1987 Aragonese regional election

1987 Aragonese regional election

←  1983 10 June 1987 1991  →
All 67 seats in the Cortes of Aragon 34 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	928,584 1.0%
Turnout	647,257 (69.7%) 3.0 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Santiago Marraco Hipólito Gómez de las Roces Ángel Cristóbal Montes Party PSOE PAR AP Leader since November 1979 December 1977 1987 Leader's seat Zaragoza Zaragoza Zaragoza Last election 33 seats, 46.8% 13 seats, 20.5% 13 seats (CP) [a] Seats won 27 19 13 Seat change 6 6 0 Popular vote 228,170 179,922 99,082 Percentage 35.7% 28.1% 15.5% Swing 11.1 pp 7.6 pp n/a   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader José Luis Merino Antonio de las Casas Mariano Alierta Party CDS CAA–IU PDP Leader since 1983 1987 1987 Leader's seat Zaragoza Zaragoza Zaragoza (lost) Last election 1 seat, 3.3% 1 seat, 4.0% [b] 5 seats (CP) [a] Seats won 6 2 0 Seat change 5 1 5 Popular vote 65,406 31,352 7,887 Percentage 10.2% 4.9% 1.2% Swing 6.9 pp 0.9 pp n/a
Constituency results map for the Cortes of Aragon
President before election Santiago Marraco PSOE Elected President Hipólito Gómez de las Roces PAR

A regional election was held in Aragon on Wednesday, 10 June 1987, to elect the 2nd Cortes of the autonomous community. All 67 seats in the Cortes were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all across Spain, as well as the 1987 European Parliament election.

Affected by their national trends, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the People's Alliance (AP) lost support compared to the previous election, falling from 46.8% and 22.6% to 35.7% and 15.5%, and from 33 and 18 seats to 27 and 13, respectively. The latter had suffered from an internal crisis and the breakup of the People's Coalition in 1986, losing 30% of its 1983 vote and finishing third as a result, with the Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) scoring a strong second place with 28.1% and 19 seats. The centrist Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), a party led by the former Spanish prime minister Adolfo Suarez, saw sizeable gains and achieved a kingmaker position with 10.2% and 6 seats. United Left (IU) made a small advance of 0.9 percentage points and 1 seat, but was not able to capitalize on the PSOE's losses.

The two main centre-right parties, the PAR and AP, were able to muster 32 seats in the Cortes compared to the PSOE's 27. As a result, PAR leader Hipólito Gómez de las Roces was elected as new president of Aragon, replacing Santiago Marraco at the helm of a minority administration with AP's support and the CDS's abstention. In March 1989, AP, now refounded as the People's Party (PP), entered the government and formed a coalition with the PAR for the remainder of the legislature.

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. ^[2]

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. ^{[3] [4] [5]}

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. ^{[3] [6]} The use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies. ^[7]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Cortes constituency was entitled the following seats: ^[8]

Seats	Constituencies
33	Zaragoza (+1)
18	Huesca
16	Teruel

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. ^{[9] [10]}

Election date

The term of the Cortes of Aragon expired four years after the date of its previous ordinary election. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the scheduled date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of Aragon (BOA), with election day taking place between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication. ^{[3] [11] [12]} The previous election was held on 8 May 1983, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 8 May 1987. The election decree was required to be published in the DOE no later than 14 April 1987, with the election taking place up to the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible date for election day on Saturday, 13 June 1987.

The Cortes of Aragon could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament, except in the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot. In such a case, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their original four-year term. ^[13]

The election to the Cortes of Aragon was officially called on 14 April 1987 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOA, setting election day for 10 June. ^[8]

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. ^{[14] [15]}

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.
						Vote %	Seats
	PSOE	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)		Santiago Marraco	Social democracy	46.8%	33		[16] [17]
	AP	List People's Alliance (AP)		Ángel Cristóbal Montes	Conservatism National conservatism	22.6% [a]	18		[17] [18]
	PDP	List People's Democratic Party (PDP)		Mariano Alierta	Christian democracy
	PAR	List Aragonese Party (PAR)		Hipólito Gómez de las Roces	Regionalism Centrism	20.5%	13		[17]
	CAA–IU	List Communist Party of Aragon (PCE–A) Socialist Action Party (PASOC) Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) Progressive Federation (FP) Republican Left (IR)		Antonio de las Casas	Socialism Communism	4.0% [b]	1		[19]
	CDS	List Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)		José Luis Merino	Centrism Liberalism	3.3%	1		[17]

