Catalan regional election, 2003

Catalan regional election, 2003
16 November 2003
All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia
68 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered 5,307,837 0.3%
Turnout 3,319,276 (62.5%)
3.3 pp

  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Artur Mas Pasqual Maragall Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira
Party CiU PSC–CpC ERC
Leader since 7 January 2002 6 March 1999 25 November 1996
Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona
Last election 56 seats, 37.7% 52 seats, 37.9% 12 seats, 8.7%
Seats won 46 42 23
Seat change 10 10 11
Popular vote 1,024,425 1,031,454 544,324
Percentage 30.9% 31.2% 16.4%
Swing 6.8 pp 6.7 pp 7.7 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Josep Piqué Joan Saura
Party PP ICV–EA
Leader since 4 September 2003 26 November 2000
Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona
Last election 12 seats, 9.5% 3 seats, 3.9%[lower-alpha 1]
Seats won 15 9
Seat change 3 6
Popular vote 393,499 241,163
Percentage 11.9% 7.3%
Swing 2.4 pp 3.4 pp
Constituency results map for the Parliament of Catalonia
President before election

Jordi Pujol
CiU

 Elected President

Pasqual Maragall
PSC

The 2003 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday, 16 November 2003, to elect the 7th Parliament of the Autonomous Community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

This election marked a change for all Catalan political parties due to Catalan President Jordi Pujol's decision not to seek a seventh term in office and to retire from active politics. The election results were a great disappointment for Pasqual Maragall's Socialists' Party of Catalonia, which again saw Convergence and Union winning a plurality of seats despite them winning the most votes by a margin of just 0.3%. Opinion polls earlier in the year had predicted a much larger victory for Maragall, but his lead over CiU had begun to narrow as the election grew nearer. ERC was the perceived true victor of the election, doubling its 1999 figures and scoring the best results in its recent history, both in terms of seats (23 of 135) and votes (16.4%), up from 11 seats and 8.7%.

As Pujol's successor Artur Mas did not won a majority large enough to renew his party pact with the People's Party of Catalonia, which had kept Pujol in power since 1995, an alliance between the Socialists' Party of Catalonia, Republican Left of Catalonia and Initiative for Catalonia Greens–United and Alternative Left resulted in the Catalan tripartite government. Ironically, despite losing 10 seats and 150,000 votes respect to the 1999 election, Maragall became the first center-left President of Catalonia, ending with 23 years of Convergence and Union government.

Overview

Background

The retirement of Jordi Pujol as CiU candidate paved the way for Artur Mas, then Chief Counsellor (Catalan: Conseller en cap), as the culmination of a long successory process.

In 1999, because of the PSC growth, Convergence and Union had lost the vote share for the first time, but had won the most seats due to the disproportionate allocation of seats in Girona, Lleida and Tarragona respect to Barcelona. Thanks to the support of the PPC, Pujol had been able to be re-elected to a sixth term in office. In spite of this, and despite Pujol's approval ratings remaining high, rumours about his possible retirement and a desire for change had resulted in CiU trailing the PSC in opinion polls for the entire legislature, with a lead nearly into the double digits by mid-to-late 2002. From mid-2003, however, the Socialist lead had begun to narrow to the point that speculation arose about a possible reenactment of the 1999 results.

ERC was in almost constant growth since the 1988 election, and had become a political force able to break through the dominant two-party system in Catalonia. Initiative for Catalonia Greens and United and Alternative Left had run separately in the previous election, but ran together in a party coalition for this election.

Electoral system

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

The 135 members of the Parliament of Catalonia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 3 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. Additionally, the use of the D'Hondt method might result in an effective threshold over three percent, depending on the district magnitude.[2] Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona. Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of seats: 85 for Barcelona, 17 for Girona, 15 for Lleida and 18 for Tarragona.[1][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.[4][5]

Election date

The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The President of the Government was required to call an election fifteen days prior to the date of expiry of parliament, with election day taking place within sixty days after the call. The previous election was held on 17 October 1999, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 17 October 2003. The election was required to be called no later than 2 October 2003, with it taking place on the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 1 December 2003.[1]

The President of the Government had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous one under this procedure. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.[3][6]

Parties and leaders

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

Parties and coalitions Ideology Candidate
Convergence and Union (CiU) Centrism, Catalan autonomism Artur Mas[7]
Socialists' Party of Catalonia–Citizens for Change (PSC–CpC) Social democracy Pasqual Maragall
People's Party (PP) Conservatism, Christian democracy Josep Piqué
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) Left-wing nationalism, Catalan independentism Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira
Initiative for Catalonia Greens–Alternative Left (ICV–EA) Eco-socialism, Communism Joan Saura

