1987 Extremaduran regional election

Last updated
1987 Extremaduran regional election
Flag of Extremadura with COA.svg
  1983
10 June 1987
1991  

All 65 seats in the Assembly of Extremadura
33 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered808,654 Increase2.svg 2.9%
Turnout601,597 (74.4%)
Increase2.svg 2.5 pp
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Juan Carlos Rodriguez Ibarra 1991 (cropped).jpg Portrait placeholder.svg Portrait placeholder.svg
Leader Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra Adolfo Díaz-Ambrona Tomás Martín Tamayo
Party PSOE AP CDS
Leader since20 December 198219761983
Leader's seat Badajoz Badajoz Badajoz
Last election35 seats, 53.0%20 seats (CP) [a] 0 seats, 0.8%
Seats won34178
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 1Decrease2.svg 3Increase2.svg 8
Popular vote292,935144,11773,554
Percentage49.2%24.2%12.4%
SwingDecrease2.svg 3.8 pp n/a Increase2.svg 11.6 pp

 Fourth partyFifth party
  Portrait placeholder.svg Portrait placeholder.svg
Leader Pedro Cañada Manuel Pareja
Party EU IU
Leader since10 December 19801983
Leader's seat Cáceres Badajoz
Last election6 seats, 8.5%4 seats, 6.5% [b]
Seats won42
Seat changeDecrease2.svg 2Decrease2.svg 2
Popular vote34,60632,240
Percentage5.8%5.4%
SwingDecrease2.svg 2.7 pp Decrease2.svg 1.1 pp

ExtremaduraProvinceMapAssembly1987.png
Constituency results map for the Assembly of Extremadura

President before election

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra
PSOE

Elected President

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra
PSOE

A regional election was held in Extremadura on Wednesday, 10 June 1987, to elect the 2nd Assembly of the autonomous community. All 65 seats in the Assembly were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain, as well as the 1987 European Parliament election.

Contents

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) won the election with a new absolute majority of seats, albeit losing 1 seat from its 1983 result. The People's Alliance (AP), which had undergone an internal crisis after the breakup of the People's Coalition in 1986, lost support and fell from the coalition's 30% of the share to 24%, losing 3 seats as a result.

The main election winner was the centrist Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), a party led by the former Spanish Prime Minister Adolfo Suarez, which entered the Assembly for the first with 8 seats and 12% of the vote, becoming the only party within the Assembly that made gains, as all others (including regionalist United Extremadura (EU)) lost votes. United Left, an electoral coalition comprising the Communist Party of Spain and other left-wing parties, also lost 2 seats.

Overview

Under the 1983 Statute of Autonomy, the Assembly of Extremadura was 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. [1]

Electoral system

Voting for the Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Extremadura 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. [2] [3] [4]

The Assembly of Extremadura was entitled to a maximum of 65 seats, with the electoral law setting its size at that number. All members were elected in two multi-member constituencies—corresponding to the provinces of Badajoz and Cáceres, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 20 seats and the remaining 25 being distributed in proportion to their populations—using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional voting system, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes (which included blank ballots) being applied in each constituency. Alternatively, parties failing to reach the threshold in one of the constituencies were also entitled to enter the seat distribution as long as they ran candidates in both districts and reached five percent regionally. [2] [5]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Assembly constituency was entitled the following seats: [6]

SeatsConstituencies
35 Badajoz
30 Cáceres

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. [7] [8]

Election date

The term of the Assembly of Extremadura 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 Journal of Extremadura (DOE), with election day taking place between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication. [2] [9] [10] 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 Assembly of Extremadura 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. [1] In such a case, the Assembly was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their original four-year term. [9] [11]

The election to the Assembly of Extremadura was officially called on 14 April 1987 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the DOE, setting election day for 10 June. [6]

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 two percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. [12] [13]

Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:

CandidacyParties and
alliances
CandidateIdeologyPrevious resultGov.Ref.
Vote %Seats
PSOE Juan Carlos Rodriguez Ibarra 1991 (cropped).jpg Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra Social democracy 53.0%35Check-green.svg [14]
AP Portrait placeholder.svg Adolfo Díaz-Ambrona Conservatism
National conservatism

30.1%
[a]
20Dark Red x.svg
PDP Portrait placeholder.svg Manuel Pérez Pérez Christian democracy Dark Red x.svg [15]
PL
List
Portrait placeholder.svg Miguel Martínez Hidalgo Classical liberalism
Conservative liberalism
Dark Red x.svg
EU Portrait placeholder.svg Pedro Cañada Regionalism
Conservatism
8.5%6Dark Red x.svg
IU Portrait placeholder.svg Manuel Pareja Socialism
Communism

6.5%
[b]
4Dark Red x.svg [16]
CDS Portrait placeholder.svg Tomás Martín Tamayo Centrism
Liberalism
0.8%0Dark Red x.svg

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; 33 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Assembly of Extremadura.

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 regional 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 regional election taking place.