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.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout								Lead
1987 regional election	10 Jun 1987	—N/a	69.7	35.7 27	–	28.1 19	4.9 2	10.2 6	15.5 13	1.2 0	7.6
Demoscopia/El País [p 1]	22–26 May 1987	?	64	28.5 18/19	–	32.7 25/26	4.7 2	11.7 7	15.5 14	1.9 0	4.2
1986 general election	22 Jun 1986	—N/a	70.6	43.4 (31)	26.1 (20)	11.0 (7)	3.4 (1)	11.2 (7)	[c]	[c]	17.3
1983 regional election	8 May 1983	—N/a	66.7	46.8 33	22.6 18	20.5 13	4.0 [b] 1	3.3 1	[c]	[c]	24.2

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size								?	N	Lead
1987 regional election	10 Jun 1987	—N/a	24.6	–	19.4	3.4	7.0	10.7	0.8	—N/a	30.3	5.2
CIS [p 2]	2–5 Jun 1987	1,601	22.1	–	15.5	3.4	8.0	9.2	0.2	33.8	5.8	6.6
CIS [p 3]	8–16 May 1987	2,408	25.7	–	9.8	2.3	4.8	7.1	0.1	42.6	6.2	15.9
CIS [p 4]	14–23 Apr 1987	2,399	26.0	–	9.0	2.0	5.0	9.0	0.0	39.0	7.0	17.0
CIS [p 5]	14–23 Mar 1987	1,899	28.0	–	11.0	4.0	5.0	6.0	0.0	40.0	6.0	17.0
CIS [p 6] [p 7]	1 Dec 1986	1,596	31.5	–	12.0	2.8	5.3	7.6	0.2	29.9	9.0	19.5
1986 general election	22 Jun 1986	—N/a	30.1	18.2	7.7	2.3	7.8	[c]	[c]	—N/a	29.1	11.9
CIS [p 8] [p 9]	1–16 Jun 1986	1,500	29.9	5.2	17.5	2.2	5.1	[c]	[c]	29.6	6.7	12.4
CIS [p 10] [p 11]	31 Jan–14 Feb 1986	1,500	32.9	25.8		2.5	3.1	[c]	[c]	27.8	6.3	7.1
			27.2	12.1	9.5	2.2	1.9	[c]	[c]	38.4	7.5	15.1
CIS [p 12] [p 13]	1 Oct 1985	1,920	31.3	7.0	6.5	2.3	2.8	[c]	[c]	38.4	8.2	24.3
CIS [p 14] [p 15]	1 Feb 1985	1,497	30.9	12.6	9.1	2.0	2.4	[c]	[c]	28.4	10.2	18.3
1983 regional election	8 May 1983	—N/a	30.8	14.9	13.5	2.6 [b]	2.2	[c]	[c]	—N/a	33.3	15.9

Victory preferences

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

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size							Other/ None	?	Lead
CIS [p 2]	2–5 Jun 1987	1,601	28.3	19.4	4.1	10.3	11.1	0.2	2.4	24.3	8.9
CIS [p 3]	8–16 May 1987	2,408	34.6	13.0	2.9	7.1	9.1	0.1	1.1	32.1	21.6
CIS [p 4]	14–23 Apr 1987	2,399	31.0	13.0	3.0	7.0	10.0	0.0	1.0	34.0	18.0
CIS [p 5]	14–23 Mar 1987	1,899	32.0	14.0	4.0	8.0	8.0	0.0	1.0	33.0	18.0

Victory likelihood

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

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size							Other/ None	?	Lead
CIS [p 2]	2–5 Jun 1987	1,601	45.9	5.8	0.1	2.8	3.0	0.0	0.0	42.3	40.1
CIS [p 3]	8–16 May 1987	2,408	51.4	2.6	0.5	1.2	2.9	0.1	0.1	41.2	48.5
CIS [p 4]	14–23 Apr 1987	2,399	48.0	4.0	0.0	2.0	4.0	0.0	0.0	42.0	44.0
CIS [p 5]	14–23 Mar 1987	1,899	49.0	3.0	0.0	2.0	2.0	0.0	0.0	43.0	46.0

