Spanish general election, 1979

1 March 1979

All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 208 (of the 218) seats in the Senate 176 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies

Registered	26,836,490 13.8%
Turnout	18,259,192 (68.0%) 10.8 pp
	First party	Second party	Third party

Leader	Adolfo Suárez	Felipe González	Santiago Carrillo
Party	UCD	PSOE	PCE
Leader since	3 May 1977	13 October 1974	3 July 1960
Leader's seat	Madrid	Madrid	Madrid
Last election	165 seats, 34.4%	124 seats, 33.8%^{[lower-alpha 1]}	20 seats, 9.3%
Seats won	168	121	23
Seat change	3	3	3
Popular vote	6,268,593	5,469,813	1,938,487
Percentage	34.8%	30.4%	10.8%
Swing	0.4 pp	3.4 pp	1.5 pp

	Fourth party	Fifth party	Sixth party

Leader	Manuel Fraga	Jordi Pujol	Blas Piñar
Party	CD	CiU	UN
Leader since	9 October 1976	17 November 1974	1979
Leader's seat	Madrid	Barcelona	Madrid
Last election	16 seats, 8.2%	13 seats, 3.8%^{[lower-alpha 2]}	0 seats, 0.4%
Seats won	10	8	1
Seat change	6	5	1
Popular vote	1,088,578	483,353	378,964
Percentage	6.0%	2.7%	2.1%
Swing	2.2 pp	1.1 pp	1.7 pp

Most voted party by autonomous community and province.

UCD

PSOE

EAJ-PNV

Prime Minister before election

Adolfo Suárez
UCD

Elected Prime Minister

Adolfo Suárez
UCD

The 1979 Spanish general election was held on Thursday, 1 March 1979, to elect the 1st Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. At stake were all 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and all 208 seats in the Senate.^[1]

The Union of the Democratic Centre remained the largest party, winning 168 of the 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 119 of the 218 seats in the Senate, as such they continued in minority government.

Overview

Electoral system

Congress of Deputies

The 350 members of the Congress of Deputies were elected in 50 multi-member districts using the D'Hondt method and a closed-list proportional representation. Ceuta and Melilla elected 1 member each using plurality voting. Each district was entitled to an initial minimum of 2 seats, with the remaining 248 seats being allocated among the 50 provinces in proportion to their populations. Only lists polling above 3% of the total vote in each district (which includes blank ballots—for none of the above) were entitled to enter the seat distribution.

Senate

For the Senate, each of the 47 peninsular provinces was assigned 4 seats. For insular provinces, such as Baleares and Canarias, districts are the islands themselves, with the larger — Mallorca, Gran Canaria, and Tenerife — being assigned 3 seats each, and the smaller — Menorca, Ibiza-Formentera, Fuerteventura, Gomera, Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma — 1 each. Ceuta and Melilla were assigned 2 seats each, for a total of 208 directly elected seats. In districts electing 4 seats, electors could vote for up to 3 candidates; in those with 2 or 3 seats, for up to 2 candidates; and for 1 candidate in single member constituencies. Electors would vote for individual candidates: those attaining the largest number of votes in each district would be elected for a 4-year term of office.

In addition, the legislative assemblies of the autonomous communities are entitled to appoint at least 1 senator each, as well as 1 senator for every million inhabitants, adding up a variable number of appointed seats to the directly-elected 208 senators.^[2] This appointment usually did not take place at the same time that the general election, but when the autonomous communities held their elections.

