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1996 Spanish general election

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1996 Spanish general election
← 1993 3 March 1996 2000 →
All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 208 (of 257) seats in the Senate
176 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies
Opinion polls
Registered32,531,833 Green arrow up4.8%
Turnout25,172,058 (77.4%)
Green arrow up1.0 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader José María Aznar Felipe González Julio Anguita
Party PP PSOE IU
Leader since 4 September 1989 28 September 1979 12 February 1989
Leader's seat Madrid Madrid Madrid
Last election 142 seats, 35.4%[a] 159 seats, 38.8% 18 seats, 9.6%
Seats won 156 141 21
Seat change Green arrow up14 Red arrow down18 Green arrow up3
Popular vote 9,716,006 9,425,678 2,639,774
Percentage 38.8% 37.6% 10.5%
Swing Green arrow up3.4 pp Red arrow down1.2 pp Green arrow up0.9 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Joaquim Molins Iñaki Anasagasti José Carlos Mauricio
Party CiU EAJ/PNV CC
Leader since 1 February 1995 1986 1996
Leader's seat Barcelona Biscay Las Palmas
Last election 17 seats, 4.9% 5 seats, 1.2% 4 seats, 0.9%
Seats won 16 5 4
Seat change Red arrow down1 Blue arrow right0 Blue arrow right0
Popular vote 1,151,633 318,951 220,418
Percentage 4.6% 1.3% 0.9%
Swing Red arrow down0.3 pp Green arrow up0.1 pp Blue arrow right0.0 pp
Map of Spain showcasing winning party's strength by constituency
Map of Spain showcasing winning party's strength by autonomous community
Map of Spain showcasing seat distribution by Congress of Deputies constituency
Prime Minister before election

Felipe González
PSOE

Prime Minister after election

José María Aznar
PP

The 1996 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 3 March 1996, to elect the 6th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 257 seats in the Senate.

Ever since forming a minority government after its victory in the 1993 election, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) had been rocked by the unveiling of a string of corruption scandals, including the party's illegal financing, misuse of public funds to pay for undeclared bonuses to party officials and allegations of state terrorism (GAL). The 1996 election was triggered following the withdrawal of parliamentary support from Convergence and Union (CiU) to the Socialist minority government of Felipe González in mid 1995.

The election resulted in the first PSOE defeat in a general election since 1979, but predictions of a landslide of the opposition José María Aznar's People's Party (PP) failed to materialize. The PP had been widely expected to make gains after resounding wins in the 1994 European Parliament election and 1995 local and regional elections, with polls suggesting Aznar winning an outright overall majority or coming short of it by few seats would be the most likely scenario. Instead, the election turned into the closest result between the two major parties in the Spanish democratic period to date; a PSOE comeback, fueled by a strong 77.4% voter turnout, the highest scored ever since, left the PP leading by just 1.2 percentage points and 290,000 votes, falling 20 seats short of an absolute majority. Julio Anguita's United Left (IU) also failed to meet expectations, despite scoring their best overall result in a general election since the Communist Party of Spain (PCE)'s results in 1979.

At 156 seats, this would be the worst performance for a winning party in the democratic period until the PP's result in the 2015 election. As a consequence of the election result, Aznar was forced to tone down his attacks to Catalan and Basque nationalists in order to garner their support for his investiture. After two months of negotiations, agreements were reached with CiU—the Majestic Pact—the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Canarian Coalition (CC), enabling for José María Aznar to become prime minister of a centre-right minority cabinet, marking the end of over 13 years of Socialist government.