Opinion polls

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 given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 16 November 2003 Parliament of Catalonia election results →
Parties and coalitions Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
Socialists' Party of Catalonia–Citizens for Change (PSC–CpC) 1,031,45431.16–6.69 42–10
Convergence and Union (CiU) 1,024,42530.94–6.76 46–10
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 544,32416.44+7.77 23+11
People's Party (PP) 393,49911.89+2.38 15+3
Initiative for Catalonia Greens–Alternative Left (ICV–EA)1 241,1637.28+3.35 9+6
The Greens–The Ecologist Alternative (EV–AE) 18,4700.56New 0±0
Platform for Catalonia (PxC) 4,8920.15New 0±0
Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI) 4,2260.13+0.04 0±0
Communist Party of the Catalan People (PCPC) 2,5800.08New 0±0
Unsubmissive Seats (Ei) 2,2200.07New 0±0
Catalan State (EC) 1,8900.06±0.00 0±0
The Greens–Green Alternative (EV–AV) 1,8860.06–0.20 0±0
Republican Left–Left Republican Party (IR–PRE) 1,7140.05New 0±0
Humanist Party of Catalonia (PHC) 1,6470.05+0.01 0±0
Another Democracy is Possible (ODeP) 1,3860.04New 0±0
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 1,0730.03–0.01 0±0
Caló Nationalist Party (PNCA) 8120.02New 0±0
Republican Social Movement (MSR) 8040.02New 0±0
Internationalist Struggle (LI (LIT–CI)) 8020.02±0.00 0±0
Spaniards Under Separatism (EBS) 6030.02New 0±0
Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB) 4010.01New 0±0
Blank ballots 30,2120.91–0.02
Total 3,310,483 135±0
Valid votes 3,310,48399.74–0.01
Invalid votes 8,7930.26+0.01
Votes cast / turnout 3,319,27662.54+3.34
Abstentions 1,988,56137.46–3.34
Registered voters 5,307,837
Sources[8][9]
Popular vote
PSC–CpC
 
 31.16%
CiU
 
 30.94%
ERC
 
 16.44%
PP
 
 11.89%
ICV–EA
 
 7.28%
Others
 
 1.37%
Blank ballots
 
 0.91%
Seats
CiU
 
 34.07%
PSC–CpC
 
 31.11%
ERC
 
 17.04%
PP
 
 11.11%
ICV–EA
 
 6.67%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency PSC–CpC CiU ERC PP ICV–EA
% S % S % S % S % S
Barcelona 33.2 29 28.8 25 15.2 13 12.6 11 8.0 7
Girona 23.7 4 38.7 7 21.9 4 8.1 1 5.3 1
Lleida 22.5 4 41.4 7 19.9 3 9.7 1 4.4 –
Tarragona 28.2 5 33.8 7 19.0 3 11.8 2 5.2 1
Total 31.2 42 30.9 46 16.4 23 11.9 15 7.3 9
Sources[10][11][12][13][9]

Aftermath

Investiture
Pasqual Maragall (PSC)
Ballot → 16 December 2003
Required majority → 68 out of 135 ☑
74 / 135
61 / 135
Abstentions
0 / 135
Absentees
0 / 135
Sources[9]

Notes

  1. ↑ Aggregated data for IC–V and EUiA in the 1999 election.

