Basque regional election, 1998

Basque regional election, 1998
25 October 1998
All 75 seats in the Basque Parliament
38 seats needed for a majority
Registered 1,821,608 4.1%
Turnout 1,275,008 (70.0%)
10.3 pp

  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Juan José Ibarretxe Carlos Iturgaiz Arnaldo Otegi
Party EAJ/PNV PP EH
Leader since 31 January 1998 5 October 1996 14 February 1998
Leader's seat Álava Biscay Guipúzcoa
Last election 22 seats, 29.3% 11 seats, 14.2% 11 seats, 16.0%[lower-alpha 1]
Seats won 21 16 14
Seat change 1 5 3
Popular vote 350,322 251,743 224,001
Percentage 27.6% 19.9% 17.7%
Swing 1.7 pp 5.7 pp 1.7 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Nicolás Redondo Carlos Garaikoetxea Javier Madrazo
Party PSE–EE (PSOE) EA IU/EB
Leader since 20 October 1997 4 September 1986 14 May 1994
Leader's seat Biscay Guipúzcoa Biscay
Last election 12 seats, 16.8% 8 seats, 10.1% 6 seats, 9.0%
Seats won 14 6 2
Seat change 2 2 4
Popular vote 220,052 108,635 71,064
Percentage 17.4% 8.6% 5.6%
Swing 0.6 pp 1.5 pp 3.4 pp
Constituency results map for the Basque Parliament
Lehendakari before election

José Antonio Ardanza
EAJ/PNV

 Elected Lehendakari

Juan José Ibarretxe
EAJ/PNV

The 1998 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 25 October 1998, to elect the 6th Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

The Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) won 21 seats, the People's Party (PP) came second for the first time with 16 seats, the Basque Citizens (EH) coalition and the Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE) won 14 seats each.

Overview

Electoral system

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

The 75 members of the Basque Parliament 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 in each constituency. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the Basque provinces of Álava, Biscay and Guipúzcoa. Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of 25 seats each, to provide for an equal representation of the three provinces in Parliament as required under the regional Statute of Autonomy.[1][2] This meant that Álava was allocated the same number of seats as Biscay and Gipuzkoa, despite their populations being, as of 1 July 1998: 281,968, 1,132,282 and 673,773, respectively.[3]

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 the constituency for which they sought election. 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][4][5]

Election date

The term of the Basque Parliament expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. 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 Gazette of the Basque Country, with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election was held on 23 October 1994, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 23 October 1998. The election Decree was required to be published no later than 29 September 1998, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 22 November 1998.[1][2]

The Lehendakari had the prerogative to dissolve the Basque Parliament at any given time and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a Lehendakari within a sixty-day period from the Parliament re-assembly, the Parliament was to be dissolved and a fresh election called.[6]

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 25 October 1998 Basque Parliament election results →
Parties and coalitions Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) 350,32227.62–1.70 21–1
People's Party (PP) 251,74319.85+5.69 16+5
Basque Citizens (EH)1 224,00117.66+1.65 14+3
Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE)) 220,05217.35+0.52 14+2
Basque Solidarity (EA) 108,6358.57–1.56 6–2
United Left (IU/EB) 71,0645.60–3.39 2–4
Alavese Unity (UA) 15,7381.24–1.44 2–3
Natural Law Party (PLN/LNA) 4,8580.38New 0±0
Humanist Party (PH) 3,2880.26New 0±0
Basque Country Greens (EHB) 8640.07New 0±0
Blank ballots 17,6411.39–0.35
Total 1,268,206 75±0
Valid votes 1,268,20699.47+0.06
Invalid votes 6,8020.53–0.06
Votes cast / turnout 1,275,00869.99+10.30
Abstentions 546,60030.01–10.30
Registered voters 1,821,608
Sources[7][8]
Popular vote
EAJ/PNV
 
 27.62%
PP
 
 19.85%
EH
 
 17.66%
PSE–EE (PSOE)
 
 17.35%
EA
 
 8.57%
IU/EB
 
 5.60%
UA
 
 1.24%
Others
 
 0.71%
Blank ballots
 
 1.39%
Seats
EAJ/PNV
 
 28.00%
PP
 
 21.33%
EH
 
 18.67%
PSE–EE (PSOE)
 
 18.67%
EA
 
 8.00%
IU/EB
 
 2.67%
UA
 
 2.67%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency PNV PP EH PSE–EE EA IU/EB UA
% S % S % S % S % S % S % S
Álava 21.6 6 26.7 7 12.1 3 16.8 5 6.3 1 5.6 1 8.4 2
Biscay 32.6 9 20.2 5 14.6 4 18.3 5 6.0 1 6.2 1 0.1 –
Guipúzcoa 21.7 6 16.4 4 25.2 7 16.0 4 13.9 4 4.6 – 0.1 –
Total 27.6 21 19.9 16 17.7 14 17.4 14 8.6 6 5.6 2 1.2 2
Sources[7][8]

Aftermath

Investiture vote

First round: 29 December 1998
Absolute majority (38/75) required
Choice Vote
Parties Votes
☑Juan José Ibarretxe PNV (21), EH (13), EA (6)
40 / 75
☒Carlos Iturgaiz PP (16), UA (2)
18 / 75
Blank ballots PSE–EE (13), IU/EB (2)
15 / 75
Absences: EH (1), PSE–EE (1)
Source: historiaelectoral.com

Notes

  1. ↑ Data for HB in the 1994 election.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Statute of Autonomy for the Basque Country of 1979". Organic Law No. 3 of 18 December 1979. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 "Basque Parliament Elections Law of 1990". Law No. 5 of 15 June 1990. Official Gazette of the Basque Country (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  3. ↑ "Principales series desde 1971. Resultados por Provincias. Población residente por fecha, sexo y edad". ine.es (in Spanish). National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  4. ↑ "General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  5. ↑ "Representation of the people Institutional Act". juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
  6. ↑ "Government Law of 1981". Law No. 7 of 30 June 1981. Official Gazette of the Basque Country (in Spanish). Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  7. 1 2 "Election Results Archive". euskadi.eus (in Spanish). Basque Government. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  8. 1 2 "Basque Parliament elections since 1980". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
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