Background

[edit]

Following the victory of the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) at the 1993 general election, Felipe González was able to be re-elected as prime minister for a fourth term in office through an confidence and supply alliance with the Catalan nationalist Convergence and Union (CiU) and the support of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV).[1][2]

The international economic crisis of 1992–1993 continued, with the newly-elected government having to face the impact of growing unemployment, a large public deficit and recession.[3][4][5] Economic recovery started in 1994 with a slow decrease of unemployment rates and a GDP growth of 2%,[6][7] but the deficit in the social security system led to the Toledo Pact: a multi-party agreement to transfer to the General State Budget all obligations arising from the healthcare system and social assistance benefits, which would henceforth be financed entirely by general taxes, while social security contributions would be maintained to fund pensions.[8][9]

The terrorist group ETA maintained its activity during this period, including the López de Hoyos bombing in Madrid which killed seven amid the 1993 government negotiations,[10] an unsuccessful attempt to kill opposition leader José María Aznar in April 1995 with a car bomb detonated at the passing of his official car,[11] an attempted assassination plot of King Juan Carlos I in the summer of 1995,[12] a car bombing in Puente de Vallecas in December 1995 which killed six,[13] and the kidnapping of prison officer José Antonio Ortega Lara in January 1996,[14] among others.

Close-up photo of Luis Roldán
Luis Roldán being sworn in as director general of the Civil Guard in 1986.

The 1993–1996 term was marked by the uncovering of numerous corruption scandals affecting the incumbent PSOE leadership. In November 1993, Spanish daily Diario 16 unveiled that Civil Guard chief director Luis Roldán had amassed a large fortune since assuming office in 1986, which he proved unable to legally justify.[15] In March 1994, El Mundo revealed that officers from the Interior ministry had used money from the "reserved funds"—public funds destined to finance the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking and not subject to publicity, justification or external oversight[16]—to make bonus payments to high-ranking officers from the Ministry, with Roldán's name appearing among the beneficiaries.[15] In April that year, both media revealed that former president of Navarre Gabriel Urralburu had collected millionary kickbacks in the awarding of public works during his government, with Roldán having also benefitted from it.[17] Roldán fled the country to escape legal prosecution, forcing Interior minister Antoni Asunción's resignation for failing to monitor him.[15][18] During his time on the run, Roldán admitted to having been paid bonuses from the reserved funds together with other high-ranking Interior ministry (including former minister José Luis Corcuera) and that he was told that prime minister González was "aware of everything".[15] Roldán was captured on 27 February 1995 in Laos amidst claims that he had reached an agreement with the PSOE government (in what would be coined as the "Laos papers") to charge the former with just two crimes—bribery and embezzlement—in exchange for his voluntary surrender, a claim rejected by the Spanish government.[15][19] Roldán would later be convicted for these crimes as well as fraud, forgery and tax evasion.[20]

Concurrently, it was revealed in April 1994 that former governor of the Bank of Spain Mariano Rubio had 130 million Ptas of undeclared money in a secret bank account in the Ibercorp investment bank, which had been intervened by the Bank of Spain during Rubio's tenure in 1992; already in that year, it had been unveiled that Rubio owned stock shares in Ibercorp, that he had concealed these from the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) and that he had amassed a fortune by carrying out financial operations based on privileged information, but Rubio had denied all accusations.[21] The new revelations in 1994 forced the resignations of Carlos Solchaga (former Economy minister and then PSOE spokesperson in Congress, who had backed Rubio in 1992) and Vicente Albero (Agriculture minister, who in May 1994 was discovered to own a secret account with undeclared money related to the scandal).[21][22][23][24]

Logo of the GAL
Symbol used by the GAL.

On 16 December 1994, two policemen convicted in 1991 for participating in the Liberation Antiterrorist Groups (GAL)—death squads involved in a "dirty war" against ETA—confessed to judge Baltasar Garzón that a number of former police and Interior ministry officers were also involved and that the GAL had been financed through the reserved funds.[25] Among those were former Interior minister José Barrionuevo, former state security directors Julián Sancristóbal and Rafael Vera, former Biscay PSOE secretary-general Ricardo García Damborenea and a number of police officers.[25] Throughout early 1995, those accused except for Barrionuevo were arrested and court-questioned, leading to the 'GAL case' being re-opened by the Spanish National Court on 20 February.[25] Barrionuevo argued that Garzón, who had contested the 1993 general election in the PSOE's electoral lists, was acting out of personal revenge against the party after political differences leading to his resignation as deputy in May 1994.[25] Some defendants accused Felipe González of "knowing and allowing such activities", even pointing out that he could have been the person establishing and financing the GAL.[26][27] Barrionuevo, Vera and Sancristóbal were convicted for the scandal, but the Spanish Supreme Court concluded in 1996 that there was not proof of González's involvement and that the accusations were based on mere suspicions.[25]

