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1918 Spanish general election

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FieldValue
election_name1918 Spanish general election
countrySpain
flag_year1785
typeparliamentary
ongoingno
previous_election1916 Spanish general election
previous_year1916
next_election1919 Spanish general election
next_year1919
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_date24 February 1918 (Congress)
10 March 1918 (Senate)
image1[[File:Eduardo Dato 1911 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader1Eduardo Dato
party1Conservative Party (Spain)
leader_since11913
leaders_seat1Vitoria
last_election190 D36 S
seats1104 D48 S
seat_change114 D 12 S
image2[[File:Manuel García Prieto 1900 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader2Marquis of Alhucemas
party2Liberal Democratic Party (Spain, 1913)
leader_since21913
leaders_seat2Senator for life
last_election2*Did not contest*
seats289 D41 S
seat_change289 D 41 S
image3[[File:Álvaro de Figueroa, Count of Romanones 1919 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader3Count of Romanones
party3Romanonist
leader_since31912
leaders_seat3Guadalajara
last_election3228 D112 S
seats340 D23 S
seat_change3188 D 89 S
image4[[File:Santiago Alba 1912 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader4Santiago Alba
party4Liberal Left (Spain)
leader_since41917
leaders_seat4Albuñol
last_election4*Did not contest*
seats433 D17 S
seat_change433 D 17 S
image5[[File:Melquíades Álvarez (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader5Melquíades Álvarez
party5Alliance of the Left
leader_since51918
leaders_seat5Madrid *(lost)*
last_election534 D3 S
seats534 D2 S
seat_change50 D 1 S
image6[[File:Antonio Maura 1917 (cropped).jpg170x170px]]
leader6Antonio Maura
party6Maurist Party
leader_since61913
leaders_seat6Palma
last_election617 D5 S
seats627 D9 S
seat_change610 D 4 S
titlePrime Minister
posttitlePrime Minister after election
before_electionMarquis of Alhucemas
before_partyLiberal Democratic Party (Spain, 1913)
after_electionAntonio Maura
after_partyMaurist Party

205 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies 10 March 1918 (Senate)

A general election was held in Spain on Sunday, 24 February (for the Congress of Deputies) and on Sunday, 10 March 1918 (for the Senate), to elect the members of the 17th 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 Liberal government of the Count of Romanones took power in the middle of World War I in Europe, having to navigate through Spain's neutrality in the war and its impact on the country's economy. Finance Minister Santiago Alba gained prominence by leading a liberal legislative programme of tax reforms, public investments, improvements in the Public Treasury administration and fighting tax fraud. These reforms were blocked by the obstructionist and filibustering opposition from the Regionalist League under Francesc Cambó which, coupled with a conflict between Anglophiles and Germanophiles, led to Romanones's resignation in April 1917. A brief 53-day government under the Marquis of Alhucemas fell after the Defence Juntas—constituted as military pressure groups against the higher pay and quicker promotion of "Africanists"—refused to disband, with King Alfonso XIII attempting to maintain the turno by giving power back to the Conservatives under Eduardo Dato.

During his second tenure, Dato had to tackle the unravelling Spanish crisis of 1917, seeing off the meetings of the Assembly of Parliamentarians in Barcelona (demanding constitutional reform and an increased role of regions in the power-sharing) and the revolutionary general strike in August, as the social response to the rising cost of living, unequal distribution of incomes and inspired by the Russian Revolution. After less than five months, a new interference by the Defence Juntas caused the downfall of Dato's cabinet. Seeking a solution to the mounting crises after the resignation of three prime ministers in less than a year, the King tasked Alhucemas with forming a government of national unity with Maurists, liberals, and Catalanists—nicknamed the "Horace's monster" (Monstruo de Horacio) due to its heterogeneous composition—and call a snap election.

