2011 Madrid City Council election

2011 Madrid City Council election

←  2007 22 May 2011 2015  →
All 57 seats in the City Council of Madrid 29 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	2,308,360 4.0%
Turnout	1,551,613 (67.2%) 1.3 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Jaime Lissavetzky Ángel Pérez Party PP PSOE IUCM–LV Leader since 21 September 2002 12 August 2010 26 January 2007 Last election 34 seats, 55.6% 18 seats, 30.9% 5 seats, 8.7% Seats won 31 15 6 Seat change 3 3 1 Popular vote 756,952 364,600 163,706 Percentage 49.7% 23.9% 10.7% Swing 5.9 pp 7.0 pp 2.0 pp   Fourth party   Leader David Ortega Party UPyD Leader since 23 October 2010 Last election Did not contest Seats won 5 Seat change 5 Popular vote 119,601 Percentage 7.9% Swing New party
Mayor before election Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón PP Elected Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón PP

A municipal election was held in Madrid on Sunday, 22 May 2011, to elect the 9th City Council of the municipality. All 57 seats in the City Council were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

The People's Party (PP) won its 6th consecutive absolute majority of seats in the City Council, albeit with a diminished voter base, suffering its worst loss of support in the city up until that time (120,000 votes, 6 percentage points and 3 seats were lost from 2007). Only the collapse of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) vote, which obtained the worst result of its history as a result of the criticised José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's premiership in the national government, was larger. United Left (IU) benefitted from the PSOE debacle, while newly founded Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) attracted votes from sectors disenchanted with both PSOE and PP and entered the City Council in the first election in which they stood.

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, who was re-elected for a third term in office, left the mayoralty in late 2011 to become Justice Minister, after his party won the 2011 Spanish general election and Mariano Rajoy was elected Prime Minister. He was succeeded as mayor by Ana Botella.

Overview

Local government

Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain—part of the country's local government system—was centered on the figure of city councils (Spanish : ayuntamientos), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly. ^{[1] [2]} In the case of Madrid, the top-tier administrative and governing body was the City Council of Madrid. ^[3] Elections to local councils in Spain were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years (as of 2025, this has been the year before a leap year). ^[4]

The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly. ^[2] A legal clause required candidates to earn the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the appointee was to be determined by lot. ^[5]

Electoral system

Voting for local assemblies was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality of Madrid 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), as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty. ^{[2] [6] [7]}

Local councillors were elected 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 municipality. ^[8] Each municipality constituted a multi-member constituency, entitled a number of seats based on the following scale (amended for smaller municipalities in 2011): ^[9]

Population	Councillors
<100	3
101–250	5
251–1,000	7
1,001–2,000	9
2,001–5,000	11
5,001–10,000	13
10,001–20,000	17
20,001–50,000	21
50,001–100,000	25
>100,001	+1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction +1 if total is an even number

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. ^[10]

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 a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. In the case of Madrid, as its population was over 1,000,001, at least 8,000 signatures were required. ^[11] Additionally, a balanced composition of men and women was required in the electoral lists, so that candidates of either sex made up at least 40 percent of the total composition. ^[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.
						Vote %	Seats
	PP	List People's Party (PP)		Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón	Conservatism Christian democracy	55.6%	34		[13] [14] [15]
	PSOE	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)		Jaime Lissavetzky	Social democracy	30.9%	18		[16] [17]
	IUCM–LV	List United Left of the Community of Madrid (IUCM) – Communist Party of Madrid (PCM) – Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR) – Republican Left (IR) The Greens (LV)		Ángel Pérez	Socialism Communism	8.7%	5		[18]
	UPyD	List Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD)		David Ortega	Social liberalism Radical centrism	Did not contest			[19]