In June 1995, El Mundo revealed that the Superior Center of Defense Information (CESID), the main Spanish intelligence agency at the time, had been recording and keeping the taped telephone conversations of dozens of prominent public figures for years, including politicians, businessmen, journalists and King Juan Carlos I himself, apparently without the cabinet's knowledge.[28][29][30] The scandal brought about the resignations of Defence minister Julián García Vargas, under whose authority the CESID was responsible to, and of deputy prime minister Narcís Serra, who had been Vargas's predecessor in the office between 1982 and 1991.[31][32][33]

The mounting scandals and the impact of the economic crisis took their toll on González's party: it suffered its first-ever nationwide defeat to the opposition People's Party (PP) in the 1994 European Parliament election,[34] and the 1995 local and regional elections brought about the loss of many Socialist governments throughout Spain and a decline in Catalonia for PSOE's parliamentary partner, CiU, which chose to withdraw its confidence and supply support in June 1995.[35][36][37] This materialized in the 1996 state budget being voted down in October.[38][39] As a result, González was forced to call a snap election for early 1996, fifteen months ahead of schedule.[40][41]

Overview

[edit]

Electoral system

[edit]

The Spanish Cortes Generales were envisaged as an imperfect bicameral system. The Congress of Deputies had greater legislative power than the Senate, having the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a prime minister and to override Senate vetoes by an absolute majority of votes. Nonetheless, the Senate possessed a few exclusive (yet limited in number) functions—such as its role in constitutional amendment—which were not subject to the Congress' override.[42][43] Voting for the Cortes Generales was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights.[44][45]

For the Congress of Deputies, 348 seats 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 Spain, with each being allocated an initial minimum of two seats and the remaining 248 being distributed in proportion to their populations. Ceuta and Melilla were allocated the two remaining seats, which were elected using plurality voting.[46][47] The use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.[48]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Congress multi-member constituency was entitled the following seats:[49]

Seats Constituencies
34 Madrid
31 Barcelona(–1)
16 Valencia
13 Seville(+1)
11 Alicante(+1)
10 Málaga
9 Asturias, Biscay, Cádiz, La Coruña, Murcia
8 Pontevedra
7 Balearics, Córdoba, Granada, Las Palmas, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Zaragoza
6 Badajoz, Guipúzcoa, Jaén, Tarragona
5 Almería, Cáceres, Cantabria, Castellón, Ciudad Real, Girona, Huelva, León, Navarre, Toledo, Valladolid
4 Álava, Albacete, Burgos, La Rioja, Lleida, Lugo(–1), Orense, Salamanca
3 Ávila, Cuenca, Guadalajara, Huesca, Palencia, Segovia, Soria, Teruel, Zamora

For the Senate, 208 seats were elected using an open list partial block voting system, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors could vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of the 47 peninsular provinces was allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, districts were the islands themselves, with the larger—Majorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife—being allocated three seats each, and the smaller—Menorca, Ibiza–Formentera, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma—one each. Ceuta and Melilla elected two seats each. Additionally, autonomous communities could appoint at least one senator each and were entitled to one additional senator per each million inhabitants.[50][51]

The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacated seats; instead, any vacancies that occurred after the proclamation of candidates and into the legislature's term were to be covered by the successive candidates in the list and, when needed, by the designated substitutes, of which the list was required to include three.[52]

Election date

[edit]

The term of each chamber of the Cortes Generales—the Congress and the Senate—expired four years from the date of their previous election, unless they were 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 State Gazette (BOE), with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication.[53] The previous election was held on 6 June 1993, which meant that the legislature's term would expire on 6 June 1997. The election decree was required to be published in the BOE no later than 13 May 1997, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Cortes Generales on Sunday, 6 July 1997.

The prime minister had the prerogative to propose the monarch to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no state of emergency was in force and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since the previous one.[54] Additionally, both chambers were to be dissolved and a new election called if an investiture process failed to elect a prime minister within a two-month period from the first ballot.[55] Barred this exception, there was no constitutional requirement for simultaneous elections to the Congress and the Senate. Still, as of 2025 there has been no precedent of separate elections taking place under the 1978 Constitution.

