Surf Wiki
Save to docs
politics

From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base

1916 Spanish general election

none

none

FieldValue
election_name1916 Spanish general election
countrySpain
flag_year1785
typeparliamentary
ongoingno
previous_election1914 Spanish general election
previous_year1914
next_election1918 Spanish general election
next_year1918
seats_for_electionAll 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 180 (of 360) seats in the Senate
205 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies
election_date9 April 1916 (Congress)
23 April 1916 (Senate)
image1[[File:Álvaro de Figueroa, Count of Romanones 1919 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader1Count of Romanones
party1Liberal–Democratic
colour1
leader_since11912
leaders_seat1Guadalajara
last_election1117 D53 S
seats1228 D112 S
seat_change1111 D 59 S
image2[[File:Eduardo Dato 1911 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader2Eduardo Dato
party2Conservative Party (Spain)
leader_since21913
leaders_seat2Vitoria
last_election2191 D79 S
seats289 D35 S
seat_change2102 D 44 S
image3[[File:Antonio Maura 1917 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader3Antonio Maura
party3Maurist Party
leader_since31913
leaders_seat3Palma
last_election325 D14 S
seats318 D6 S
seat_change37 D 8 S
image4[[File:Enric Prat de la Riba 1911 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader4Enric Prat de la Riba
party4Regionalist
leader_since41902
leaders_seat4*Did not run*
last_election413 D6 S
seats413 D7 S
seat_change40 D 1 S
image5[[File:Melquíades Álvarez (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader5Melquíades Álvarez
party5Reformist Party (Spain)
leader_since51912
leaders_seat5Castropol
last_election512 D3 S
seats514 D2 S
seat_change52 D 1 S
image6[[File:Roberto Castrovido 1911 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader6Roberto Castrovido
party6Republican–Socialist Conjunction
leader_since61914
leaders_seat6Madrid
last_election613 D2 S
seats613 D1 S
seat_change60 D 1 S
titlePrime Minister
posttitlePrime Minister after election
before_electionCount of Romanones
before_partyLiberal Party (Spain, 1880)
after_electionCount of Romanones
after_partyLiberal Party (Spain, 1880)

205 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies 23 April 1916 (Senate)

A general election was held in Spain on Sunday, 9 April (for the Congress of Deputies) and on Sunday, 23 April 1916 (for the Senate), to elect the members of the 16th Cortes under the Spanish Constitution of 1876, during the Restoration period. All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.

The turno system—under which Conservatives and Liberals had alternated in power by determining in advance the outcome of elections through caciquism and electoral fraud—had entered a phase of decline derived from the internal crises of the two dynastic parties, which had turned into a set of factions that made political rotation difficult. The Conservatives had fragmented between those supporting the continuity of the turno (the idóneos or "suitable ones", led by Prime Minister Eduardo Dato) and those following the political doctrine of Antonio Maura (the Maurist faction or mauristas), who had grown disaffected with it. In the Liberal camp, divisions were a result of personal rivalries between the Count of Romanones and the Marquis of Alhucemas.

Dato and Romanones initially agreed to support each other in maintaining the turno and fighting their respective dissidents, helped by a lessening of partisanship in 1914 due to the outbreak of World War I. The conflict saw an expansion of industrial activity as demand for Spanish goods rose among the warring powers—a result of the Dato government proclaiming the country's neutrality in the war—but the inflow of capital caused inflation and a drop in imports, exacerbating poverty in some areas of the country as the shortage of basic commodities led to food riots. Dato's attempt to avoid parliament (which was only in session for seven out of his 25-month tenure) alienated the Maurists, whereas his refusal to establish a free-trade zone in the port of Barcelona enraged Catalan regionalists. With Romanones and Alhucemas agreeing to a united front against the Conservative cabinet in the summer of 1915, Dato found himself isolated, resigning in December that year after being unable to pass a proposed military reform.

Re-appointed as prime minister by King Alfonso XIII, Romanones formed a cabinet with representation from all liberal factions, subsequently calling a general election that saw his government securing an overall majority. This would the last election until 1923 in which a single party or alliance would secure a majority of parliamentary support.