Eligibility

Dual membership of both chambers of the Cortes or of the Cortes and regional assemblies was prohibited. Active judges, magistrates, public defenders, serving military personnel, active police officers and members of constitutional and electoral tribunals were also ineligible.^[3]^[4]

Parties and coalitions of different parties which had registered with the Electoral Commission could present lists of candidates.^[4]

Results

Congress of Deputies

Overall

← Summary of the 1 March 1979 Spanish Congress of Deputies election results →
Party		Vote			Seats

Party		Votes	%	±pp	Won	+/−
	Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD)	6,268,593	34.84	+0.40	168	+3
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)^{[lower-alpha 1]}	5,469,813	30.40	–3.38	121	–3
	Communist Party of Spain (PCE)	1,938,487	10.77	+1.44	23	+3
	Democratic Coalition (CD)	1,060,330	5.89	–2.32	9	–7
	Convergence and Union (CiU)^{[lower-alpha 2]}	483,353	2.69	–1.06	8	–5
	National Union (UN)	378,964	2.11	+1.74	1	+1
	Socialist Party of Andalusia-Andalusian Party (PSA-PA)	325,842	1.81	New	5	+5
	Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV)	296,597	1.65	+0.03	7	–1
	Party of Labour of Spain (PTE)	192,798	1.07	+0.40	0	±0
	People's Unity (HB)	172,110	0.96	New	3	+3
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (historical) (PSOE(h))	133,869	0.74	+0.06	0	±0
	Workers' Revolutionary Organization (ORT)	127,517	0.71	+0.29	0	±0
	Republican Left of Catalonia-National Front (ERC-FN)	123,452	0.69	–0.10	1	±0
	Basque Country Left (EE)	85,677	0.48	+0.14	1	±0
	Communist Movement-Communist Left Organization (MC-OIC)	84,856	0.47	New	0	±0
	Galician National-Popular Bloc (BNPG)	60,889	0.34	+0.22	0	±0
	Canarian People's Union (UPC)	58,953	0.33	New	1	+1
	Left Bloc for National Liberation (BEAN)	56,582	0.31	New	0	±0
	Galician Unity (PG-POG-PSG)	55,555	0.31	+0.16	0	±0
	Republican Left (IR)	55,384	0.31	New	0	±0
	Carlist Party (PC)	50,552	0.28	+0.23	0	±0
	Communist Organization-Communist Unification of Spain (OCE-UCE)	47,937	0.27	New	0	±0
	Workers' Communist Party (PCT)	47,896	0.27	+0.24	0	±0
	Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR)	38,042	0.21	+0.01	1	±0
	Revolutionary Communist League (LCR)	36,662	0.20	New	0	±0
	Basque Country Foral Union (UFV)	34,108	0.19	New	0	±0
	Authentic Spanish Falange of the JONS (FE-JONS(A))	30,252	0.17	–0.08	0	±0
	Navarrese People's Union (UPN)	28,248	0.16	New	1	+1
	Coalition for Aragon (PSAr-PSDA)	19,220	0.11	New	0	±0

Parties with less than 0.1% of the vote		171,110	0.95	–	−
	Nationalist Party of Castile and León (PANCAL)	16,016	0.09	New	±0
	Liberal Party (PL)	15,774	0.09	New	±0
	Valencian Regional Union (URV)	15,694	0.09	New	±0
	Nationalist Party of the Valencian Country (PNPV)	13,828	0.08	New	±0
	Navarrese Left Union (UNAI)	10,970	0.06	–0.07	±0
	Spanish Ruralist Party (PRE)	10,324	0.06	New	±0
	Party of the Canarian Country (PDPCan)	10,099	0.06	New	±0
	Socialists of Mallorca and Menorca (SMiM)	10,022	0.06	New	±0
	Syndicalist Party (PSIN)	9,777	0.05	New	±0
	Union for the Freedom of Speech (ULE)	7,126	0.04	New	±0
	Catalan State (EC)	6,328	0.04	New	±0
	Cantonal Party (PCAN)	6,290	0.03	New	±0
	Independent Candidacy of the Countryside (CIC)	6,115	0.03	New	±0
	Christian Social Democracy of Catalonia (DSCC)	4,976	0.03	–0.02	±0
	Proverist Party (PPR)	4,939	0.03	±0.00	±0
	Spanish Democratic Republican Action (ARDE)	4,826	0.03	New	±0
	Communist League (LC)	3,614	0.02	+0.01	±0
	Asturian Nationalist Council (CNA)	3,049	0.02	New	±0
	Authentic Spanish Falange (FEA)	2,736	0.02	New	±0
	Pro-Austerity Policy Political Party (PIPPA)	2,409	0.01	New	±0
	Workers' Peasant Party (POC)	2,314	0.01	New	±0
	Independent Candidates (CIME)	1,820	0.01	New	±0
	Falangist Unity-Independent Spanish Falange (UF-FI-AT)	1,188	0.01	New	±0
	Spanish Falange-Falangist Unity (FE-UF)	876	0.00	New	±0