The Cortes Generales were officially dissolved on 9 January 1996 after the publication of the dissolution decree in the BOE, setting the election date for 3 March and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 27 March.[49]

Parliamentary composition

[edit]

The tables below show the composition of the parliamentary groups in both chambers at the time of dissolution.[56][57]

Parties and candidates

[edit]

Eligibility requirements

[edit]

Spanish citizens of age and with the legal capacity to vote could run for election, provided that they were not sentenced to imprisonment by a final court's decision nor convicted by a judgement, even if not yet final, which imposed a penalty of forfeiture of eligibility or of specific disqualification or suspension from public office under specific offences: rebellion and terrorism when involving crimes against life, physical integrity or freedom of persons. Other general causes of ineligibility were imposed on members of the Spanish royal family; the president and members of the Constitutional Court, the General Council of the Judiciary, the Supreme Court, the Council of State, the Court of Auditors and the Economic and Social Council; the Ombudsman; the State's Attorney General; high-ranking members—undersecretaries, secretaries-general, directors-general and chiefs of staff—of Spanish government departments, the Prime Minister's Office, government delegations, the Social Security and other government agencies; heads of diplomatic missions in foreign states or international organizations; judges and public prosecutors in active service; Armed Forces and police corps personnel in active service; members of electoral commissions; the chair of RTVE; the director of the Electoral Register Office; the governor and deputy governor of the Bank of Spain; the chairs of the Official Credit Institute and other official credit institutions; and members of the Nuclear Safety Council; as well as a number of territorial-level officers in the aforementioned government bodies and institutions being barred from running, during their tenure of office, in constituencies within the whole or part of their respective area of jurisdiction.[60][61] Disqualification provisions for the Cortes Generales extended to any employee of a foreign state and to members of regional governments, as well as the impossibility of running simultaneously as candidate for both the Congress and Senate.[62]

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 ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.[63]

Main competing lists

[edit]

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

Candidacy Parties and
alliances 		Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Votes (%) Con. Sen.
PSOE
List
 Felipe González Social democracy 38.78% 159 96 checkY [64]
[65]
PP
List
 José María Aznar Conservatism
Christian democracy 		35.37%[a] 142 93 ☒N [66]
[67]
IU
List
 Julio Anguita Socialism
Communism 		9.55% 18 0 ☒N
CiU
List
 Joaquim Molins Catalan nationalism
Centrism 		4.94% 17 10 ☒N
EAJ/PNV
List
 Iñaki Anasagasti Basque nationalism
Christian democracy
Conservative liberalism 		1.24% 5 3 ☒N
CC
List
 José Carlos Mauricio Regionalism
Canarian nationalism
Centrism 		0.88% 4 5 ☒N
HB
List
 — Basque independence
Abertzale left
Revolutionary socialism 		0.88% 2 1 ☒N
ERC
List
 Pilar Rahola Catalan independence
Left-wing nationalism
Social democracy 		0.80% 1 0 ☒N
EA
List
 Begoña Lasagabaster Basque nationalism
Social democracy 		0.55% 1 0 ☒N
UV
List
 José María Chiquillo Blaverism
Conservatism 		0.48% 1 0 ☒N
BNG
List
 Francisco Rodríguez Galician nationalism
Left-wing nationalism 		0.54% 0 0 ☒N
EFS
List
 Pilar Costa Progressivism Senate New ☒N [68]
PIL
List
 Cándido Armas Insularism
Canarian nationalism 		Senate New ☒N

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), United Left (IU), The Greens (LV), Nationalist and Ecologist Agreement (ENE) and Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) formed the Ibiza and Formentera in the Senate alliance for the Senate election.[68]

Campaign period

[edit]

Party slogans

[edit]
Party or alliance Original slogan English translation Ref.
PSOE « España en positivo » "Spain in positive" [69][70]
PP « Con la nueva mayoría » "With the new majority" [69][71][72]
IU « IU decide » "IU decides" [69][73]

Opinion polls

[edit]
Main article: Opinion polling for the 1996 Spanish general election
Local regression trend line of poll results from 6 June 1993 to 3 March 1996, with each line corresponding to a political party.


