1997 Galician regional election

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of Galicia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Galicia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Galician Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Galicia and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 75 members of the Parliament of Galicia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of La Coruña, Lugo, Orense and Pontevedra, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 10 seats and the remaining 35 being distributed in proportion to their populations.

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Parliament constituency was entitled the following seats:

In smaller constituencies, the use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.

Election date

The term of the Parliament of Galicia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was 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 Journal of Galicia (DOG), with election day taking place between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication. The previous election was held on 17 October 1993, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 17 October 1997. The election decree was required to be published in the DOG no later than 23 September 1997, with the election taking place up to the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Saturday, 22 November 1997.

The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Galicia and call a snap election, provided that it did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution 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.

Parties and candidates

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.

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

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 poll. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Galicia.

;Color key:

Results

Overall

Distribution by constituency

Aftermath

Government formation

2001 motion of no confidence

Notes

References

;Opinion poll sources

;Other

References

1. (6 April 1981). ["[Galician Statute of Autonomy of 1981".
2. (13 August 1985). "Ley 8/1985, de 13 de agosto, de elecciones al Parlamento de Galicia".
3. Gallagher, Michael. (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin.
4. (22 February 1983). "Ley 1/1983, de 22 de febrero, de normas reguladoras de la Xunta y su Presidencia".
5. (19 June 1985). "Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General".
6. (25 May 1997). "Esquerda Unida respalda por abrumadora mayoría el pacto con el PSOE en Galicia". El País.
7. (15 October 1997). "Un 'olivo' en Galicia". El País.
8. "Elecciones al Parlamento de Galicia (1981 - 2020)".
9. (11 November 1997). "Parliament of Galicia election results, 19 October 1997". [[Junta Electoral Central.