Joining the warring Conservative factions—Datists, Maurists and Ciervists—the Liberals fragmented into the Alhucemas-led Liberal Democrats, a weakened Romanonist faction and a new splinter by Alba: the Liberal Left. With both dynastic parties in disarray, the resulting parliament was the most fragmented since the approval of the Spanish Constitution of 1876, with neither being able to muster a parliamentary majority. The Republican–Socialist Conjunction merged with Melquíades Álvarez's Reformist Party into the Alliance of the Left, but results were perceived as disappointing (particularly in Madrid, where Álvarez and Alejandro Lerroux both failed to secure their seats). The election would see the formation of the "National Government" (Gobierno Nacional) under Antonio Maura, including all Liberal and Conservative factions, as well as the Regionalist League.

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 9 April 1916 for the Congress and on 23 April 1916 for the Senate, which meant that the chambers' terms would have expired on 9 and 23 April 1921, 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 10 January 1918, with the dissolution decree setting election day for 24 February (Congress) and 10 March 1918 (Senate) and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 18 March.

Results

Congress of Deputies

Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeatsVotes%A.29Cont.Total
Conservative Party (Spain)}}"Conservative Party (PC)1490**104**
Liberal Democratic Party (Spain, 1913)}}"Liberal Democratic Party (PLD)1871**89**
Liberal Party (Spain, 1880)}}"Romanonist Liberals (PL)832**40**
Alliance of the Left}}"Alliance of the Left (AI)430**34**
Liberal Left (Spain)}}"Liberal Left (IL)528**33**
Maurist Party}}"Maurist Party (PM)423**27**
Ciervists}}"Ciervist Conservatives (CC)321**24**
Regionalist League}}"Regionalist League (LR)022**22**
Traditionalist Communion}}"Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)18**9**
Agrarian Liberal Party}}"Agrarian Liberal Party (PLA)07**7**
Basque Nationalist Communion}}"Basque Nationalist Communion (CNV)16**7**
Integrist Party}}"Integrist Party (PI)10**1**
Independent politician}}"Independents (INDEP)39**12**
Total62347409
Votes cast / turnout
Abstentions
Registered voters
Sources

Senate

Parties and alliancesSeats
Conservative Party (Spain)}}"Conservative Party (PC)
Liberal Democratic Party (Spain, 1913)}}"Liberal Democratic Party (PLD)
Liberal Party (Spain, 1880)}}"Romanonist Liberals (PL)
Liberal Left (Spain)}}"Liberal Left (IL)
Maurist Party}}"Maurist Party (PM)
Regionalist League}}"Regionalist League (LR)
Ciervists}}"Ciervist Conservatives (CC)
Traditionalist Communion}}"Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)
Agrarian Liberal Party}}"Agrarian Liberal Party (PLA)
Alliance of the Left}}"Alliance of the Left (AI)
Basque Nationalist Communion}}"Basque Nationalist Communion (CNV)
Integrist Party}}"Integrist Party (PI)
Independent politician}}"Independents (INDEP)
Nonpartisan}}"Archbishops (ARCH)
Total elective seats180
Sources