Preferred President

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

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size											Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Marraco PSOE	Alegre PSOE	Zapatero AP	Furriel AP	Cristóbal AP	Roces PAR	Bolea PAR	Casas IU	Merino CDS	Alierta PDP
CIS [p 2]	2–5 Jun 1987	1,601	23.8	–	–	–	3.4	18.3	–	3.0	5.6	1.5	13.1	31.3	5.5
CIS [p 3]	8–16 May 1987	2,408	29.4	–	–	–	0.9	11.9	–	2.2	2.6	1.1	19.0	33.1	17.5
CIS [p 4]	14–23 Apr 1987	2,399	26.0	–	–	1.0	–	14.0	–	2.0	3.0	2.0	20.0	32.0	12.0
CIS [p 5]	14–23 Mar 1987	1,899	24.0	1.0	1.0	–	–	13.0	4.0	2.0	1.0	–	24.0	29.0	11.0
CIS [p 6]	1 Dec 1986	1,596	34.2	–	–	1.0	–	10.9	–	1.3	1.3	–	13.7	37.6	23.3

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 10 June 1987 Cortes of Aragon election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	228,170	35.68	−11.15	27	−6
	Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR)	179,922	28.14	+7.63	19	+6
	People's Alliance (AP)1	99,082	15.49	n/a	13	±0
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	65,406	10.23	+6.94	6	+5
	Aragon Alternative Convergence–United Left (CAA–IU)2	31,352	4.90	+0.94	2	+1
	Workers' Party of Spain–Communist Unity (PTE–UC)	8,435	1.32	New	0	±0
	People's Democratic Party–Centrists of Aragon (PDP)1	7,887	1.23	n/a	0	−5
	Aragonese Union (UA/CHA)	6,154	0.96	New	0	±0
	Humanist Platform (PH)	2,439	0.38	New	0	±0
	Republican Popular Unity (UPR)	1,435	0.22	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		9,186	1.44	+0.79
Total		639,468			67	+1
Valid votes		639,468	98.80	+0.22
Invalid votes		7,789	1.20	−0.22
Votes cast / turnout		647,257	69.70	+2.96
Abstentions		281,327	30.30	−2.96
Registered voters		928,584
Sources [1] [20] [21] [22] [23]
Footnotes: 1 Within the People's Coalition alliance in the 1983 election. 2 Aragon Alternative Convergence–United Left results are compared to Communist Party of Spain totals in the 1983 election.

Popular vote

PSOE			35.68%
PAR			28.14%
AP			15.49%
CDS			10.23%
CAA–IU			4.90%
PTE–UC			1.32%
PDP			1.23%
Others			1.57%
Blank ballots			1.44%

Seats

PSOE			40.30%
PAR			28.36%
AP			19.40%
CDS			8.96%
CAA–IU			2.99%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	PSOE		PAR		AP		CDS		CAA–IU
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
Huesca	36.1	7	25.2	5	15.2	3	11.9	2	5.2	1
Teruel	35.8	7	17.7	3	27.3	5	10.2	1	2.9	−
Zaragoza	35.5	13	30.9	11	13.3	5	9.8	3	5.2	1
Total	35.7	27	28.1	19	15.5	13	10.2	6	4.9	2
Sources [1] [20] [21] [22] [23]

Aftermath

Investiture Nomination of Hipólito Gómez de las Roces (PAR)
Ballot →		21 July 1987	23 July 1987
Required majority →		34 out of 67 N	Simple Y
	Yes • PAR (19) • AP (13)	32 / 67	32 / 67
	No • PSOE (27) • CAA–IU (2)	29 / 67	29 / 67
	Abstentions • CDS (6)	6 / 67	6 / 67
	Absentees	0 / 67	0 / 67
Sources [1]

