View text source at Wikipedia

2003 Valencian regional election

2003 Valencian regional election
← 1999 25 May 2003 2007 →
All 89 seats in the Corts Valencianes
45 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered3,423,098 Green arrow up1.8%
Turnout2,447,224 (71.5%)
Green arrow up3.7 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Francisco Camps Joan Ignasi Pla Joan Ribó
Party PP PSPV–PSOE Entesa
Leader since 10 July 2002 24 September 2000 1997
Leader's seat Valencia Valencia Valencia
Last election 49 seats, 47.9% 35 seats, 33.9% 5 seats, 6.1%
Seats won 48 35 6
Seat change Red arrow down1 Blue arrow right0 Green arrow up1
Popular vote 1,146,780 874,288 154,494
Percentage 47.2% 36.0% 6.4%
Swing Red arrow down0.7 pp Green arrow up2.1 pp Green arrow up0.3 pp
Election result by constituency
President before election

José Luis Olivas
PP

Elected President

Francisco Camps
PP

The 2003 Valencian regional election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Corts of the Valencian Community. All 89 seats in the Corts were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

Despite growing discontent with the nationwide José María Aznar's government, the People's Party (PP) was able to comfortably retain its absolute majority in the Corts, losing only one seat compared to 1999, which was gained by the Agreement (Entesa) alliance led by United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV). The Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV–PSOE), while increasing its vote share in two percentage points compared to its 1999 result, failed to translate it into any new seats. Valencian Union (UV), the former PP coalition partner during the first Zaplana government (1995–1999), continued its decline into irrelevance and fell below 3%, depriving it of any possibility of overcoming the five percent threshold to enter the Corts.

Francisco Camps became the new president of the Valencian Government succeeding José Luis Olivas, who had replaced Eduardo Zaplana in 2002 after the latter was named Labour and Social Affairs minister in Aznar's second cabinet.

Overview

[edit]

Electoral system

[edit]

The Corts Valencianes were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the Valencian autonomous community, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[1]

Voting for the Corts was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Valencian Community and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The 89 members of the Corts Valencianes were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 20 seats and the remaining 29 being distributed in proportion to their populations (provided that the seat-to-population ratio in any given province did not exceed three times that of any other).[1][2]

Election date

[edit]

The term of the Corts Valencianes expired four years after the date of their previous election, with elections to the Corts being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the election date for the Corts on Sunday, 25 May 2003.[1][2][3]

The Corts Valencianes could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament.[1]

Parties and candidates

[edit]

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.[2][3]

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 (%) Seats
PP
List
 Francisco Camps Conservatism
Christian democracy 		47.88% 49 checkY
PSPV–PSOE
List
 Joan Ignasi Pla Social democracy 33.91% 35 ☒N
Entesa
List
 Joan Ribó Valencian nationalism
Socialism
Green politics 		6.05% 5 ☒N
BNV–EV
List
 Pere Mayor Valencian nationalism
Eco-socialism
Green politics 		4.53% 0 ☒N

Opinion polls

[edit]

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; 45 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Corts Valencianes.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Results

[edit]

Overall

[edit]
← Summary of the 25 May 2003 Corts Valencianes election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 1,146,780 47.17 –0.71 48 –1
Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV–PSOE) 874,288 35.96 +2.05 35 ±0
United Left–The Greens–Valencian Left: The Agreement (L'Entesa) 154,494 6.35 +0.30 6 +1
Valencian Nationalist Bloc–Green Left (Bloc–EV) 114,011 4.69 +0.16 0 ±0
Union–Valencian Union (UV) 72,557 2.98 –1.70 0 ±0
Republican Left of the Valencian Country (ERPV) 7,609 0.31 New 0 ±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) 3,884 0.16 New 0 ±0
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 3,189 0.13 ±0.00 0 ±0
Regional Party of the Valencian Community (PRCV) 2,868 0.12 New 0 ±0
Humanist Party (PH) 2,747 0.11 +0.01 0 ±0
Spain 2000 (E–2000) 2,650 0.11 New 0 ±0
Federal Republican Party (PRF) 2,545 0.10 +0.03 0 ±0
Authentic Phalanx (FA) 2,332 0.10 New 0 ±0
Family and Life Party (PFyV) 1,690 0.07 New 0 ±0
Another Democracy is Possible (ODeP) 1,156 0.05 New 0 ±0
National Democracy (DN) 798 0.03 New 0 ±0
Blank ballots 37,805 1.55 ±0.00
Total 2,431,403 89 ±0
Valid votes 2,431,403 99.35 –0.06
Invalid votes 15,821 0.65 +0.06
Votes cast / turnout 2,447,224 71.49 +3.68
Abstentions 975,874 28.51 –3.68
Registered voters 3,423,098
Sources[4][5][6]
Popular vote
PP
 
