1995 Riojan regional election

1995 Riojan regional election

←  1991 28 May 1995 1999  →
All 33 seats in the General Deputation of La Rioja 17 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	218,519 4.0%
Turnout	166,422 (76.2%) 7.3 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Pedro Sanz José Ignacio Pérez Sáenz Jesús Rodríguez Rubio Party PP PSOE IU Leader since 2 October 1993 1987 1995 Last election 15 seats, 41.7% 16 seats, 42.4% 0 seats, 4.5% Seats won 17 12 2 Seat change 2 4 2 Popular vote 81,703 56,335 11,921 Percentage 49.4% 34.1% 7.2% Swing 7.7 pp 8.3 pp 2.7 pp   Fourth party   Leader Leopoldo Virosta Party PR+ Leader since 23 June 1990 Last election 2 seats, 5.4% Seats won 2 Seat change 0 Popular vote 11,069 Percentage 6.7% Swing 1.3 pp
President before election José Ignacio Pérez Sáenz PSOE Elected President Pedro Sanz PP

The 1995 Riojan regional election was held on Sunday, 28 May 1995, to elect the 4th General Deputation of the autonomous community of La Rioja. All 33 seats in the General Deputation were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

For the first time, the People's Party (PP) emerged as the largest party in the General Deputation with an absolute majority of seats and almost 49% of the share, an increase of about eight percentage points from 1991. In contrast, the vote for the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) fell to its lowest level up until that time, losing four of its previously 16 seats and remaining with 12. United Left (IU) benefited from the Socialist defeat and entered the General Deputation for the first time with 2 seats, whereas the Riojan Party (PR)—which had formed the regional government together with the PSOE since 1990—obtained its best result since 1983. ^[1] Turnout, at 76.2%, was the highest to date for a regional election in La Rioja.

As a result of the election, PP leader Pedro Sanz became the new regional President, succeeding Socialist José Ignacio Pérez Sáenz. ^[2]

Overview

Electoral system

The General Deputation of La Rioja was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of La Rioja, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Riojan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Autonomous Community. ^[3] Voting for the General Deputation was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in La Rioja and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 33 members of the General Deputation of La Rioja were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. ^{[3] [4]}

The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 1 percent of the electors registered in La Rioja. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called. ^{[4] [5] [6]}

Election date

The term of the General Deputation of La Rioja expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the General Deputation were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 26 May 1991, setting the election date for the General Deputation on Sunday, 28 May 1995. ^{[3] [4] [5] [6]}

The General Deputation of La Rioja 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 General Deputation was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms. ^[3]

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 poll. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 17 seats were required for an absolute majority in the General Deputation of La Rioja.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout			PR		Lead
1995 regional election	28 May 1995	—	76.2	34.1 12	49.4 17	6.7 2	7.2 2	15.3
Eco Consulting/RTVE [p 1]	28 May 1995	?	?	29.2 9/11	51.0 17/19	8.3 2/3	8.3 2/3	21.8
Demoscopia/El País [p 2] [p 3] [p 4] [p 5]	10–15 May 1995	1,600	?	28.3 9	56.0 19	6.2 2	9.0 3	27.7
CIS [p 6] [p 7]	24 Apr–10 May 1995	499	71.1	30.3	54.4	7.0	7.4	24.1
1994 EP election	12 Jun 1994	—	62.0	30.1 11	53.1 19	–	10.8 3	23.0
1993 general election	6 Jun 1993	—	80.0	37.6 14	46.3 17	4.4 0	7.0 2	8.7
1991 regional election	26 May 1991	—	68.9	42.4 16	41.7 15	5.4 2	4.5 0	0.7

Results

← Summary of the 28 May 1995 General Deputation of La Rioja election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	81,703	49.44	+7.74	17	+2
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	56,335	34.09	–8.28	12	–4
	United Left of La Rioja (IU)	11,921	7.21	+2.68	2	+2
	Riojan Party (PR)	11,069	6.70	+1.32	2	±0
	Riojan Alternative (AR)	1,368	0.83	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		2,856	1.73	+0.08
Total		165,252			33	±0
Valid votes		165,252	99.30	+0.08
Invalid votes		1,170	0.70	–0.08
Votes cast / turnout		166,422	76.16	+7.27
Abstentions		52,097	23.84	–7.27
Registered voters		218,519
Sources [7] [8]

Popular vote PP   49.44% PSOE   34.09% IU   7.21% PR   6.70% Others   0.83% Blank ballots   1.73%

Seats PP   51.51% PSOE   36.36% IU   6.06% PR   6.06%

Aftermath

Investiture Pedro Sanz (PP)
Ballot →		30 June 1995
Required majority →		17 out of 33 Y
	Yes • PP (17)	17 / 33
	No • PSOE (12) • IU (2)	14 / 33
	Abstentions • PR (2)	2 / 33
	Absentees	0 / 33
Sources [2] [8]

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "El PP se impuso en diez comunidades". Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). 29 May 1995.
2. "El PP será la fuerza más votada en 12 comunidades". El País (in Spanish). 20 May 1995.
3. "El PSOE cede el sillón al PP". El País (in Spanish). 20 May 1995.
4. "Mañana, previsiones para las municipales". El País (in Spanish). 20 May 1995.
5. "El PP gana en doce autonomías y el PSOE sólo en Extremadura, según un sondeo". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 21 May 1995.
6. "Preelectoral Comunidad Autónoma de La Rioja (Estudio nº 2171. Abril-Mayo 1995)". CIS (in Spanish). 10 May 1995.
7. "Estudio CIS nº 2171. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 10 May 1995.

Other

1. "Los populares gobernarán por mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 29 May 1995. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
2. "El popular Sanz, investido presidente riojano". El País (in Spanish). 1 July 1995. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
3. Statute of Autonomy of La Rioja of 1982 (Organic Law 3) (in Spanish). 9 June 1982. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
4. General Deputation of La Rioja Elections Law of 1991 (Law 3) (in Spanish). 21 March 1991. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
5. General Electoral System Organic Law of 1985 (Organic Law 5) (in Spanish). 19 June 1985. Retrieved 28 December 2016.
6. "Representation of the people Institutional Act". www.juntaelectoralcentral.es. Central Electoral Commission. Retrieved 16 June 2017.
7. "General Deputation of La Rioja election results, 28 May 1995" (PDF). www.juntaelectoralcentral.es (in Spanish). Electoral Commission of La Rioja. 13 June 1995. Retrieved 30 September 2017.
8. "Elecciones al Parlamento de La Rioja (1983 - 2019)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2017.