Distribution by group

GroupParties and alliancesCSTotal
Conservative Party (Spain)}}"**PC**Conservative Party (Spain)}}"Conservative Party (PC)104
Liberal Democratic Party (Spain, 1913)}}"**PLD**Liberal Democratic Party (Spain, 1913)}}"Liberal Democratic Party (PLD)89
Liberal Party (Spain, 1880)}}"**PL**Liberal Party (Spain, 1880)}}"Romanonist Liberals (PL)40
Liberal Left (Spain)}}"**IL**Liberal Left (Spain)}}"Liberal Left (IL)32
Monarchist Coalition (Spain)}}"Monarchist Coalition (MON)10
Alliance of the Left}}"**AI**Reformist Party (Spain)}}"Reformist Party (PRef)9
Independent Republican (Spain)}}"Independent Republicans (R.IND)61
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party}}"Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)60
Republican Federation (Spain)}}"Republican Federation (FR)50
Catalan Republican Party (1917)}}"Catalan Republican Party (PRC)40
Radical Republican Party}}"Radical Republican Party (PRR)21
Autonomist Republican Union Party}}"Autonomist Republican Union Party (PURA)10
Nationalist Republican (Spain)}}"Nationalist Republicans (R.NAC)10
Maurist Party}}"**PM**Maurist Party}}"Maurist Party (PM)24
Monarchist Coalition (Spain)}}"Monarchist Coalition (MON)30
Ciervists}}"**CC**Ciervists}}"Ciervist Conservatives (CC)23
Monarchist Coalition (Spain)}}"Monarchist Coalition (MON)10
Regionalist League}}"**LR**Regionalist League}}"Regionalist League (LR)22
Traditionalist Communion}}"**CT**Traditionalist Communion}}"Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)9
Agrarian Liberal Party}}"**PLA**Agrarian Liberal Party}}"Agrarian Liberal Party (PLA)7
Basque Nationalist Communion}}"**CNV**Basque Nationalist Communion}}"Basque Nationalist Communion (CNV)7
Integrist Party}}"**PI**Integrist Party}}"Integrist Party (PI)1
Independent politician}}"**INDEP**Independent politician}}"Independents (INDEP)5
Independent Liberal (Spain)}}"Independent Liberals (L.IND)31
Independent Catholic (Spain)}}"Independent Catholics (CAT)21
Urquijists}}"Basque Dynastics (Urquijist) (DV)11
Independent Regionalist (Spain)}}"Independent Regionalists (REG)10
Nonpartisan}}"**ARCH**Nonpartisan}}"Archbishops (ARCH)0
Total409180589

Notes

References

Bibliography

References

  1. (1 January 1919). "Febrero de 1918. Día 17. Elecciones generales. Diputados por el artículo 29". El Año Político.
  2. (25 February 1918). "Las elecciones generales de ayer. Triunfan las derechas en Madrid. Lerroux y Melquíades Álvarez, derrotados". El Correo Español.
  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
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  18. {{harvp. Law of 7 March. 1880
  19. {{harvp. Law of 31 July. 1887.
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  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. (10 January 1918). "Real decreto declarando disueltos el Congreso de los Diputados y la parte electiva del Senado; que las Cortes se reunirán en Madrid el 18 de Marzo próximo, y que las elecciones de Diputados se verificarán en todas las provincias de la Monarquía el día 24 de Febrero, y las de Senadores el 10 de Marzo siguiente".
  28. (16 February 1918). "Los candidatos que luchan". El Siglo Futuro.
  29. (18 February 1918). "Los candidatos que luchan (Conclusión)". El Siglo Futuro.
  30. (25 February 1918). "Las elecciones generales". El Día.
  31. (25 February 1918). "Datos oficiales". El Heraldo de Madrid.
  32. (26 February 1918). "Después de las elecciones". El Día.
  33. (26 February 1918). "Datos oficiales". El Liberal.
  34. (26 February 1918). "Los nuevos diputados". La Mañana.
  35. (26 February 1918). "Los candidatos triunfantes". La Correspondencia de España.
  36. (26 February 1918). "Las elecciones". El Siglo Futuro.
  37. (1 January 1919). "Febrero de 1918. Día 24. Elecciones de Diputados a Cortes". El Año Político.
  38. (11 March 1918). "Elecciones de senadores". El Liberal.
  39. (11 March 1918). "Las elecciones de senadores". El Correo Español.
  40. (11 March 1918). "Las elecciones de senadores". La Nación.
  41. (11 March 1918). "Datos oficiales". La Correspondencia de España.
  42. (11 March 1918). "Las elecciones de senadores". La Época.
  43. (11 March 1918). "La elección de senadores". El Siglo Futuro.
  44. (11 March 1918). "Las elecciones de senadores". El Sol.
  45. (1 January 1919). "Marzo de 1918. Día 10. Elección de Senadores". El Año Político.
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