References

Opinion poll sources
  1. ↑ "CiU guanyaria amb 47 diputats enfront dels 42 del PSC, segons una mostra de l'escrutini". TV3 (in Catalan). 16 November 2003.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 "Sondejos". Generalitat de Catalunya (in Catalan). Retrieved 12 December 2017.
  3. ↑ "Empatados ante la semana final". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 9 November 2003.
  4. ↑ "Encuestas preelectorales publicadas. Cataluña 2003". www.bcn.cat (in Spanish). 10 November 2003.
  5. ↑ "Los socialistas amplían a 5,6 puntos la ventaja sobre CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 8 November 2003.
  6. ↑ "PSC y CiU, en situación de empate técnico". El País (in Spanish). 9 November 2003.
  7. ↑ "Informe estudio El País. Cataluña. Noviembre 2003" (PDF). Instituto Opina (in Spanish). 9 November 2003.
  8. ↑ "El PSC aventaja en 5,5 puntos a CiU, según un sondeo de Opina para la SER". El País (in Spanish). 1 November 2003.
  9. ↑ "Elecciones autonómicas "Catalunya"". Infortécnica (in Spanish). 31 October 2003.
  10. ↑ "ERC tendrá la llave del Gobierno catalán ya que puede dar la mayoría a CiU o al PSC". ABC (in Spanish). 2 November 2003.
  11. ↑ "Maragall es el favorito para gobernar Cataluña". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 31 October 2003.
  12. ↑ "Pulsómetro Elecciones en Cataluña". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 31 October 2003.
  13. ↑ "El PSC aventaja en 5,5 puntos a CiU, según una encuesta de Opina para la SER". El País (in Spanish). 1 November 2003.
  14. ↑ "Preelectoral de Cataluña, elecciones autonómicas, 2003 (Estudio nº 2543. Octubre 2003)". CIS (in Spanish). 7 November 2003.
  15. ↑ "Estudio CIS nº 2543. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 7 November 2003.
  16. ↑ "CiU aventaja al PSC en un escaño, según el CIS, pero no logra mayoría ni con ERC ni con el PP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 November 2003.
  17. ↑ "Encuesta de CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 7 October 2003.
  18. ↑ "Un sondeo recorta la ventaja del PSC sobre CiU, que es de cuatro puntos". El País (in Spanish). 6 October 2003.
  19. ↑ "La ventaja del PSC sobre CiU se recorta de 7 a 4 puntos desde junio". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 5 October 2003.
  20. ↑ "Ligera ventaja de Maragall sobre Mas al iniciarse la carrera electoral catalana". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 14 September 2003.
  21. ↑ "Mínima ventaja de Maragall sobre Mas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 13 July 2003.
  22. ↑ "El PSC saca 7,2 puntos a CiU pero Mas sigue avanzando en imagen". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 6 July 2003.
  23. ↑ "Cuestión de ejes". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 22 June 2003.
  24. ↑ "El PSC le saca 9 puntos a CiU pero Mas recorta terreno en imagen". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 6 April 2003.
  25. ↑ "Una encuesta sitúa al PSC y CiU muy igualados". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2 April 2003.
  26. ↑ "CiU ha perdido seis puntos frente al PSC en un año, según el Instituto Opina". El País (in Spanish). 3 April 2003.
  27. ↑ "El PSC conserva desde octubre una ventaja de 8 puntos sobre CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 22 January 2003.
  28. ↑ "Maragall parte con una sólida ventaja". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 19 January 2003.
  29. ↑ "Una encuesta de CiU dice que el PSC ganaría por un escaño". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
  30. ↑ "El PSC ganaría las elecciones autonómicas, según una encuesta de CiU". El País (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
  31. ↑ "Una encuesta de CiU da ganador a Maragall en las autonómicas". El País (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
  32. ↑ "El PSC aventaja a CiU en 8,5 puntos, según una encuesta de los socialistas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 31 December 2002.
  33. ↑ "Un sondeo del PSC indica que mantiene sobre CiU una ventaja de 8 puntos para las autonómicas". El País (in Spanish). 31 December 2002.
  34. ↑ "Un sondeo del PSC lo sitúa ocho puntos por encima de CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 31 December 2002.
  35. ↑ "El PSC se consolida como seguro ganador y ERC sube a costa de CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 16 October 2002.
  36. ↑ "Instituciones y autonomías, II. CA de Cataluña (Estudio nº 2455. Septiembre-Octubre 2002)". CIS (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
  37. ↑ "El CIS sitúa a CiU por delante del PSC". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 20 November 2002.
  38. ↑ "El PP, partido más votado en diez Comunidades Autónomas" (PDF). El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
  39. ↑ "El PP ganaría las autonómicas en diez Comunidades y el PSOE en cuatro, según el CIS". ABC (in Spanish). 20 November 2002.
  40. ↑ "Los socialistas aumentan hasta 7,5 puntos su ventaja sobre CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 3 July 2002.
  41. ↑ "El PSC recurre a su último sondeo para pronosticar la "caída libre" de CiU y de Mas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 June 2002.
  42. ↑ "El PSC superaría a CiU en 7,5 puntos, según una encuesta electoral". El País (in Spanish). 4 July 2002.
  43. ↑ "El Periódico 28/04/2002". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 28 April 2002.
  44. ↑ "Un macrosondeo del Instituto Opina da por primera vez la victoria a Mas sobre Maragall". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 23 April 2002.
