2006 Catalan regional election

The 2006 Catalan regional election was held on Wednesday, 1 November 2006, to elect the 8th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

2006 Catalan regional election
1 November 2006
All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia
68 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered5,321,274 0.3%
Turnout2,982,108 (56.0%)
6.5 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Artur Mas José Montilla Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira
Party CiU PSC–CpC ERC
Leader since 7 January 2002 15 July 2006 25 November 1996
Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona
Last election 46 seats, 30.9% 42 seats, 31.2% 23 seats, 16.4%
Seats won 48 37 21
Seat change 2 5 2
Popular vote 935,756 796,173 416,355
Percentage 31.5% 26.8% 14.0%
Swing 0.6 pp 4.4 pp 2.4 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Josep Piqué Joan Saura Albert Rivera
Party PP ICV–EUiA C's
Leader since 4 September 2003 26 November 2000 9 July 2006
Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona
Last election 15 seats, 11.9% 9 seats, 7.3% Did not contest
Seats won 14 12 3
Seat change 1 3 3
Popular vote 316,222 282,693 89,840
Percentage 10.7% 9.5% 3.0%
Swing 1.2 pp 2.2 pp New party
Constituency results map for the Parliament of Catalonia
President before election

Pasqual Maragall
PSC

 Elected President

José Montilla
PSC

This was a snap election, called roughly one year before the scheduled end of the legislature as a result of the uneasy and controversial drafting of the 2006 Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, which further expanded the authority of the Catalan Government. The statutory amendment had been ratified in a referendum on 18 June 2006 after being approved in the Cortes Generales, with roughly 74% of voters in favour of the new Statute and 21% against. The referendum was noted for its low turnout, as only 48.9% of all registered voters had cast a vote.[1][2]

Since the 2003 election a left-of-centre coalition of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Initiative for Catalonia Greens–United and Alternative Left (ICV–EUiA) had been in power, with Pasqual Maragall as Catalan president. In May 2006, ERC had left the coalition after internal tensions due to its disagreement on the final draft of the Statute of Autonomy approved by the Spanish parliament, thus leaving Maragall without a majority and precipitating the early election call. On 21 June 2006 Maragall announced his will not to seek re-election, arguably due to the political erosion his government had suffered after their uneasy relationship with ERC, as well as his political differences with Spanish Prime Minister and PSOE Secretary-General José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.[3]

Unlike the previous elections in 1999 and 2003, when Convergence and Union (CiU) had achieved a plurality of seats in the autonomous Parliament despite narrowly losing it out in the popular vote to the PSC, in the 2006 election CiU emerged as the most popular party both in votes and seats, but fell far short of an absolute majority. After coalition negotiations, the PSC, ERC and ICV–EUiA agreed to renew the three-party coalition that had been in power in the 2003–2006 period, this time under the leadership of the new PSC leader, José Montilla. The election also saw a new party, Citizens (C's) entering the autonomous parliament, resulting in six political parties achieving parliamentary representation in the Catalan parliament for the first time since 1988.

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of Catalonia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[4]

As a result of no regional electoral law having been approved since the re-establishment of Catalan autonomy, the electoral procedure came regulated under Transitory Provision Fourth of the 1979 Statute, supplemented by the provisions within the Organic Law of General Electoral Regime.[lower-alpha 1] Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Catalonia and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The 135 members of the Parliament of Catalonia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, with each being allocated a fixed number of seats: 85 for Barcelona, 17 for Girona, 15 for Lleida and 18 for Tarragona.[4][5]

The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[6]

Election date

The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The regional president was required to call an election fifteen days prior to the date of expiry of parliament, with election day taking place within from forty to sixty days after the call. The previous election was held on 16 November 2003, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 16 November 2007. The election was required to be called no later than 1 November 2007, with it taking place up to the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 31 December 2007.[4]

The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous one 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.[4]

Parliamentary status

The Parliament of Catalonia was officially dissolved on 8 September 2006, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia.[7] The table below shows the status of the different parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of dissolution.[8][9][10]

Parliamentary composition in September 2006[11]
Groups Parties Legislators
Seats Total
Convergence and Union's Parliamentary Group CDC 33 46
UDC 13
Socialists–Citizens for Change Parliamentary Group PSC 32 42
CpC 10
Republican Left of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group ERC 23 23
People's Party of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group PP 15 15
Initiative for Catalonia Greens–Alternative Left's
Parliamentary Group		 ICV 8 9
EUiA 1