Results

[edit]

Congress of Deputies

[edit]
For results by autonomous community/constituency, see Results breakdown of the 1996 Spanish general election (Congress).
← Summary of the 3 March 1996 Congress of Deputies election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP)1 9,716,006 38.79 +3.42 156 +14
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 9,425,678 37.63 –1.15 141 –18
United Left (IU) 2,639,774 10.54 +0.99 21 +3
Convergence and Union (CiU) 1,151,633 4.60 –0.34 16 –1
Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) 318,951 1.27 +0.03 5 ±0
Canarian Coalition (CC) 220,418 0.88 ±0.00 4 ±0
Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) 220,147 0.88 +0.34 2 +2
Popular Unity (HB) 181,304 0.72 –0.16 2 ±0
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 167,641 0.67 –0.13 1 ±0
Andalusian Party (PA)2 134,800 0.54 –0.05 0 ±0
Basque Solidarity (EA) 115,861 0.46 –0.09 1 ±0
Valencian Union (UV) 91,575 0.37 –0.11 1 ±0
The European Greens (LVE) 61,689 0.25 –0.54 0 ±0
Aragonese Union (CHA) 49,739 0.20 +0.17 0 ±0
Centrist Union (UC) 44,771 0.18 –1.58 0 ±0
Valencian People's Union–Nationalist Bloc (UPV–BN) 26,777 0.11 –0.06 0 ±0
Nationalists of the Balearic Islands (PSM–ENE) 24,644 0.10 +0.01 0 ±0
The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV) 17,177 0.07 New 0 ±0
Convergence of Democrats of Navarre (CDN) 17,020 0.07 New 0 ±0
Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRT)3 14,854 0.06 –0.07 0 ±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) 14,513 0.06 +0.02 0 ±0
Humanist Party (PH) 13,482 0.05 +0.01 0 ±0
Asturianist Party (PAS) 12,213 0.05 ±0.00 0 ±0
Authentic Spanish Phalanx (FEA) 12,114 0.05 +0.05 0 ±0
Leonese People's Union (UPL) 12,049 0.05 –0.01 0 ±0
Basque Citizen Initiative (ICV–Gorordo) 11,833 0.05 New 0 ±0
The Greens of Madrid (LVM) 8,483 0.03 New 0 ±0
Extremaduran Coalition (CEx)4 7,312 0.03 –0.03 0 ±0
Majorcan Union (UM) 6,943 0.03 –0.01 0 ±0
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC) 6,206 0.02 ±0.00 0 ±0
Riojan Party (PR) 6,065 0.02 –0.01 0 ±0
Ecologist Party of Catalonia (PEC) 4,305 0.02 –0.02 0 ±0
Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL) 4,061 0.02 +0.01 0 ±0
Andalusian Nation (NA) 3,505 0.01 New 0 ±0
Alliance for National Unity (AUN) 3,397 0.01 New 0 ±0
Salamanca–Zamora–León–PREPAL (PREPAL) 2,762 0.01 ±0.00 0 ±0
SOS Nature (SOS) 2,753 0.01 New 0 ±0
Republican Coalition (CR)5 2,744 0.01 –0.02 0 ±0
Popular Front of the Canary Islands (FREPIC) 2,567 0.01 New 0 ±0
Socialist Party of the People of Ceuta (PSPC) 2,365 0.01 +0.01 0 ±0
Regionalist Party of Castilla-La Mancha (PRCM) 2,279 0.01 New 0 ±0
Galician People's Front (FPG) 2,065 0.01 New 0 ±0
Independent Socialists of Extremadura (SIEx) 1,678 0.01 New 0 ±0
Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM) 1,671 0.01 ±0.00 0 ±0
Red–Green Party (PRV) 1,656 0.01 New 0 ±0
Independent Spanish Phalanx (FEI) 1,550 0.01 ±0.00 0 ±0
New Region (NR) 1,452 0.01 New 0 ±0
Republican Action (AR) 1,237 0.00 –0.01 0 ±0
Citizen Independent Platform of Catalonia (PICC) 1,229 0.00 New 0 ±0
Valencian Nationalist Left (ENV) 1,023 0.00 –0.01 0 ±0
Party of El Bierzo (PB) 1,000 0.00 –0.01 0 ±0
Nationalist Canarian Party (PCN) 722 0.00 New 0 ±0
Alicantine Provincial Union (UPRA) 651 0.00 ±0.00 0 ±0
Democratic Andalusian Unity (UAD) 627 0.00 New 0 ±0
Citizen Democratic Action (ADEC) 598 0.00 New 0 ±0
Voice of the Andalusian People (VDPA) 529 0.00 New 0 ±0
European Nation State (N) 495 0.00 New 0 ±0
Social and Autonomist Liberal Group (ALAS) 402 0.00 New 0 ±0
Balearic Alliance (ABA) 379 0.00 New 0 ±0
Regionalist Party of Guadalajara (PRGU) 338 0.00 ±0.00 0 ±0
Spanish Autonomous League (LAE) 296 0.00 New 0 ±0
Aragonese Social Dynamic (DSA) 265 0.00 New 0 ±0
Party of The People (LG) 243 0.00 ±0.00 0 ±0
Inter-Zamoran Party (PIZ) 215 0.00 New 0 ±0
Nationalist Party of Melilla (PNM) 200 0.00 New 0 ±0
Centrists of the Valencian Community (CCV) 0 0.00 New 0 ±0
Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR) 0 0.00 –0.03 0 ±0
Party of Self-employed of Spain (PAE) 0 0.00 New 0 ±0
Tenerife Independent Familiar Groups (AFIT) 0 0.00 New 0 ±0
Blank ballots 243,345 0.97 +0.17
Total 25,046,276 350 ±0
Valid votes 25,046,276 99.50 +0.04
Invalid votes 125,782 0.50 –0.04
Votes cast / turnout 25,172,058 77.38 +0.94
Abstentions 7,359,775 22.62 –0.94
Registered voters 32,531,833
Sources[74][75]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
PP
 
