2003 Aragonese regional election

Overview

Under the 1982 Statute of Autonomy, the Cortes of Aragon were the unicameral legislature of the homonymous autonomous community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.

Electoral system

Voting for the Cortes was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Aragon and in full enjoyment of their political rights, provided that they were not sentenced—by a final court ruling—to deprivation of the right to vote, nor being legally incapacitated.

The Cortes of Aragon were entitled to a minimum of 60 and a maximum of 75 seats, with the electoral law setting its size at 67. All members were elected in three multi-member constituencies—corresponding to the provinces of Huesca, Teruel and Zaragoza, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 13 seats and the remaining 28 being distributed in proportion to their populations (provided that the seat-to-population ratio in the most populated province did not exceed 2.75 times that of the least populated one)—using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional voting system, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes (which included blank ballots) being applied in each constituency. The use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.

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

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 legislative term were to be covered by the successive candidates in the list and, when required, by the designated substitutes.

Election date

The term of the Cortes of Aragon expired four years after the date of its previous ordinary election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the fifty-fifth day prior to the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of Aragon (BOA). The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 25 May 2003.

The regional president had the prerogative to dissolve the Cortes of Aragon and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the parliament's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their original four-year term.

The election to the Cortes of Aragon was officially called on 1 April 2003 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOA, setting election day for 25 May and scheduling for the chamber to reconvene on 20 June.

Outgoing parliament

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of the election call.

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, alliances and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance 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 tables below list opinion polling results 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.

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 34 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Cortes of Aragon.

;Color key:

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Victory preferences

The table below lists opinion polling on the victory preferences for each party in the event of a municipal election taking place.

Victory likelihood

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood of victory for each party in the event of a municipal election taking place.

Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Government of Aragon.

Results

Overall

Distribution by constituency

Aftermath

Government formation

References

;Opinion poll sources

;Other

Bibliography

References

1. {{harvp. Statute. 1982
2. {{harvp. Statute. 1982
3. {{harvp. LEAr. 1987
4. {{harvp. LOREG. 1985
5. {{harvp. LEAr. 1987
6. Gallagher, Michael. (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". [[Trinity College Dublin]].
7. (31 March 2003). "Decreto de 31 de marzo de 2003, de la Presidencia del Gobierno de Aragón, por el que se convocan elecciones a las Cortes de Aragón".
8. {{harvp. LEAr. 1987
9. {{harvp. LOREG. 1985
10. {{harvp. LEAr. 1987
11. {{harvp. LOREG. 1985
12. {{harvp. Statute. 1996
13. {{harvp. LPGA. 2001
14. {{harvp. Statute. 1982
15. Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a las Cortes de Aragón (desde 1983)".
16. {{harvp. LEAr. 1987
17. {{harvp. LOREG. 1985
18. (19 January 2001). "Santiago Lanzuela dimite de la presidencia del PP aragonés en plena crisis sobre el Plan Hidrológico". [[El País]].
19. Casqueiro, Javier. (7 May 2001). "Un letrado liberal que el PP convirtió en su nuevo líder de Aragón". El País.
20. (19 May 2001). "Gustavo Alcalde, nuevo presidente del PP aragonés". [[El Mundo (Spain).
21. (14 December 2002). "El PP se prepara para diseñar todo su banquillo electoral". [[El Periódico de Aragón]].
22. Montserrat, Concha. (18 December 2000). "Iglesias se afianza como líder del PSOE aragonés con el apoyo del 95%". El País.
23. Montserrat, Concha. (3 June 2000). "El Par encara su congreso con un solo candidato a presidente". El País.
24. (24 October 2002). "Chunta se postula como opción decisiva de gobierno". El Periódico de Aragón.
25. (8 June 2002). "IU deja en minoría al PSOE en el Gobierno de Aragón". El Mundo.
26. (16 June 2002). "Adolfo Barrena, nuevo coordinador regional de IU". [[Cadena SER]].
27. "Elecciones a Cortes de Aragón. Resultados del año 2003 en Aragón". [[Cortes of Aragon]].
28. "Archivo Electoral de Aragón. Cortes de Aragón 2003. Resultados. Aragón". [[Government of Aragon]].
29. (20 June 2003). "Resolución de 10 de junio de 2003, del Presidente de la Junta Electoral de Aragón, por la que se procede a la publicación del resumen de los resultados de las elecciones a las Cortes de Aragón convocadas por Decreto de 31 de marzo de 2003, de la Presidencia del Gobierno de Aragón, y celebradas el día 25 de mayo de 2003, según los datos que figuran en las actas de proclamación remitidas por las Juntas Electorales Provinciales de la Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón". Official Gazette of Aragon.
30. Montserrat, Concha. (4 July 2003). "Marcelino Iglesias presidirá de nuevo el Gobierno de Aragón con el apoyo del Par". El País.