Background

Do not edit this section here. The content of the section is meant to always be identical to the same section across all the Spanish general election pages for the period 1879-1923. It gets automatically copied here (enter WP:Transclusion in the Wikipedia search bar for technical details). To edit the text here enter "Template:Spanish general election background 1879-1923" into the search bar. But be aware that any edits there will effect multiple articles. Content specific to this article should be added in this article alone.

Overview

Under the 1876 Constitution, the Spanish Cortes were envisaged as "co-legislative bodies", based on a nearly perfect bicameral system. Both the Congress of Deputies and the Senate had legislative, control and budgetary functions, sharing equal powers except for laws on contributions or public credit, the first reading of which corresponded to Congress, and impeachment processes against government ministers, in which each chamber had separate powers of indictment (Congress) and trial (Senate).

Electoral system

Voting for the Congress of Deputies was on the basis of universal manhood suffrage, which comprised all national males over 25 years of age, having at least a two-year residency in a municipality and in full enjoyment of their civil rights. It was compulsory, though those older than 70, the clergy, first instance judges and public notaries (the latter two categories, within their respective area of jurisdiction) were exempt from this obligation. Additionally, voters were required to not being in active military service; nor being sentenced—by a final court ruling—to perpetual disqualification from political rights or public offices, to afflictive penalties not legally rehabilitated at least two years in advance, nor to other criminal penalties that remained unserved at the time of the election; neither being legally incapacitated, bankrupt, insolvent, debtors of public funds (including their substitutes or jointly liable parties), nor homeless.

The Congress of Deputies was entitled to one seat per each 50,000 inhabitants. 98 members were elected in 28 multi-member constituencies using a partial block voting system: in constituencies electing ten seats or more, electors could vote for no more than four candidates less than the number of seats to be allocated; in those with more than eight seats and up to ten, for no more than three less; in those with more than four seats and up to eight, for no more than two less; and in those with more than one seat and up to four, for no more than one less. The remaining 311 seats were elected in single-member districts using plurality voting and distributed among the provinces of Spain in proportion to their populations. Additionally, in those districts with uncontested elections (the number of candidates being equal to or less than the number of seats at stake), candidates were to be elected automatically without a vote.

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

SeatsConstituencies
**8**Madrid
**7**Barcelona
**5**Palma, Seville
**4**Cartagena
**3**Alicante, Almería, Badajoz, Burgos, Cádiz, Córdoba, Gran Canaria, Granada, Huelva, Jaén, Jerez de la Frontera, La Coruña, Lugo, Málaga, Murcia, Oviedo, Pamplona, Santander, Tarragona, Tenerife, Valencia, Valladolid, Zaragoza

Voting for the elective part of the Senate was on the basis of censitary suffrage, which comprised archbishops and bishops (in the ecclesiastical councils); full academics (in the royal academies); rectors, full professors, enrolled doctors, directors of secondary education institutes and heads of special schools in their respective territories (in the universities); members with at least a three-year-old membership (in the economic societies of Friends of the Country); major taxpayers and Spanish citizens of age, being householders residing in Spain and in full enjoyment of their political and civil rights (for delegates in the local councils); and provincial deputies.

180 seats in the Senate were elected using an indirect, write-in, two-round majority voting system. Voters in the economic societies, the local councils and major taxpayers elected delegates—equivalent in number to one per each 50 members (in each economic society) or to one-sixth of the councillors (in each local council), with an initial minimum of one—who, together with other voting-able electors, would in turn vote for senators. The provinces of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia were allocated four seats each, whereas each of the remaining provinces was allocated three seats, for a total of 150. The remaining 30 were allocated to special districts comprising a number of institutions, electing one seat each: the archdioceses of Burgos, Granada, Santiago de Compostela, Seville, Tarragona, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid and Zaragoza; the six oldest royal academies (the Royal Spanish; History; Fine Arts of San Fernando; Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences; Moral and Political Sciences and Medicine); the universities of Madrid, Barcelona, Granada, Oviedo, Salamanca, Santiago, Seville, Valencia, Valladolid and Zaragoza; and the economic societies of Madrid, Barcelona, León, Seville and Valencia.