 38.79%
PSOE
 
 37.63%
IU
 
 10.54%
CiU
 
 4.60%
EAJ/PNV
 
 1.27%
CC
 
 0.88%
BNG
 
 0.88%
HB
 
 0.72%
ERC
 
 0.67%
EA
 
 0.46%
UV
 
 0.37%
Others
 
 2.21%
Blank ballots
 
 0.97%
Seats
PP
 
 44.57%
PSOE
 
 40.29%
IU
 
 6.00%
CiU
 
 4.57%
EAJ/PNV
 
 1.43%
CC
 
 1.14%
BNG
 
 0.57%
HB
 
 0.57%
ERC
 
 0.29%
EA
 
 0.29%
UV
 
 0.29%

Senate

[edit]
← Summary of the 3 March 1996 Senate of Spain election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP)1 26,788,282 39.04 +3.87 112 +19
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 25,865,206 37.70 –1.32 81 –15
United Left (IU) 6,851,023 9.99 +0.52 0 ±0
Convergence and Union (CiU) 3,338,737 4.87 –0.43 8 –2
Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) 918,692 1.34 +0.04 4 +1
Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) 670,346 0.98 +0.36 0 ±0
Popular Unity (HB) 516,007 0.75 –0.17 0 –1
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 493,480 0.72 +0.35 0 ±0
Andalusian Party (PA)2 415,676 0.61 –0.07 0 ±0
Canarian Coalition (CC) 388,366 0.57 –0.04 1 –4
Basque Solidarity (EA) 337,911 0.49 –0.09 0 ±0
Valencian Union (UV) 280,383 0.41 –0.12 0 ±0
Aragonese Union (CHA) 136,157 0.20 +0.16 0 ±0
Centrist Union (UC) 129,432 0.19 –1.63 0 ±0
The European Greens (LVE) 127,576 0.19 –0.69 0 ±0
Valencian People's Union–Nationalist Bloc (UPV–BN) 93,337 0.14 –0.07 0 ±0
The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV) 67,439 0.10 New 0 ±0
Convergence of Democrats of Navarre (CDN) 54,016 0.08 New 0 ±0
Nationalists of the Balearic Islands (PSM–ENE) 50,928 0.07 +0.01 0 ±0
Leonese People's Union (UPL) 48,214 0.07 –0.02 0 ±0
Asturianist Party (PAS) 41,127 0.06 –0.01 0 ±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) 34,495 0.05 ±0.00 0 ±0
Alliance for National Unity (AUN) 32,451 0.05 New 0 ±0
Basque Citizen Initiative (ICV–Gorordo) 31,632 0.05 New 0 ±0
Extremaduran Coalition (CEx)3 30,213 0.04 –0.05 0 ±0
Authentic Spanish Phalanx (FEA) 27,999 0.04 +0.03 0 ±0
Ecologist Party of Catalonia (PEC) 24,662 0.04 –0.04 0 ±0
Humanist Party (PH) 24,149 0.04 +0.02 0 ±0
Ibiza and Formentera in the Senate (PSOE–EU–ENE–ERC–EV–Eiv) 21,365 0.03 New 1 +1
Riojan Party (PR) 20,172 0.03 –0.01 0 ±0
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC) 20,119 0.03 ±0.00 0 ±0
Majorcan Union (UM) 18,944 0.03 –0.01 0 ±0
Salamanca–Zamora–León–PREPAL (PREPAL) 17,024 0.02 ±0.00 0 ±0
Republican Coalition (CR)4 15,958 0.02 ±0.00 0 ±0
Independent Spanish Phalanx (FEI) 14,963 0.02 ±0.00 0 ±0
Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRT)5 14,618 0.02 –0.05 0 ±0
Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL) 14,362 0.02 ±0.00 0 ±0