Preferred President

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

Results

Overall

Summary of the 10 June 1987 Assembly of Extremadura election results
ExtremaduraAssemblyDiagram1987.svg
Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeats
Votes%±pp Total+/−
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)292,93549.18−3.8434−1
People's Alliance (AP)1144,11724.19 n/a 17−3
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)73,55412.35+11.568+8
United Extremadura (EU)34,6065.81−2.674−2
United Left (IU)232,2405.41−1.072−2
Workers' Party of Spain–Communist Unity (PTE–UC)5,3170.89New0±0
People's Democratic Party (PDP)15,2030.87n/a0±0
Liberal Party (PL)12,2860.38n/a0±0
Humanist Platform (PH)6190.10New0±0
Blank ballots4,7850.80+0.33
Total595,66265±0
Valid votes595,66299.01−0.08
Invalid votes5,9350.99+0.08
Votes cast / turnout601,59774.39+2.49
Abstentions207,05725.61−2.49
Registered voters808,654
Sources [17] [18] [19]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
PSOE
49.18%
AP
24.19%
CDS
12.35%
EU
5.81%
IU
5.41%
Others
2.25%
Blank ballots
0.80%
Seats
PSOE
52.31%
AP
26.15%
CDS
12.31%
EU
6.15%
IU
3.08%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency PSOE AP CDS EU IU
%S%S%S%S%S
Badajoz 51.91923.8913.251.67.02
Cáceres 45.11524.9811.1312.243.0
Total49.23424.21712.485.845.42
Sources [17] [18] [19]

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Nomination of Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra (PSOE)
Ballot →17 July 1987
Required majority →33 out of 65 Yes check.svg
Yes
34 / 65
No
  • AP (14)
  • IU (2)
16 / 65
Abstentions
12 / 65
Absentees
  • AP (3)
3 / 65
Sources [17] [20]

Notes

  1. 1 2 Within the AP–PDP–UL alliance in the 1983 election.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Results for PCE in the 1983 election.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Within CP.

References

Opinion poll sources
  1. "Los socialistas mantienen la hegemonía" (PDF). El País (in Spanish). 4 June 1987.
  2. "Una encuesta de AP pronostica un fuerte descenso del PSOE en las municipales". ABC (in Spanish). 17 April 1987.
  3. "Notable descenso del PSOE en los próximos comicios, según una encuesta encargada por AP". ABC (in Spanish). 17 April 1987.
  4. 1 2 3 4 "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Extremadura 1987 (IV) (Estudio nº 1669. Junio 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 5 June 1987.
  5. 1 2 3 4 "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Extremadura 1987 (III) (Estudio nº 1643. Mayo 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 16 May 1987.
  6. 1 2 3 4 "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Extremadura 1987 (II) (Estudio nº 1623. Abril 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 21 April 1987.
  7. 1 2 3 4 "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Extremadura 1987 (I) (Estudio nº 1606. Marzo 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 23 March 1987.
  8. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Extremadura (IV) (Estudio nº 1544. Septiembre 1985)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 September 1986.
  9. "Estudio CIS nº 1544. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 1 September 1986.
  10. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Extremadura (III) (Estudio nº 1512. Febrero 1986)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 February 1986.
  11. "Estudio CIS nº 1512. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 1 February 1986.
  12. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Extremadura (II) (Estudio nº 1475. Septiembre 1985)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 September 1985.
  13. "Estudio CIS nº 1475. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 1 September 1985.
  14. "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Extremadura (I) (Estudio nº 1451. Febrero-Marzo 1985)". CIS (in Spanish). 15 March 1985.
  15. "Estudio CIS nº 1451. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 15 March 1985.
Other
  1. 1 2 Statute (1983) , art. 20.
  2. 1 2 3 Statute (1983) , art. 22.
  3. LEEx (1987) , art. 2.
  4. LOREG (1985) , arts. 2–3.
  5. LEEx (1987) , arts. 17–19.
  6. 1 2 Decreto del Presidente, de 13 de abril de 1987, por el que se convocan elecciones a la Asamblea de Extremadura (PDF) (Decree). Official Journal of Extremadura (in Spanish). 13 April 1987. Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  7. LEEx (1987) , arts. 19 & 26.
  8. LOREG (1985) , arts. 46 & 48.
  9. 1 2 LEEx (1987) , arts. 22–23.
  10. LOREG (1985) , art. 42.
  11. Statute (1983) , art. 34.
  12. LEEx (1987) , arts. 25–26.
  13. LOREG (1985) , art. 44.
  14. "El PSOE extremeño tendrá una dirección colectiva". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. 30 April 1985. Retrieved 31 December 2025.
  15. "Alzaga descarta cualquier coalición del PDP con Alianza Popular". El País (in Spanish). Valencia. 28 January 1987. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  16. González Ibáñez, Juan (8 January 1987). "Divergencias en Izquierda Unida sobre su futuro electoral". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 2 January 2026.
  17. 1 2 3 Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a la Asamblea de Extremadura (desde 1983)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  18. 1 2 "Resolución de 15 de julio de 1987, haciendo públicos los resultados del Escrutinio General y Proclamación de Diputados Electos resultantes de las Elecciones a la Asamblea de Extremadura, celebradas el día 10 de junio de 1987" (PDF). Official Journal of Extremadura (in Spanish) (57): 933–934. 21 July 1987. ISSN   2483-5188 . Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  19. 1 2 "Nº 75. Informe de fiscalización de la regularidad de las contabilidades electorales derivadas de las elecciones celebradas el 10 de junio de 1987 a la Asamblea de Extremadura" (PDF). Court of Auditors (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 December 2025.
  20. "El aliancista Gabriel Cañellas ha sido elegido presidente del Gobierno balear". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. 18 July 1987. Retrieved 1 January 2026.

Bibliography