 47.17%
PSPV–PSOE
 
 35.96%
L'Entesa
 
 6.35%
Bloc–EV
 
 4.69%
UV
 
 2.98%
Others
 
 1.29%
Blank ballots
 
 1.55%
Seats
PP
 
 53.93%
PSPV–PSOE
 
 39.33%
L'Entesa
 
 6.74%

Distribution by constituency

[edit]
Constituency PP PSPV L'Entesa
% S % S % S
Alicante 48.3 16 37.2 12 5.9 2
Castellón 48.1 13 36.5 9 4.4 1
Valencia 46.3 19 35.1 14 7.0 3
Total 47.2 48 36.0 35 6.4 6
Sources[5][6]

Aftermath

[edit]

Government formation

[edit]
Investiture
Candidate Ballot → 18 June 2003
Required majority → 45 out of 89
Francisco Camps (PP)
Yes
  • • PP (48)
48 / 89
 checkY
No
40 / 89
Absentees
0 / 89
Abstentions
0 / 89
Joan Ignasi Pla (PSPV) Cancelled
Joan Ribó (L'Entesa) Cancelled
Sources[6]

2006 motion of no confidence

[edit]
Motion of no confidence
Joan Ignasi Pla (PSPV)
Ballot → 4 October 2006
Required majority → 45 out of 89 ☒N
Yes
35 / 89
No
  • • PP (47)
47 / 89
Abstentions
7 / 89
Absentees
0 / 89
Sources[6]

References

[edit]
Opinion poll sources
  1. ^ "El sondeo de Sigma Dos determina una lucha codo a codo entre populares y socialistas en Madrid". ABC Sevilla (in Spanish). 25 May 2003. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  2. ^ "Sondeo a pie de urna de Ipsos Eco Consulting para TVE". ABC Sevilla (in Spanish). 25 May 2003. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  3. ^ "La 'batalla' de Madrid, la más reñida en los comicios del 25-M". El Mundo (in Spanish). 20 May 2003.
  4. ^ "El PP mantiene su poder autonómico en Valencia". El País (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  5. ^ "Unas elecciones abiertas, según el PSPV". El País (in Spanish). 17 May 2003.
  6. ^ "Una encuesta del Bloc otorga a los nacionalistas de 4 a 5 escaños en las Cortes". El País (in Spanish). 16 May 2003.
  7. ^ "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas, 2003. CA Valenciana (Estudio nº 2491. Marzo-Abril 2003)" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 17 May 2003.
  8. ^ "La guerra pasa factura electoral al PP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  9. ^ "Comunidad Valenciana". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 5 May 2003. Archived from the original on 9 May 2003.
  10. ^ "Los valencianos mantienen su apoyo al PP tras irse Zaplana". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 5 May 2003.
  11. ^ "VOX PUBLICA". El Periódico de Aragón (in Spanish). 5 May 2003.
  12. ^ "Un sondeo del PP le otorga la mayoría absoluta con más diputados". El País (in Spanish). 12 January 2003.
  13. ^ "Una encuesta del PSPV da mayoría a la izquierda en las autonómicas". El País (in Spanish). 27 October 2002.
  14. ^ "Instituciones y autonomías, II. CA Valenciana (Estudio nº 2455. Septiembre-Octubre 2002)". CIS (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
  15. ^ "El PP, partido más votado en diez Comunidades Autónomas" (PDF). El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
  16. ^ "El PP ganaría las autonómicas en diez Comunidades y el PSOE en cuatro, según el CIS". ABC (in Spanish). 20 November 2002.
  17. ^ "Una encuesta del PSPV dice que la diferencia respecto del PP se sitúa ahora en 8 puntos". El País (in Spanish). 12 May 2002.
  18. ^ "Una encuesta del PSPV reduce a 9 puntos su distancia con el PP". El País (in Spanish). 24 February 2002.
  19. ^ "Un sondeo del PP amplía su mayoría absoluta y revela que baja el PSPV". El País (in Spanish). 10 February 2002.
  20. ^ "El PP se atribuye un 51,8% de apoyo en la Comunidad". El País (in Spanish). 25 July 2000.
  21. ^ "Un PP hegemónico". El País (in Spanish). 3 January 2000.
Other
  1. ^ a b c d Ley Orgánica 5/1982, de 1 de julio, de Estatuto de Autonomía de la Comunidad Valenciana (Organic Law 1) (in Spanish). 1 July 1982. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  2. ^ a b c Ley 1/1987, de 31 de marzo, Electoral Valenciana (Law 2) (in Spanish). 31 March 1987. Retrieved 17 March 2017.
  3. ^ a b Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General (Organic Law 5) (in Spanish). 19 June 1985. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  4. ^ "Electoral Results. Electoral Data - Regional Election: 2003". www.cortsvalencianes.es (in Spanish). Valencian Government. Retrieved 29 November 2019.
  5. ^ a b "Corts Valencianes election results, 25 May 2003" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of the Valencian Community. 12 August 2003. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
  6. ^ a b c d "Eleccions a les Corts Valencianes (1983 - 2019)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2017.