Lanzarote Independents Party (PIL) 13,161 0.02 New 1 +1
The Greens of Madrid (LVM) 13,080 0.02 New 0 ±0
Andalusian Nation (NA) 12,803 0.02 New 0 ±0
Nationalist Party of Castile and León (PANCAL) 10,268 0.01 +0.01 0 ±0
Party of El Bierzo (PB) 8,641 0.01 ±0.00 0 ±0
Independent Socialists of Extremadura (SIEx) 8,018 0.01 New 0 ±0
Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM) 6,409 0.01 –0.01 0 ±0
Republican Action (AR) 6,398 0.01 –0.01 0 ±0
Red–Green Party (PRV) 6,232 0.01 New 0 ±0
SOS Nature (SOS) 6,149 0.01 New 0 ±0
Regionalist Party of Castilla-La Mancha (PRCM) 6,106 0.01 New 0 ±0
Democratic Party of the People (PDEP) 6,061 0.01 New 0 ±0
Popular Front of the Canary Islands (FREPIC) 4,764 0.01 New 0 ±0
Socialist Party of the People of Ceuta (PSPC) 4,107 0.01 +0.01 0 ±0
Natural Culture (CN) 3,986 0.01 +0.01 0 ±0
Galician People's Front (FPG) 3,727 0.01 New 0 ±0
Citizen Independent Platform of Catalonia (PICC) 3,408 0.00 New 0 ±0
Independent Candidacy of Valladolid (CIV) 3,270 0.00 New 0 ±0
Join Action (AY) 2,573 0.00 New 0 ±0
Alicantine Provincial Union (UPRA) 2,536 0.00 New 0 ±0
Voice of the Andalusian People (VDPA) 2,352 0.00 New 0 ±0
Aragonese Unity (UA) 2,305 0.00 New 0 ±0
Valencian Nationalist Left (ENV) 2,080 0.00 –0.01 0 ±0
National Workers' Party (PNT) 1,788 0.00 New 0 ±0
New Region (NR) 1,754 0.00 New 0 ±0
Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR) 1,438 0.00 –0.02 0 ±0
Regionalist Party of Guadalajara (PRGU) 1,305 0.00 ±0.00 0 ±0
Citizen Democratic Action (ADEC) 1,187 0.00 New 0 ±0
Social and Autonomist Liberal Group (ALAS) 1,099 0.00 New 0 ±0
Nationalist Canarian Party (PCN) 934 0.00 New 0 ±0
Inter-Zamoran Party (PIZ) 912 0.00 New 0 ±0
Iberian Unity (UI) 883 0.00 New 0 ±0
European Nation State (N) 816 0.00 New 0 ±0
Democratic Andalusian Unity (UAD) 783 0.00 New 0 ±0
Spanish Autonomous League (LAE) 610 0.00 New 0 ±0
Nationalist Party of Melilla (PNM) 595 0.00 New 0 ±0
Aragonese Social Dynamic (DSA) 581 0.00 New 0 ±0
Independents of Menorca (INME) 558 0.00 New 0 ±0
Proverist Party (PPr) 373 0.00 ±0.00 0 ±0
Spanish Action (AE) 256 0.00 ±0.00 0 ±0
Clean Hands Project (PML) 231 0.00 New 0 ±0
Party of The People (LG) 125 0.00 New 0 ±0
Tenerife Independent Familiar Groups (AFIT) 0 0.00 New 0 ±0
Centrists of the Valencian Community (CCV) 0 0.00 New 0 ±0
Blank ballots[c] 482,601 1.97 +0.34
Total 68,612,724 208 ±0
Valid votes 24,502,854 97.41 –0.29
Invalid votes 652,656 2.59 +0.29
Votes cast / turnout 25,155,510 77.33 +0.84
Abstentions 7,376,323 22.67 –0.84
Registered voters 32,531,833
Sources[57][74][75][76]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
PP
 
