1999 Valencian regional election

The 1999 Valencian regional election was held on Sunday, 13 June 1999 to elect the 5th Corts of the Valencian Community. All 89 seats in the Corts were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain, as well as the 1999 European Parliament election.

1999 Valencian regional election

← 1995 13 June 1999 2003 →

All 89 seats in the Corts Valencianes
45 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered3,361,989 Green arrow up7.4%
Turnout2,279,805 (67.8%)
Red arrow down8.2 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Eduardo Zaplana Antoni Asunción Joan Ribó
Party PP PSOEp EUPV
Leader since 26 September 1993 8 April 1999 1997
Leader's seat Valencia Valencia Valencia
Last election 42 seats, 42.8% 32 seats, 34.0% 10 seats, 11.5%
Seats won 49 35 5
Seat change Green arrow up7 Green arrow up3 Red arrow down5
Popular vote 1,085,011 768,548 137,212
Percentage 47.9% 33.9% 6.1%
Swing Green arrow up5.1 pp Green arrow up0.1 pp Red arrow down5.4 pp

Election result by constituency

President before election

Eduardo Zaplana
PP

Elected President

Eduardo Zaplana
PP

The People's Party (PP), which had ruled the community from 1995 in a coalition government, won an absolute majority of seats; a majority which it would maintain for the next 20 years. Its coalition partner, the Valencian Union (UV), fell just below the 5% threshold, resulting in it losing all seats and being expelled from the Courts. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) remained static on its 1995 vote share, though it gained 3 additional seats thanks to United Left (IU) electoral collapse from 10 to 5 seats.

Overview

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Electoral system

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The Corts Valencianes were the devolved unicameral legislature of the Valencian autonomous community, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[1]

Voting for the Corts was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Valencian Community and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The 89 members of the Corts Valencianes were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 20 seats and the remaining 29 being distributed in proportion to their populations (provided that the seat-to-population ratio in any given province did not exceed three times that of any other).[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 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][3]

Election date

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The term of the Corts Valencianes expired four years after the date of their previous election, with elections to the Corts being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. Legal amendments introduced in 1998 allowed for these to be held together with European Parliament elections, provided that they were scheduled for within a four month-timespan. The previous election was held on 28 May 1995, setting the election date for the Corts concurrently with a European Parliament election on Sunday, 13 June 1999.[1][2][3]

The Corts Valencianes could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament.[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; 45 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Corts Valencianes.

Results

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Overall

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Summary of the 13 June 1999 Corts Valencianes election results
 
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 1,085,011 47.88 +5.05 49 +7
Spanish Socialist Workers' PartyProgressives (PSOE–p) 768,548 33.91 –0.07 35 +3
United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV) 137,212 6.05 –5.48 5 –5
Valencian Union (UV) 106,119 4.68 –2.33 0 –5
Valencian Nationalist BlocThe Greens (BNV–EV)1 102,700 4.53 +1.82 0 ±0
Valencian Community Alternative (ACV) 6,146 0.27 New 0 ±0
Liberal Centre (CL) 4,813 0.21 New 0 ±0
The Ecologist–Pacifist Greens (LVEP) 4,176 0.18 New 0 ±0
Centrist Union–Democratic and Social Centre (UC–CDS) 2,978 0.13 –0.10 0 ±0
Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) 2,973 0.13 +0.06 0 ±0
Independent Initiative (II) 2,524 0.11 New 0 ±0
Humanist Party (PH) 2,253 0.10 +0.07 0 ±0
Valencian Nationalist Left (ENV) 2,070 0.09 +0.01 0 ±0
Federal Republican Left–Federal Republican Party (IRF–PRF) 1,660 0.07 New 0 ±0
Valencian Independent Organization (OIV) 1,316 0.06 New 0 ±0
Spanish Autonomous League (LAE) 608 0.03 +0.01 0 ±0
Blank ballots 35,168 1.55 +0.50
Total 2,266,275 89 ±0
Valid votes 2,266,275 99.41 –0.03
Invalid votes 13,530 0.59 +0.03
Votes cast / turnout 2,279,805 67.81 –8.22
Abstentions 1,082,184 32.19 +8.22
Registered voters 3,361,989
Sources[4][5][6]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
PP
47.88%
PSOEp
33.91%
EUPV
6.05%
UV
4.68%
BNVEV
4.53%
Others
1.39%
Blank ballots
1.55%
Seats
PP
55.06%
PSOEp
39.33%
EUPV
5.62%

Distribution by constituency

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Constituency PP PSOEp EUPV
% S % S % S
Alicante 48.7 16 36.0 12 6.1 2
Castellón 49.3 12 34.6 9 4.2 1
Valencia 47.1 21 32.6 14 6.4 2
Total 47.9 49 33.9 35 6.1 5
Sources[5][6]

Aftermath

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Government formation

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Investiture
Candidate Ballot → 16 July 1999
Required majority → 45 out of 89
Eduardo Zaplana (PP)
Yes
  • PP (49)
49 / 89
 Y
No
40 / 89
Abstentions
0 / 89
Absentees
0 / 89
Antoni Asunción (PSOE)   Cancelled
Joan Ribó (EUPV)   Cancelled
Sources[6]

2002 investiture

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Investiture
Candidate Ballot → 16 July 2002
Required majority → 45 out of 89
José Luis Olivas (PP)
Yes
  • PP (49)
49 / 89
 Y
No
40 / 89
Abstentions
0 / 89
Absentees
0 / 89
Joan Ribó (EUPV)   Cancelled
Sources[6]

References

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Opinion poll sources
  1. ^ "Zaplana roza la mayoría absoluta al restar al menos un diputado al PSOE". ABC (in Spanish). 7 June 1999.
  2. ^ "Zaplana alcanza la mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 7 June 1999.
  3. ^ "Comunidad Valenciana: el nacionalismo se deshincha". El Mundo (in Spanish). 30 May 1999.
  4. ^ "ELECCIONES 13-J/BALANCE DE LAS ENCUESTAS". El Mundo (in Spanish). 6 June 1999.
  5. ^ "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas y municipales, 1999. Comunidad Valenciana (Estudio nº 2338. Mayo 1999)". CIS (in Spanish). 4 June 1999.
  6. ^ "Estudio CIS nº 2338. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 4 June 1999.
  7. ^ "Bono e Ibarra repiten y el PSOE recuperará Asturias". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 5 June 1999.
  8. ^ "Una encuesta da al PP la mayoría absoluta y otorga escaños al BNV". El País (in Spanish). 4 May 1999.
Other
  1. ^ a b c d Ley Orgánica 5/1982, de 1 de julio, de Estatuto de Autonomía de la Comunidad Valenciana (Organic Law 1) (in Spanish). 1 July 1982. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ley 1/1987, de 31 de marzo, Electoral Valenciana (Law 2) (in Spanish). 31 March 1987. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General (Organic Law 5) (in Spanish). 19 June 1985. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Electoral Results. Electoral Data - Regional Election: 1999". www.cortsvalencianes.es (in Spanish). Valencian Government. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Corts Valencianes election results, 13 June 1999" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of the Valencian Community. 5 July 1999. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d "Eleccions a les Corts Valencianes (1983 - 2019)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2017.