An additional 180 seats comprised senators in their own right—the monarch's offspring and the heir apparent once coming of age; grandees of Spain with an annual income of at least Pts 60,000 (from their own real estate or from rights that enjoy the same legal consideration); captain generals of the Army and admirals of the Navy; the Patriarch of the Indies and archbishops; and the presidents of the Council of State, the Supreme Court, the Court of Auditors and the Supreme Council of War and Navy, after two years of service—as well as senators for life appointed directly by the monarch.

The law provided for by-elections to fill seats vacated in both the Congress and Senate throughout the legislative term.

Eligibility

For the Congress, Spanish citizens of age, of secular status, in full enjoyment of their civil rights and with the legal capacity to vote could run for election, provided that they were not contractors of public works or services, within the territorial scope of their contracts; nor holders of government-appointed offices, the judiciary, the prosecution ministry and presidents or members of provincial deputations—during their tenure of office and up to one year after their dismissal—in constituencies within the whole or part of their respective area of jurisdiction, except for government ministers and civil servants in the Central Administration. A number of other positions were exempt from ineligibility, provided that no more than 40 deputies benefitted from these:

  • Civil, military and judicial positions with a permanent residence in Madrid and a yearly public salary of at least Pts 12,500;
  • The holders of a number of positions: the president, prosecutors and chamber presidents of the territorial court of Madrid; the rector and full professors of the Central University of Madrid; inspectors of engineers; and general officers of the Army and Navy based in Madrid.

Additionally, candidates intending to run were required to either have previously served as deputies, elected in a general or by-election; to secure the endorsement of two current or former senators or deputies from the same provinces, or from three current or former provincial deputies representing a territory that, in whole or in part, was included in the constituencies for which they sought election; or to secure the endorsement of at least one twentieth of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election.

For the Senate, eligibility was limited to Spanish citizens over 35 years of age and not subject to criminal prosecution, disfranchisement nor asset seizure, provided that they were entitled to be appointed as senators in their own right or belonged or had belonged to one of the following categories:

  • Those who had ever served as senators before the promulgation of the 1876 Constitution; and deputies having served in at least three different congresses or eight terms;
  • The holders of a number of positions: presidents of the Senate and the Congress; government ministers; bishops; grandees of Spain not eligible as senators in their own right; and presidents and directors of the royal academies;
  • Provided an annual income of at least Pts 7,500 from either their own property, salaries from jobs that cannot be lost except for legally proven cause, or from retirement, withdrawal or termination: full academics of the aforementioned corporations on the first half of the seniority scale in their corps; first-class inspectors-general of the corps of civil, mining and forest engineers; and full professors with at least four years of seniority in their category and practice;
  • Provided two prior years of service: Army's lieutenant generals and Navy's vice admirals; and other members and prosecutors of the Council of State, the Supreme Court, the Court of Auditors, the Supreme Council of War and Navy, and the dean of the Court of Military Orders;
  • Ambassadors after two years of service and plenipotentiaries after four;
  • Those with an annual income of Pts 20,000 or were taxpayers with a minimum quota of Pts 4,000 in direct contributions at least two years in advance, provided that they either belonged to the Spanish nobility, had been previously deputies, provincial deputies or mayors in provincial capitals or towns over 20,000 inhabitants.

Other causes of ineligibility for the Senate were imposed on territorial-level officers in government bodies and institutions—during their tenure of office and up to three months after their dismissal—in constituencies within the whole or part of their respective area of jurisdiction; contractors of public works or services; tax collectors and their guarantors; debtors of public funds (including their substitutes or jointly liable parties); deputies; local councillors (except those in Madrid); and provincial deputies by their respective provinces.

Election date

The term of each chamber of the Cortes—the Congress and one-half of the elective part of the Senate—expired five years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier. The previous elections were held on 8 March 1914 for the Congress and on 22 March 1914 for the Senate, which meant that the chambers' terms would have expired on 8 and 22 March 1919, respectively.

The monarch had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election. There was no constitutional requirement for concurrent elections to the Congress and the Senate, nor for the elective part of the Senate to be renewed in its entirety except in the case that a full dissolution was agreed by the monarch. Still, there was only one case of a separate election (for the Senate in 1877) and no half-Senate elections taking place under the 1876 Constitution.