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; 29 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Madrid.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout					Lead
2011 municipal election	22 May 2011	—	67.2	49.7 31	23.9 15	10.7 6	7.9 5	25.8
Ipsos–Eco/FORTA [p 1]	22 May 2011	?	?	52.1 32/33	22.4 13/15	11.0 7/8	6.8 3/4	29.7
Ikerfel/Vocento [p 2] [p 3]	15 May 2011	900	?	50.2 30/31	30.1 18/19	8.7 5	6.1 3	20.1
TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3 [p 4]	14 May 2011	?	?	? 35	? 16	? 6	–	?
Metroscopia/El País [p 5] [p 6]	9 May 2011	600	?	52.9 32/33	31.3 18/19	8.1 4/5	5.0 0/3	21.6
NC Report/La Razón [p 7] [p 8]	13–30 Apr 2011	600	?	53.0 31/33	30.4 18/19	8.4 5	5.6 1/3	22.6
Obradoiro de Socioloxía/Público [p 9]	25–28 Apr 2011	599	?	57.2 34/35	31.2 18/19	6.7 4	–	26.0
Sigma Dos/El Mundo [p 10]	15–18 Apr 2011	400	?	53.5 32/34	29.8 18	8.0 4/5	5.1 0/3	23.7
CIS [p 11] [p 12]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	781	?	52.6 32/34	28.6 17/18	8.2 5	4.3 0/3	24.0
Metroscopia/CEIM [p 13]	6–15 Apr 2011	?	?	51.8 31	31.3 18	? 5	5.1 3	20.5
Metroscopia/El País [p 14] [p 15]	15 May 2010	500	?	53.4 32	27.9 17	9.1 5	6.0 3	25.5
2009 EP election	7 Jun 2009	—	53.8	50.1 (32)	34.1 (21)	4.5 (0)	6.8 (4)	16.0
Metroscopia/El País [p 16]	15 May 2009	400	?	56.3 34	29.1 18	8.5 5	–	27.2
2008 general election	9 Mar 2008	—	80.7	50.6 (33)	38.1 (24)	4.7 (0)	4.0 (0)	12.5
2007 municipal election	27 May 2007	—	65.9	55.6 34	30.9 18	8.7 5	–	24.7

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size					?	N	Lead
2011 municipal election	22 May 2011	—	32.8	15.8	7.1	5.2	—	32.8	17.0
Obradoiro de Socioloxía/Público [p 9]	25–28 Apr 2011	599	41.3	23.5	4.7	1.2	–	–	17.8
CIS [p 11]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	781	35.0	20.5	5.2	3.5	22.7	7.9	14.5
2009 EP election	7 Jun 2009	—	26.8	18.3	2.4	3.7	—	46.2	8.5
2008 general election	9 Mar 2008	—	40.6	30.6	3.8	3.2	—	19.3	10.0
2007 municipal election	27 May 2007	—	36.5	20.3	5.7	–	—	34.1	16.2

Preferred Mayor

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become mayor of Madrid.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size					Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Gallardón PP	Lissavetzky PSOE	Pérez IUCM	Ortega UPyD
CIS [p 11]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	1,528	38.0	18.7	3.7	0.4	16.8	22.4	19.3

