish). 22 December 1982. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  17. ^ "Aumentan los obstáculos para un acuerdo electoral entre UCD y AP". El País (in Spanish). 4 January 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  18. ^ "UCD negociará pactos locales para los próximos comicios". El País (in Spanish). 18 January 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  19. ^ "Lavilla desmiente su dimisión y asegura que "aun existen muchas incógnitas por decidir" en UCD". El País (in Spanish). 9 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  20. ^ "El mantenimiento de las siglas, máximo obstáculo para el acercamiento de UCD al Partido Demócrata Popular". El País (in Spanish). 17 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  21. ^ "La mayoría de los parlamentarios de UCD se opone a las negociaciones para una integración en el PDP". El País (in Spanish). 18 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  22. ^ "Exito y fracaso sin precedentes en la historia de las democracias". El País (in Spanish). 19 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  23. ^ "Disolución formal del partido centrista en Salamanca, donde llegó a tener 256 alcaldes". El País (in Spanish). 21 February 1983. Retrieved 17 December 2019.
  24. ^ "Acuerdo entre UCD y AP, para concurrir juntos, a las municipales en algunas provincias". El País (in Spanish). 8 January 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  25. ^ "UCD adoptará esta semana una decisión sobre las municipales". El País (in Spanish). 31 January 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  26. ^ a b "UCD y AP-PDP sólo irán en coalición a las municipales en el País Vasco". El País (in Spanish). 11 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  27. ^ "Formado un comité coordinador de los partidos coaligados con AP". El País (in Spanish). 3 March 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  28. ^ "El Partido Demócrata Popular considera "correctas, pero muy difíciles", las negociaciones con AP para las próximas elecciones". El País (in Spanish). 13 March 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  29. ^ "Formalizada la coalición AP-PDP-UL en todas las provincias". El País (in Spanish). 22 March 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  30. ^ "Dos nuevos grupos se unen a la 'operación liberal' de Fraga". El País (in Spanish). 19 January 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  31. ^ "El partido de Oscar Alzaga trata de forzar una próxima 'fuga' de militantes de UCD". El País (in Spanish). 8 February 1983. Retrieved 14 December 2019.
  32. ^ "Centenares de militantes democristianos de UCD se integrarán hoy en el partido de Oscar Alzaga". El País (in Spanish). 20 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  33. ^ "19 dirigentes democristianos de UCD se integran en el consejo político del PDP". El País (in Spanish). 21 February 1983. Retrieved 13 December 2019.
  34. ^ a b "Elections to the Cortes of Castile and León". servicios.jcyl.es (in Spanish). Junta of Castile and León. Retrieved 14 January 2018.
  35. ^ a b "Cortes of Castile and León election results, 8 May 1983" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Central Electoral Commission. 28 October 1983. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  36. ^ a b c d "Elecciones a Cortes de Castilla y León (1983 - 2019)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  37. ^ "Acoso y derribo de Demetrio Madrid". El Norte de Castilla (in Spanish). 21 October 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  38. ^ "Sectores del PSOE de Castilla y León intentan sustituir al líder regional Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 20 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  39. ^ "Un juez autoriza el embargo de bienes del presidente de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 21 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  40. ^ "Posible aplazamiento del embargo judicial contra el presidente de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 23 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  41. ^ "El congreso del PSOE castellano-leonés apoya la gestión de la ejecutiva de Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 29 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  42. ^ "Demetrio Madrid obtiene la reelección como secretario general del PSOE de Castilla y León en el congreso regional celebrado en Burgos". El País (in Spanish). 30 January 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  43. ^ "Miembros del PSOE de Segovia acusan al presidente de Castilla y León de atizar la crisis provincial". El País (in Spanish). 18 July 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  44. ^ "Polémico Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 21 July 1984. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  45. ^ "El imperio de Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 4 March 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  46. ^ "La dirección del PSOE teme fuertes tensiones en el próximo congreso regional de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 4 March 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  47. ^ "El burgalés Juan José Laborda, nuevo secretario general del PSOE de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 11 March 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  48. ^ "El presidente regional vende su empresa, que atravesaba graves dificultades económicas". El País (in Spanish). 6 July 1985. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  49. ^ "Demetrio Madrid declara por una querella interpuesta por ex trabajadores suyos". El País (in Spanish). 1 May 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  50. ^ "Preocupación en el PSOE por el posible procesamiento de Demetrio Madrid". ABC (in Spanish). 7 August 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  51. ^ "Hoy se hará pública la resolución sobre la querella contra Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 16 September 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  52. ^ "El sumario contra Demetrio Madrid se ampliará con nuevas diligencias". El País (in Spanish). 17 September 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  53. ^ "La Audiencia Territorial de Valladolid se reúne para decidir si procesa a Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 27 October 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  54. ^ "Corredor de fondo". El País (in Spanish). 30 October 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  55. ^ "El presidente de Castilla y León dimite tras su procesamiento". El País (in Spanish). 30 October 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  56. ^ "Demetrio Madrid será juzgado hoy por presunto delito social". ABC (in Spanish). 18 December 1989. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  57. ^ "Demetrio Madrid, absuelto de un delito social, dice que nunca ha dejado la política". El País (in Spanish). 11 January 1990. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  58. ^ "Seis de los ocho consejeros de Castilla y León se oponen al nombramiento de Nalda". El País (in Spanish). 2 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  59. ^ "José Nalda, candidato socialista para sustituir a Demetrio Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 4 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  60. ^ "José Nalda inicia contactos para formar Gobierno en Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). 5 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  61. ^ "Nalda, elegido presidente de la Junta de Castilla y León por mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 15 November 1986. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
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