The Cortes were officially dissolved on 16 March 1916, with the dissolution decree setting election day for 9 April (Congress) and 23 April 1916 (Senate) and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 10 May.

Results

Congress of Deputies

Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeatsVotes%A.29Cont.Total
Liberal Union (Spain, Restoration)}}"Liberal Party–Liberal Democrats (PL–LD)90138**228**
Conservative Party (Spain)}}"Conservative Party (PC)3752**89**
Maurist Party}}"Maurist Party (PM)513**18**
Reformist Party (Spain)}}"Reformist Party (PRef)410**14**
Republican–Socialist Conjunction}}"Republican–Socialist Conjunction (CRS)112**13**
Regionalist League}}"Regionalist League (LR)112**13**
Traditionalist Communion}}"Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)27**9**
Republican Coalition (Spain, 1914)}}"Republican Coalition (PRR–UFNR)25**7**
Ciervists}}"Ciervist Conservatives (CC)16**7**
Integrist Party}}"Integrist Party (PI)02**2**
Autonomist Republican Bloc}}"Autonomist Republican Bloc (BRA)01**1**
Burgalese Regionalist Party}}"Burgalese Regionalist Party (PRB)01**1**
Independent politician}}"Independents (INDEP)25**7**
Total145264409
Votes cast / turnout
Abstentions
Registered voters
Sources

Senate

Parties and alliancesSeats
Liberal Union (Spain, Restoration)}}"Liberal Party–Liberal Democrats (PL–LD)
Conservative Party (Spain)}}"Conservative Party (PC)
Regionalist League}}"Regionalist League (LR)
Maurist Party}}"Maurist Party (PM)
Reformist Party (Spain)}}"Reformist Party (PRef)
Ciervists}}"Ciervist Conservatives (CC)
Republican–Socialist Conjunction}}"Republican–Socialist Conjunction (CRS)
Traditionalist Communion}}"Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)
Integrist Party}}"Integrist Party (PI)
Independent politician}}"Independents (INDEP)
Nonpartisan}}"Archbishops (ARCH)
Total elective seats180
Sources

Distribution by group

GroupParties and alliancesCSTotal
Liberal Union (Spain, Restoration)}}"**PL–LD**Liberal Union (Spain, Restoration)}}"Liberal Party–Liberal Democrats (PL–LD)225
Monarchist Coalition (Spain)}}"Monarchist Coalition (MON)30
Conservative Party (Spain)}}"**PC**Conservative Party (Spain)}}"Conservative Party (PC)88
Monarchist Coalition (Spain)}}"Monarchist Coalition (MON)20
Maurist Party}}"**PM**Maurist Party}}"Maurist Party (PM)17
Regionalist League}}"**LR**Regionalist League}}"Regionalist League (LR)13
Reformist Party (Spain)}}"**PRef**Reformist Party (Spain)}}"Reformist Party (PRef)14
Republican–Socialist Conjunction}}"**CRS**Republican Party (Spain, 1913)}}"Republican Party (PRep)10
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party}}"Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)10
Autonomist Republican Union Party}}"Autonomist Republican Union Party (PURA)10
Independent Republican (Spain)}}"Independent Republicans (R.IND)10
Traditionalist Communion}}"**CT**Traditionalist Communion}}"Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)9
Ciervists}}"**CC**Ciervists}}"Ciervist Conservatives (CC)7
Republican Coalition (Spain, 1914)}}"**PRR–
UFNR**Radical Republican Party}}"Radical Republican Party (PRR)5
Republican Nationalist Federal Union}}"Republican Nationalist Federal Union (UFNR)20
Integrist Party}}"**PI**Integrist Party}}"Integrist Party (PI)2
Autonomist Republican Bloc}}"**BRA**Autonomist Republican Bloc}}"Autonomist Republican Bloc (BRA)1
Burgalese Regionalist Party}}"**PRB**Burgalese Regionalist Party}}"Burgalese Regionalist Party (PRB)1
Independent politician}}"**INDEP**Independent politician}}"Independents (INDEP)3
Urquijists}}"Basque Dynastics (Urquijist) (DV)12
Independent Catholic (Spain)}}"Independent Catholics (CAT)20
Independent Liberal (Spain)}}"Independent Liberals (L.IND)10
Nonpartisan}}"**ARCH**Nonpartisan}}"Archbishops (ARCH)0
Total409180589