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.[12]

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
PSC–CpC José Montilla Social democracy 31.16% 42 Y [13]
CiU Artur Mas Catalan nationalism
Centrism		 30.94% 46 N [14]
ERC Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira Catalan independence
Social democracy		 16.44% 23 N [15]
[16]
PP Josep Piqué Conservatism
Christian democracy		 11.89% 15 N [17]
ICV–EUiA Joan Saura Regionalism
Eco-socialism
Green politics		 7.28% 9 Y
C's Albert Rivera Social liberalism Did not contest N [18]

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 given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Results

Overall
← Summary of the 1 November 2006 Parliament of Catalonia election results →
Parties and coalitions Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
Convergence and Union (CiU) 935,75631.52+0.58 48+2
Socialists' Party of Catalonia–Citizens for Change (PSC–CpC) 796,17326.82–4.34 37–5
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 416,35514.03–2.41 21–2
People's Party (PP) 316,22210.65–1.24 14–1
Initiative for Catalonia Greens–United and Alternative Left (ICV–EUiA) 282,6939.52+2.24 12+3
Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's) 89,8403.03New 3+3
The Greens–Ecologists and Greens of Catalonia (EV–EVC) 17,9000.60+0.04 0±0
Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) 13,7300.46New 0±0
Unsubmissive Seats–Alternative of Discontented Democrats (Ei–ADD) 6,9220.23+0.16 0±0
Catalan Republican Party (RC) 6,0240.20New 0±0
Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI) 5,6320.19+0.06 0±0
Communist Party of the Catalan People (PCPC) 4,7980.16+0.08 0±0
The Greens–Green Alternative (EV–AV) 3,2280.11+0.05 0±0
Family and Life Party (PFiV) 2,7760.09New 0±0
Forward Catalonia Platform (AES–DN) 2,7350.09New 0±0
Humanist Party of Catalonia (PHC) 2,6080.09+0.04 0±0
Republican Social Movement (MSR) 1,0960.04+0.02 0±0
Carmel/Blue Party (PAzul) 1,0390.04New 0±0
For a Fairer World (PUM+J) 9450.03New 0±0
Catalonia Decides (Decideix.cat) 6680.02New 0±0
Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB) 6260.02+0.01 0±0
Republican Left–Left Republican Party (IR–PRE) 5240.02–0.03 0±0
Blank ballots 60,2442.03+1.12
Total 2,968,534 135±0
Valid votes 2,968,53499.54–0.20
Invalid votes 13,5740.46+0.20
Votes cast / turnout 2,982,10856.04–6.50
Abstentions 2,339,16643.96+6.50
Registered voters 5,321,274
Sources[8][19][20]
Popular vote
CiU
 
 31.52%
PSC–CpC
 
 26.82%
ERC
 
 14.03%
PP
 
 10.65%
ICV–EUiA
 
 9.52%
C's
 
 3.03%
Others
 
 2.40%
Blank ballots
 
 2.03%
Seats
CiU
 
 35.56%
PSC–CpC
 
 27.41%
ERC
 
 15.56%
PP
 
 10.37%
ICV–EUiA
 
 8.89%
C's
 
 2.22%

Distribution by constituency
Constituency CiU PSC–CpC ERC PP ICV–EUiA C's
% S % S % S % S % S % S
Barcelona 29.9 27 27.9 25 12.6 11 11.2 10 10.4 9 3.5 3
Girona 38.2 7 22.1 4 19.2 4 7.2 1 7.6 1 0.9 −
Lleida 40.0 7 22.0 3 17.7 3 9.1 1 6.6 1 1.0 −
Tarragona 32.4 7 26.0 5 17.6 3 11.0 2 6.5 1 2.4 −
Total 31.5 48 26.8 37 14.0 21 10.7 14 9.5 12 3.0 3
Sources[8][20]

Aftermath
Investiture
José Montilla (PSC)
Ballot → 24 November 2006
Required majority → 68 out of 135 Y
70 / 135
65 / 135
Abstentions
0 / 135
Absentees
0 / 135
Sources[8]

Notes
  1. Transitory Provision Second of the 2006 Statute maintained the validity of the electoral regulations within the 1979 Statute, of application for as long as a specific law regulating the procedures for elections to the Parliament of Catalonia was not approved.