	Blank ballots	57,267	0.32	+0.07

Total		17,990,915	100.00		350	±0

Valid votes		17,990,915	98.53	–0.04
Invalid votes		268,277	1.47	+0.04
Votes cast / turnout		18,259,192	68.04	–10.79
Abstentions		8,577,298	31.96	+10.79
Registered voters		26,836,490

Source: Ministry of the Interior

Vote share

UCD			34.84%
PSOE			30.40%
PCE			10.77%
CD			5.89%
CiU			2.69%
UN			2.11%
PSA-PA			1.81%
EAJ-PNV			1.65%
PTE			1.07%
HB			0.96%
ERFN			0.69%
EE			0.48%
C-UPC			0.33%
PAR			0.21%
UPN			0.16%
Others			5.62%
Blank ballots			0.32%

Parliamentary seats

UCD			48.00%
PSOE			34.57%
PCE			6.57%
CD			2.57%
CiU			2.29%
EAJ-PNV			2.00%
PSA-PA			1.43%
HB			0.86%
UN			0.29%
ERFN			0.29%
EE			0.29%
C-UPC			0.29%
PAR			0.29%
UPN			0.29%

Senate


Party		Votes	%	Seats			+/–
Party		Votes	%	Elected	Regional	Total	+/–
	Union of the Democratic Centre			118	1	119	+13
	PSOE-PSC			71	3	74	+27
	Basque Nationalist Party			8	2	10	+10
	Convergence and Union			1	2	3	+3
	Democratic Coalition			3	0	3	+3
	Candidatura Progresista			1	0	1	+1
	Herri Batasuna			1	0	1	+1
	Republican Left of Catalonia			0	1	1	+1
	Agrupacíon Per l'Entesa			1	0	1	+1
	Independents			4	1	5	–9
Invalid/blank votes		513,445	–	–	–	–	–
Total		18,454,010	100	208	10	218	+16
Registered voters/turnout		26,836,490	68.8	–	–	–	–
Source: Nohlen & Stöver

Notes

1 2 Compared to the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party+People's Socialist Party results in the 1977 election.
1 2 Compared to the Democratic Agreement for Catalonia+Democratic Union of Catalonia results in the 1977 election.

References

↑ Nohlen, D & Stöver, P (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p1817 ISBN 978-3-8329-5609-7
↑ "General Aspects of the Electoral System".
↑ "The Spanish Constitution of 1978".
1 2 "Law-Decree governing electoral procedures". Retrieved 2014-12-30.

Elections and referendums in Spain

General elections	1810 1813 1820 1822 1834 1836 (Feb) 1836 (Jul) 1836 (Oct) 1837 1839 1840 1841 1843 (Feb) 1843 (Sep) 1844 1846 1850 1853 1854 1857 1858 1863 1864 1865 1867 1869 1871 1872 (Apr) 1872 (Aug) 1873 1876 1879 1881 1884 1886 1891 1893 1896 1898 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1910 1914 1916 1918 1919 1920 1923 1931 1933 1936 1967 1971 1977 1979 1982 1986 1989 1993 1996 2000 2004 2008 2011 2015 2016

European elections	1987 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014

Municipal elections	1922 1933 1948 1951 1954 1957 1960 1963 1966 1970 1973 1976 1979 1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015

Regional elections	1983 1987 1991 1995 1999 2003 2007 2011 2015

Referendums	1947 1966 1976 1978 1986 2005

See also: Elections and referendums in Andalusia Aragon Asturias Basque Country Canary Islands Cantabria Castile and León Castile-La Mancha Catalonia Extremadura Galicia Madrid Murcia Navarre La Rioja Valencian Community

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