Notes

References

Bibliography

References

  1. (1 January 1917). "Abril de 1916. Día 2. Las elecciones de Diputados a Cortes. El artículo 29". El Año Político.
  2. Fayanás Escuer, Edmundo. (31 January 2025). "La política española de los años 1913 al año 1917". Nueva Tribuna.
  3. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  4. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  5. "Conocer el Senado. Temas clave. El Senado en la historia constitucional española". [[Senate of Spain]].
  6. {{harvp. Law of 8 August. 1907
  7. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  8. {{harvp. Law of 8 August. 1907. Law of 26 June. 1890. Law of 28 December. 1878. Law of 1 January. 1871. Law of 23 June. 1885, the {{harvp. Law of 18 January. 1887, the {{harvp. Law of 10 July. 1888, the {{harvp. Law of 18 June. 1895, the {{harvp. Law of 2 August. 1895, the {{harvp. Law of 5 July. 1898, the {{harvp. Law of 7 August. 1899, the {{harvp. Law of 24 March. 1902, the {{harvp. Law of 11 July. 1912, and the {{harvp. Law of 20 March. 1916.
  9. {{harvp. Law of 8 August. 1907
  10. {{harvp. Law of 8 February. 1877
  11. (16 March 1899). "Real decreto disponiendo el número de Senadores que han de elegir las provincias que se citan".
  12. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  13. {{harvp. Law of 8 February. 1877
  14. {{harvp. Law of 8 February. 1877
  15. {{harvp. Law of 8 August. 1907
  16. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  17. {{harvp. Law of 8 August. 1907
  18. {{harvp. Law of 7 March. 1880
  19. {{harvp. Law of 31 July. 1887.
  20. {{harvp. Law of 8 August. 1907
  21. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  22. {{harvp. Law of 8 February. 1877
  23. {{harvp. Law of 8 February. 1877
  24. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  25. {{harvp. Constitution. 1876
  26. {{harvp. Law of 8 February. 1877
  27. (16 March 1916). "Real decreto declarando disuelto el Congreso de los Diputados y la parte electiva del Senado; que las elecciones de Diputados se verifiquen el 9 de Abril próximo y las de Senadores el 23 de igual mes, y que las Cortes se reúnan en Madrid el 10 de Mayo siguiente".
  28. (23 March 1916). "Los futuros diputados a Cortes". El Parlamentario.
  29. (11 April 1916). "Las elecciones del domingo". El Heraldo de Madrid.
  30. (11 April 1916). "Después de las elecciones". La Correspondencia Militar.
  31. (12 April 1916). "El futuro Congreso". La Mañana.
  32. (12 April 1916). "Las elecciones". El Imparcial.
  33. (12 April 1916). "El nuevo Congreso". El Heraldo Militar.
  34. (1 January 1917). "Abril de 1916. Día 9. Elecciones generales de Diputados a Cortes". El Año Político.
  35. (24 April 1916). "La elección de senadores". El Liberal.
  36. (24 April 1916). "Los senadores". La Mañana.
  37. (24 April 1916). "Nuevos senadores". El Heraldo Militar.
  38. (24 April 1916). "La elección de senadores". El Imparcial.
  39. (24 April 1916). "La elección de senadores". La Correspondencia Militar.
  40. (24 April 1916). "Elección de senadores". El Globo.
  41. (24 April 1916). "La elección de senadores". La Correspondencia de España.
  42. (24 April 1916). "La elección de senadores". El Siglo Futuro.
  43. (1 January 1917). "Abril de 1916. Día 23. La elección de Senadores". El Año Político.
Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

1916-elections-in-spain 1916-in-spain general-elections-in-spain april-1916-in-europe
Want to explore this topic further?

Ask Mako anything about 1916 Spanish general election — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.

Research with Mako

Free with your Surf account

Content sourced from Wikipedia, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

This content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.

Report