 39.04%
PSOE
 
 37.70%
IU
 
 9.99%
CiU
 
 4.87%
EAJ/PNV
 
 1.34%
CC
 
 0.57%
EFS
 
 0.03%
PIL
 
 0.02%
Others
 
 5.75%
Blank ballots
 
 1.97%
Seats
PP
 
 53.85%
PSOE
 
 38.94%
CiU
 
 3.85%
EAJ/PNV
 
 1.92%
CC
 
 0.48%
EFS
 
 0.48%
PIL
 
 0.48%

Maps

[edit]
  • Election results by constituency (Congress).
    Election results by constituency (Congress).
  • Vote winner strength by constituency (Congress).
    Vote winner strength by constituency (Congress).
  • Vote winner strength by autonomous community (Congress).
    Vote winner strength by autonomous community (Congress).

Aftermath

[edit]

Government formation

[edit]
Further information: 1996 Spanish government formation and First government of José María Aznar
Investiture
José María Aznar (PP)
Ballot → 4 May 1996
Required majority → 176 out of 350 checkY
Yes
  • • PP (156)
  • • CiU (16)
  • • PNV (5)
  • • CC (4)
181 / 350
No
166 / 350
Abstentions
  • • UV (1)
1 / 350
Absentees
  • • HB (2)
2 / 350
Sources[77]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Results for PP (34.76%, 141 deputies and 93 senators) and PAR (0.61%, 1 deputy and 0 senators) in the 1993 election.
  2. ^ Only in Andalusia, Extremadura and Murcia.
  3. ^ The percentage of blank ballots is calculated over the official number of valid votes cast, irrespective of the total number of votes shown as a result of adding up the individual results for each party.

References

[edit]
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  3. ^ Arancibia, Salvador (25 November 1993). "El déficit público hasta octubre, 2,7 billones de pesetas, duplica al del año anterior". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  4. ^ Parra, Carmen (19 February 1994). "422.450 empleos se destruyeron en el año 1993". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  5. ^ "España sufrió en 1993 la peor recesión económica registrada en los últimos 30 años". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. 5 July 1993. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  6. ^ Arancibia, Salvador (4 February 1995). "El impulso de la inversión eleva al 2% el crecimiento de la economía española en 1994". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  7. ^ Parra, Carmen (18 February 1995). "La creación de 46.570 empleos en 1994 rompe la senda de destrucción iniciada hace tres años". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  8. ^ Irazusta, María; Sierra, Antonio (2 June 1996). "Las Recetas del Pacto de Toledo". El Mundo (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
  9. ^ Barea, José (14 February 2009). "Déficit en las pensiones". Cinco Días (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2025.
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Bibliography

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[edit]
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