References
Opinion poll sources
  1. "Elecciones catalanas". Escolar.net (in Spanish). 1 November 2006.
  2. "Los sondeos: Acertaron pero se quedaron cortos con Ciutadans". Libertad Digital (in Spanish). 1 November 2006.
  3. "Cataluña protesta y el tripartito aguanta". Periodistas 21 (in Spanish). 1 November 2006. Archived from the original on 15 September 2017. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  4. "Porra Eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya 2006". VilaWeb (in Catalan). 6 September 2006.
  5. "CiU y PSC empatan en voto decidido, aunque Mas toma ventaja en número de escaños". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 26 October 2006.
  6. "Pulsómetro de la Cadena SER. Instituto Opina 26/10/2006" (PDF). Cadena SER (in Spanish). 26 October 2006.
  7. "CiU mantiene una ventaja de casi seis puntos y hasta 14 escaños sobre el PSC". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 October 2006.
  8. "Sondejos". Generalitat de Catalunya (in Catalan). Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  9. "CiU saca una mínima ventaja al PSC". El País (in Spanish). 22 October 2006.
  10. "CiU y PSC se acercan al empate gracias a la recuperación de los pequeños". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 24 October 2006.
  11. "RACÒMETRE (23 d'Octubre 06)" (PDF). RAC 1 (in Catalan). 23 October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 November 2006.
  12. "El 1-N dejará el Gobierno de la Generalitat pendiente de nuevos pactos postelectorales". La Razón (in Spanish). 22 October 2006. Archived from the original on 4 November 2006.
  13. "Montilla y Mas comienzan empatados la campaña para las elecciones en Cataluña". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 16 October 2006.
  14. "Empate de CiU y PSC en número de diputados, según el 'Pulsómetro'". El País (in Spanish). 17 October 2006.
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  16. "Preelectoral de Cataluña. Elecciones autonómicas, 2006 (Estudio nº 2656. Octubre 2006)". CIS (in Spanish). 25 October 2006.
  17. "Estudio CIS nº 2656. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 25 October 2006.
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  21. "Esquerra Republicana vuelve a tener la llave del futuro gobierno en Cataluña". El Mundo (in Spanish). 15 October 2006.
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  23. "CiU se distancia del PSC y amplía su ventaja hasta seis puntos y 16 escaños". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 15 October 2006.
  24. "CiU refuerza su ventaja pero no tiene garantizado poder gobernar". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 11 October 2006.
  25. "RACÒMETRE (9 d'Octubre 06)" (PDF). RAC 1 (in Catalan). 9 October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 October 2006.
  26. "El Racòmetre". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 10 October 2006.
  27. "Retallem Distànces". Diari de Miquel Iceta (in Catalan). 8 October 2006.
  28. "Quart Racometre (2 d'octubre 2006)". Racó Català (in Catalan). 2 October 2006.
  29. "Encuesta RACómetro". Foro IU (in Spanish). 5 October 2006.
  30. "RACÒMETRE (25 Setembre 06)" (PDF). RAC 1 (in Catalan). 25 September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 14 November 2006.
  31. "Mas acentúa su ventaja sobre Montilla a un mes de las elecciones". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 24 September 2006.
  32. "La desmovilización socialista da a CiU una ventaja de 11 escaños". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 21 September 2006.
  33. "RACÒMETRE (18 Setembre 06)" (PDF). RAC 1 (in Catalan). 18 September 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 October 2006.
  34. "CiU guanyaria les eleccions però el tripartit es podria reeditar, segons un sondeig de RAC-1". Racó Català (in Catalan). 13 September 2006.
  35. "Mas inicia por delante de Montilla la carrera a la presidencia de la Generalitat". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 23 July 2006.
  36. "El PSC supera a CiU y Maragall es el líder catalán más valorado". El País (in Spanish). 11 June 2006.
  37. "Informe Encuesta Cataluña. Estatuto Catalán. Junio 2006" (PDF). Instituto Opina (in Spanish). 11 June 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 January 2007.
  38. "CiU se despega del PSC y le aventaja en cuatro puntos". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 9 June 2006.
  39. "El PSC ganaría las elecciones autonómicas en Cataluña, según el Pulsómetro". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 12 June 2006.
  40. "TOTAL CATALUÑA: Elecciones Autonómicas. Encuesta 12/06/06". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 12 June 2006. Archived from the original on 13 June 2006.
  41. "Socialistas y CiU empatarían hoy en las urnas con el 32% de los votos". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 21 May 2006.
  42. "Los nacionalistas superan por segunda vez consecutiva a los socialistas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 23 April 2006.
  43. "El PSC se recupera y cobra una ligera ventaja". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2 April 2006.
  44. "CiU obtendría ahora el 31,5% de los votos, frente al 30,7% del PSC". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 13 February 2006.