Results

← Summary of the 22 May 2011 City Council of Madrid election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	756,952	49.69	−5.96	31	−3
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	364,600	23.93	−7.01	15	−3
	United Left of the Community of Madrid–The Greens (IUCM–LV)	163,706	10.75	+2.07	6	+1
	Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD)	119,601	7.85	New	5	+5
	Ecolo–Greens (Ecolo)1	13,425	0.88	−0.01	0	±0
	Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB)	10,795	0.71	New	0	±0
	Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA)	7,071	0.46	+0.26	0	±0
	For a Fairer World (PUM+J)	6,456	0.42	+0.26	0	±0
	Spanish Alternative (AES)	4,764	0.31	−0.08	0	±0
	Pirate Party (Pirata)	4,631	0.30	New	0	±0
	Regeneration (REG)	4,100	0.27	New	0	±0
	Spanish Smokers' Party (PARFE)	3,031	0.20	New	0	±0
	Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's)	2,866	0.19	New	0	±0
	The Phalanx (FE)	2,608	0.17	+0.08	0	±0
	Family and Life Party (PFyV)	2,381	0.16	+0.07	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)	2,119	0.14	+0.06	0	±0
	Humanist Party (PH)	2,047	0.13	+0.01	0	±0
	Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)	2,026	0.13	+0.01	0	±0
	Party of the Elderly and the Self-employed (PdMA)	1,671	0.11	New	0	±0
	Union for Leganés (ULEG)	1,015	0.07	+0.06	0	±0
	Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI)	999	0.07	New	0	±0
	Authentic Phalanx (FA)	912	0.06	+0.03	0	±0
	Centre and Democracy Forum (CyD)	891	0.06	New	0	±0
	Castilian Party (PCAS)2	888	0.06	+0.01	0	±0
	Communist Unification of Spain (UCE)	527	0.03	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		43,292	2.84	+0.81
Total		1,523,374			57	±0
Valid votes		1,523,374	98.18	−1.29
Invalid votes		28,239	1.82	+1.29
Votes cast / turnout		1,551,613	67.22	+1.31
Abstentions		756,747	32.78	−1.31
Registered voters		2,308,360
Sources [20] [21] [22] [23]
Footnotes: 1 Ecolo–Greens results are compared to The Greens totals in the 2007 election. 2 Castilian Party results are compared to Commoners' Land totals in the 2007 election.

Popular vote

PP			49.69%
PSOE			23.93%
IUCM–LV			10.75%
UPyD			7.85%
Others			4.94%
Blank ballots			2.84%

Seats

PP			54.39%
PSOE			26.32%
IUCM–LV			10.53%
UPyD			8.77%

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Ballot →		11 June 2011
Required majority →		29 out of 57
	Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (PP) • PP (31)	31 / 57	Y
	Jaime Lissavetzky (PSOE) • PSOE (15)	15 / 57	N
	Ángel Pérez (IUCM–LV) • IUCM–LV (6)	6 / 57	N
	David Ortega (UPyD) • UPyD (5)	5 / 57	N
	Blank ballots	0 / 57
	Absentees	0 / 57
Sources [20] [24]

December 2011 investiture

Investiture
Ballot →		27 December 2011
Required majority →		29 out of 57
	Ana Botella (PP) • PP (31)	31 / 57	Y
	Jaime Lissavetzky (PSOE) • PSOE (15)	15 / 57	N
	Ángel Pérez (IUCM–LV) • IUCM–LV (6)	6 / 57	N
	David Ortega (UPyD) • UPyD (5)	5 / 57	N
	Blank ballots	0 / 57
	Absentees	0 / 57
Sources [20] [25]

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "Mayoría absoluta del PP en Comunidad y Ayuntamiento y UPyD accede a las instituciones". Telemadrid (in Spanish). 22 May 2011. Archived from the original on 2 April 2015. Retrieved 26 May 2020.
2. "Ruiz-Gallardón repetirá como alcalde". ABC (in Spanish). 15 May 2011.
3. "Sondeo municipales II (Grupo Vocento)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
4. "María Dolores de Cospedal sería la primera presidenta de Castilla La Mancha". Antena 3 (in Spanish). 14 May 2011.
5. "Gallardón repite triunfo y Lissavetzky mejora a Sebastián". El País (in Spanish). 15 May 2011.
6. "Estimación de resultado electoral en Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 15 May 2011.
7. "Quinta mayoría para Gallardón". La Razón (in Spanish). 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
8. "UPyD entraría en el Ayuntamiento de Madrid (La Razón)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 7 May 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
9. "El escándalo del 'caso Gürtel' no pasa factura electoral a Aguirre". Público (in Spanish). 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 August 2011.
10. "Ruiz-Gallardón repetiría mayoría en el Ayuntamiento de Madrid (El Mundo)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 4 May 2011. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
11. "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas y municipales, 2011. Comunidad de Madrid y Ciudad de Madrid (Estudio nº 2871. Marzo-Abril 2011)" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 5 May 2011.
12. "Rajoy se vuelca a por su billete a la Moncloa". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 6 May 2011.
13. "El PSOE madrileño cosecharía el peor resultado de su historia". Intereconomía (in Spanish). 8 May 2011. Archived from the original on 10 May 2011.
14. "Gallardón conserva una holgada mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 15 May 2010.
15. "Madrid: mayoría absoluta de Gallardón. UPyD roba 2 concejales a PP y 1 al PSOE (El País)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 15 May 2010. Archived from the original on 19 May 2010. Retrieved 25 December 2021.
16. "Gallardón amplía aún más su mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 15 May 2009.