Notes

1. Within the AP–PDP–UL alliance in the 1983 election: AP (13 seats) and PDP (5 seats). ^[1]
2. Results for PCE in the 1983 election.
3. Within CP.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "Las disputas socialistas pueden cambiar el panorama regional y municipal" (PDF). El País (in Spanish). 4 June 1987. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 February 2016.
2. "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Aragón 1987 (IV) (Estudio nº 1661. Junio 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 5 June 1987.
3. "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Aragón 1987 (III) (Estudio nº 1643. Mayo 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 16 May 1987.
4. "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Aragón 1987 (II) (Estudio nº 1624. Abril 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 23 April 1987.
5. "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Aragón 1987 (I) (Estudio nº 1607. Marzo 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 23 March 1987.
6. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Aragón (V) (Estudio nº 1563. Octubre 1985)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 December 1986.
7. "Estudio CIS nº 1563. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 1 December 1986.
8. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Aragón (IV) (Estudio nº 1537. Junio 1986)". CIS (in Spanish). 16 June 1986.
9. "Estudio CIS nº 1537. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 16 June 1986.
10. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Aragón (III) (Estudio nº 1505. Enero-Febrero 1986)". CIS (in Spanish). 14 February 1986.
11. "Estudio CIS nº 1505. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 14 February 1986.
12. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Aragón (II) (Estudio nº 1479. Octubre 1985)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 October 1985.
13. "Estudio CIS nº 1479. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 1 October 1985.
14. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Aragón (I) (Estudio nº 1449. Febrero 1985)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 February 1985.
15. "Estudio CIS nº 1449. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 1 February 1985.

Other

1. Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a las Cortes de Aragón (desde 1983)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2023.
2. Statute (1982) , arts. 12–17.
3. Statute (1982) , arts. 18–19.
4. LEAr (1987) , art. 2.
5. LOREG (1985) , arts. 2–3.
6. LEAr (1987) , arts. 12–14.
7. Gallagher, Michael (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Dublin: Trinity College Dublin. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
8. Decreto de 13 de abril de 1987, de la Presidencia de la Diputación General de Aragón, por el que se convocan elecciones a las Cortes de Aragón (Decree). Official Gazette of Aragon (in Spanish). 1 April 1991. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
9. LEAr (1987) , art. 15.
10. LOREG (1985) , arts. 46 & 48.
11. LEAr (1987) , art. 11.
12. LOREG (1985) , art. 42.
13. Statute (1982) , art. 22.
14. LEAr (1987) , arts. 18–19.
15. LOREG (1985) , art. 44.
16. Ortega, Javier (19 March 1985). "Aprobada por escaso margen la gestión de la ejecutiva del PSOE de Aragón". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 January 2026.
17. Ortega, Javier (25 May 1987). "Los juristas contra el ingeniero". El País (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
18. Ortega, Javier (3 June 1985). "El jefe de relaciones públicas de la Caja de Ahorros de Zaragoza, nuevo presidente de AP de Aragón". El País (in Spanish). Zaragoza. Retrieved 1 January 2026.
19. González Ibáñez, Juan (8 January 1987). "Divergencias en Izquierda Unida sobre su futuro electoral". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
20. "Elecciones a Cortes de Aragón. Resultados del año 1987 en Aragón" (in Spanish). Cortes of Aragon . Retrieved 23 November 2025.
21. "Archivo Electoral de Aragón. Cortes de Aragón 1987. Resultados. Aragón" (in Spanish). Government of Aragon . Retrieved 23 November 2025.
22. "Actas de proclamación de los diputados electos a las Cortes de Aragón remitidas por las Juntas Electorales Provinciales" (PDF). Official Gazette of Aragon (in Spanish) (92): 2086–2089. 5 August 1987. ISSN   9941-3256 . Retrieved 1 January 2026.
23. "Nº 75. Informe de fiscalización de la regularidad de las contabilidades electorales derivadas de las elecciones celebradas el 10 de junio de 1987" (PDF). Court of Auditors (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 January 2026.

Bibliography

• Ley Orgánica 8/1982, de 10 de agosto, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Aragón (Organic Law 8/1982). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 10 August 1982. BOE-A-1982-20819. Retrieved 23 November 2025.
• Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General (Organic Law 5/1985). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 19 June 1985 [version as of 3 April 1987]. BOE-A-1985-11672. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
• Ley 2/1987, de 16 de febrero, Electoral de la Comunidad Autónoma de Aragón (Law 2/1987). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 16 February 1987 [version as of 27 March 1991]. BOE-A-1987-5339. Retrieved 7 October 2025.