  45. "CiU se pone ligeramente por delante del PSC a los dos años del tripartito". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 20 December 2005.
  46. "Esquerra pide una "reflexión" al tripartito tras el último barómetro". El País (in Spanish). 3 December 2005.
  47. "La mayoría cree que Maragall no debió abrir la crisis". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 14 November 2005.
  48. "El PSC sigue por delante, pero CiU recorta distancias en un mapa electoral estable". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 9 October 2005.
  49. "PSC y CiU siguen empatados a votos". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 9 October 2005.
  50. "El PSC mantiene al alza la distancia con CiU pese a la nota regular del tripartito". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 24 July 2005.
  51. "PSC y CiU incrementan el apoyo del 2003 y continúan empatados". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 11 July 2005.
  52. "El PSC y CiU empatarían de celebrarse ahora las elecciones". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 1 May 2005.
  53. "El PSC amplía su ventaja sobre CiU". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 13 March 2005.
  54. "El PSC aventaja a CiU en 3,1 puntos en la estimación de voto". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 31 January 2005.
  55. "El PSC se despega ligeramente de CiU". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 16 November 2004.
  56. "El PSC ganaría las elecciones con una ventaja de 2,8 puntos sobre CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 11 October 2004.
  57. "El PSC ganaría las elecciones al Parlament con tres puntos más". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 19 July 2004.
  58. "El PSC aumentaría la ventaja sobre CiU en las autonómicas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 27 April 2004.
Other
  1. "El Estatut sale adelante con el 74% del voto, pero la participación no llega al 50%". El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 June 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  2. "Cataluña vota a favor del Estatuto de forma rotunda, pese a una abstención del 50,59%". Cinco Días (in Spanish). 19 June 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  3. "Maragall renuncia a la reelección para facilitar el relevo generacional del PSC". El País (in Spanish). 19 June 2006. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  4. "Ley Orgánica 6/2006, de 19 de julio, de reforma del Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña". Organic Law No. 6 of 19 July 2006. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  5. "Ley Orgánica 4/1979, de 18 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña". Organic Law No. 4 of 18 December 1979. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2017.
  6. Gallagher, Michael (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  7. "Decreto 340/2006, de 7 de septiembre, de convocatoria de elecciones al Parlamento de Cataluña y de su disolución" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (215): 31963. 8 September 2006. ISSN 0212-033X.
  8. "Eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya (1980 - 2017)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  9. "Parliament of Catalonia: parliamentary groups since 1980". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  10. "Deputies of the Parliament of Catalonia since 1932". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2017.
  11. "7th Legislature". www.parlament.cat (in Spanish). Parliament of Catalonia. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
  12. "Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  13. "Montilla, elegido candidato del PSC a la Generalitat con el 98% de los votos". El País (in Spanish). 16 July 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  14. "El candidato socialista acepta el reto de un debate televisivo cara a cara que le lanzó Artur Mas". El País (in Spanish). 20 July 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  15. "Carod-Rovira será el candidato de ERC a la Generalitat y Puigcercós su segundo". El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 June 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  16. "Carod-Rovira es proclamado candidato a la Generalitat con el 84% de los votos". El País (in Spanish). 22 July 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  17. "Piqué encabezará de nuevo la candidatura del Partido Popular para las autonómicas". El País (in Spanish). 30 June 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  18. "Albert Rivera, elegido presidente del nuevo partido político Ciutadans-Partit de la Ciutadania". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 10 July 2006. Retrieved 5 February 2020.
  19. "Electoral results. Parliament of Catalonia election 2006". resultats.dadeselectorals.gencat.cat (in Catalan). Government of Catalonia. Retrieved 24 September 2017.
  20. "Parliament of Catalonia election results, 1 November 2006" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Central Electoral Commission. 13 December 2006. Retrieved 25 September 2017.
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