  45. ↑ "Una encuesta encargada por CiU le da un punto de ventaja sobre los socialistas". El País (in Spanish). 23 April 2002.
  46. ↑ "La fusión fría". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 April 2002.
  47. ↑ "Un sondeo del PSC amplía a siete puntos su ventaja sobre CiU en unas autonómicas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 March 2002.
  48. ↑ "El PSC se despega de CiU y le saca ahora 3,8 puntos de ventaja". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 17 February 2002.
  49. ↑ "Los votantes de Cir valoran más a Maragall que a Artur Mas". ABC (in Spanish). 28 December 2001.
  50. ↑ "Un sondeo del PSC le da entre tres y cinco puntos de ventaja sobre CiU". El País (in Spanish). 18 December 2001.
  51. ↑ "El PSC y CiU siguen prácticamente empatados en estimación de voto". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 4 November 2001.
  52. ↑ "Carod advierte a CiU de que se le acaba el tiempo para cambiar de aliado". El País (in Spanish). 23 October 2001.
  53. ↑ "El PSC pide a Maragall que proyecte imagen de president ante el inicio de retirada de Pujol". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 23 October 2001.
  54. ↑ "Un sondeo del Gobierno sitúa a Mas como el vencedor del debate de la censura". El País (in Spanish). 24 October 2001.
  55. ↑ "El voto melancólico". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 13 August 2001.
  56. ↑ "El voto frío". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 14 August 2001.
  57. ↑ "El voto selecto". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 15 August 2001.
  58. ↑ "El voto emocional". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 16 August 2001.
  59. ↑ "El voto sigiloso". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 17 August 2001.
  60. ↑ "CiU recupera terreno y empata con el PSC en estimación de voto". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 10 July 2001.
  61. ↑ "El PSC moderniza su imagen para resaltar su definición como partido catalanista". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 14 July 2001.
  62. ↑ "Mas recorta 4 puntos la ventaja de Maragall, que todavía le lleva 14, según un sondeo del PSC". El País (in Spanish). 14 July 2001.
  63. ↑ "El PSC sacaría cuatro puntos a CiU en unas elecciones autonómicas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 30 April 2001.
  64. ↑ "Situación social y política de Cataluña, XVI (Estudio nº 2410. Marzo 2001)". CIS (in Spanish). 23 May 2001.
  65. ↑ "Estudio CIS nº 2410. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 23 May 2001.
  66. ↑ "CiU y PSC van empatados, según el CIS". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 24 May 2001.
  67. ↑ "El PSC aventaja en tres puntos a CiU, aunque empatan en número de escaños". ABC (in Spanish). 24 May 2001.
  68. ↑ "El PSC cree que la candidatura de Mas dispara las opciones de victoria de Maragall". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 10 April 2001.
  69. ↑ "Maragall consolida su ventaja sobre Mas y le supera en 20 puntos, según una encuesta del PSC". El País (in Spanish). 10 April 2001.
  70. ↑ "Maragall superaría a Mas en más de 20 puntos, según una encuesta encargada por el PSC". El País (in Spanish). 10 April 2001.
  71. ↑ "El PSC superaría en un punto a CiU de celebrarse ahora los comicios al Parlament". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 12 February 2001.
  72. ↑ "Sólo Pujol puede frenar a Maragall". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 12 November 2000.
  73. ↑ "Ligero avance del PSC en las generales". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 12 November 2000.
  74. ↑ "CiU y PSC empatarían de nuevo si se celebrasen elecciones ahora". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 11 November 2000.
Other
  1. 1 2 3 "Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia of 1979". Organic Law No. 4 of 18 December 1979. Official State Gazette (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  2. ↑ Gallagher, Michael (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  3. 1 2 "Parliament, President and Executive Council of the Generalitat Law of 1982". Law No. 3 of 25 March 1982. Official Journal of the Generalitat of Catalonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 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. ↑ "Parliament, President and Executive Council of the Generalitat Law Reform of 1985". Law No. 8 of 24 May 1985. Official Journal of the Generalitat of Catalonia (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  7. ↑ "CiU hace oficial la candidatura de Mas para la presidencia de la Generalitat". El País. 8 January 2008. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  8. ↑ "Election Results. Parliament of Catalonia Election 2003". gencat.cat (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. 1 2 3 "Parliament of Catalonia elections since 1980". historiaelectoral.com (in Spanish). Electoral History. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  10. ↑ "Election Results. Parliament of Catalonia Election 2003. Barcelona". gencat.cat (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  11. ↑ "Election Results. Parliament of Catalonia Election 2003. Girona". gencat.cat (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  12. ↑ "Election Results. Parliament of Catalonia Election 2003. Lleida". gencat.cat (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  13. ↑ "Election Results. Parliament of Catalonia Election 2003. Tarragona". gencat.cat (in Catalan). Generalitat of Catalonia. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
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