Other

1. Constitution (1978) , art. 140.
2. LBRL (1985) , art. 19.
3. LBRL (1985) , arts. 121–132.
4. LOREG (1985) , art. 42.
5. LOREG (1985) , art. 196.
6. Constitution (1978) , art. 13.
7. LOREG (1985) , arts. 2–3 & 176.
8. LOREG (1985) , arts. 163 & 180.
9. LOREG (1985) , art. 179.
10. LOREG (1985) , arts. 46, 48 & 182.
11. LOREG (1985) , arts. 44 & 187.
12. LOREG (1985) , art. 44 bis.
13. "Gallardón anuncia que volverá a ser candidato del PP a la Alcaldía en 2011" (in Spanish). Madrid: Europa Press. 19 June 2009. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
14. "Gallardón reitera que será candidato del PP a la Alcaldía y dice que nada podría compararse a ese "inmenso regalo"" (in Spanish). Madrid: Europa Press. 14 October 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
15. "El PP aprueba la candidatura de Ruiz-Gallardón a la alcaldía de Madrid". El Economista (in Spanish). Madrid. EFE. 20 March 2011. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
16. Díez, Anabel (11 August 2010). "Zapatero lanza ya a Lissavetzky ante el riesgo de otras primarias". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
17. "Lissavetzky se presenta a la alcaldía de Madrid". Diario AS (in Spanish). 11 August 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
18. Serna, C. (11 December 2009). "Gordo y Pérez, ratificados como los candidatos de IU". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
19. "Luis de Velasco y David Ortega, candidatos de UPyD a la presidencia de la Comunidad de Madrid y a la alcaldía" (in Spanish). Madrid: Europa Press. 23 October 2010. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
20. Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones Municipales en Madrid (desde 1979)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2025.
21. "Resultados generales de las Elecciones al Ayuntamiento de Madrid y Asamblea de Madrid de 22 de mayo de 2011" (PDF). City Council of Madrid (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 November 2025.
22. "Elecciones celebradas. Resultados electorales" (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior . Retrieved 5 November 2025.
23. "Acuerdo de 30 de junio de 2011, de la Junta Electoral Central, por el que se procede a la publicación del resumen de los resultados de las elecciones locales convocadas por Real Decreto 424/2011, de 28 de marzo, y celebradas el 22 de mayo de 2011, según los datos que figuran en las actas de proclamación remitidas por cada una de las Juntas Electorales de Zona. Provincias: León, Lleida, Lugo, Madrid, Málaga, Murcia, Navarra, Ourense, Palencia, Las Palmas, Pontevedra y La Rioja" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish) (179): 84644–85317. 27 July 2011. ISSN   0212-033X . Retrieved 5 November 2025.
24. M., S. (11 June 2011). "Gallardón, reelegido alcalde de Madrid". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 November 2025.
25. García Gallo, Bruno; Sevillano, Elena (11 June 2011). "Botella asume la alcaldía de Madrid con Aznar como "referencia política"". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.

Bibliography

• Constitución Española (Constitution). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 29 December 1978 [version as of 28 August 1992]. BOE-A-1978-31229. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
• Ley 7/1985, de 2 de abril, Reguladora de las Bases del Régimen Local (Law 7/1985). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 2 April 1985 [version as of 5 March 2011]. BOE-A-1985-5392. Retrieved 4 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 30 April 2011]. BOE-A-1985-11672. Retrieved 4 November 2025.