2011 Seville municipal election

2011 Seville municipal election

←  2007 22 May 2011 2015  →
All 33 seats in the City Council of Seville 17 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	546,944 3.3%
Turnout	343,098 (62.7%) 8.1 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Juan Ignacio Zoido Juan Espadas Antonio Rodrigo Party PP PSOE–A IULV–CA Leader since 28 June 2006 24 May 2010 2007 Last election 15 seats, 41.8% 15 seats, 40.5% 3 seats, 8.4% Seats won 20 11 2 Seat change 5 4 1 Popular vote 166,040 99,168 24,066 Percentage 49.3% 29.5% 7.1% Swing 7.5 pp 11.0 pp 1.3 pp
Mayor before election Alfredo Sánchez Monteseirín PSOE Elected mayor Juan Ignacio Zoido PP

A municipal election was held in Seville on Sunday, 22 May 2011, to elect the 9th City Council of the municipality. All 33 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.

Overview

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 Seville, the top-tier administrative and governing body was the City Council of Seville. ^[3]

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 Seville 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] [4] [5]}

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. ^[6] Each municipality constituted a multi-member constituency, entitled a number of seats based on the following scale (amended for smaller municipalities in 2011): ^[7]

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. ^[8]

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. ^[9]

Election date

The term of city councils in Spain expired four years after the date of their previous election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years (as of 2025, this has been the year before a leap year). The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE). ^[10] The previous election was held on 27 May 2007, setting the date for election day on Sunday, 22 May 2011.

Local councils could not be dissolved before the expiry of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harmed the public interest and implied a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers could—optionally—agree to call a by-election. ^[11]

Elections to local councils not bound to the open council system were officially called on 29 March 2011 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOE, setting election day for 22 May. ^[12]

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 Seville, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required. ^[13] 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. ^[14]

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)		Juan Ignacio Zoido	Conservatism Christian democracy	41.8%	15		[15] [16]
	PSOE–A	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party of Andalusia (PSOE–A)		Juan Espadas	Social democracy	40.5%	15		[17] [18] [19] [20]
	IULV–CA	List United Left/The Greens–Assembly for Andalusia (IULV–CA) – Communist Party of Andalusia (PCA) – Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR) – Republican Left (IR)		Antonio Rodrigo	Socialism Communism	8.4%	3		[21] [22]
	PA	List Andalusian Party (PA)		Pilar González	Andalusian nationalism Social democracy	4.5%	0		[23]

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; 17 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Seville.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout			IULV			Lead
2011 municipal election	22 May 2011	—	62.7	49.3 20	29.4 11	7.1 2	4.8 0	3.2 0	19.9
Metroscopia/El País [p 1] [p 2]	12–13 May 2011	1,000	60.0	46.6 18	31.1 12	8.2 3	4.3 0	–	15.5
Sigma Dos/El Mundo [p 3]	10–12 May 2011	400	?	49.0 17/18	35.4 12/13	6.1 2	5.3 1	–	13.6
GAD/COPE [p 4]	2 May 2011	?	?	46.8 17	37.3 13	6.5 2	5.3 1	–	9.5
Infortécnica [a] [p 5]	1–30 Apr 2011	388	?	53.2 16/19	31.9 10/12	5.0 0/2	5.5 0/2	–	21.3
Ikerfel/Vocento [p 6] [p 7]	16–28 Apr 2011	650	?	51.3 18/19	33.7 12/13	8.2 2/3	2.8 0	–	17.6
TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3 [p 8] [p 9] [p 10]	25–26 Apr 2011	500	?	47.2 17/18	33.8 12/13	9.3 3	4.4 0	1.8 0	13.4
Sigma Dos/El Mundo [p 11]	15–19 Apr 2011	400	?	48.3 17/18	38.4 13/14	7.5 2	–	–	9.9
CIS [p 12] [p 13]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	1,000	?	44.4 16/17	36.7 13/14	8.7 3	3.4 0	1.7 0	7.7
Commentia/Grupo Joly [p 14]	13–15 Apr 2011	?	?	46.1 17	36.3 13	8.5 3	–	–	9.8
Deguadaíra/Sevilla Actualidad [p 15]	3 Mar–3 Apr 2011	625	?	41.4 15/17	34.7 12/13	6.5 2/3	5.3 0/2	–	6.7
Infortécnica [a] [p 16]	16 Mar 2011	397	?	47.3 16/18	29.3 9/12	12.2 3/5	9.2 0/3	–	18.0
Infortécnica [a] [p 17]	1–28 Feb 2011	413	?	46.9 16/18	35.5 11/13	6.2 0/3	9.3 0/3	–	11.4
Commentia/Grupo Joly [p 18] [p 19]	8–14 Feb 2011	400	?	45.9 17	35.7 13	8.2 3	4.5 0	–	10.2
RedPeriodistas.es [p 20] [p 21] [p 22]	4–8 Oct 2010	1,869	?	40.6 17/18	27.8 12/13	5.2 1/2	3.8 0	4.3 0/1	12.8
UGR/PA [p 23] [p 24]	7–17 Jun 2010	600	?	44.5 16	39.2 14	6.1 2	5.2 1	–	5.3
Sigma Dos/PP [p 25] [p 26]	3–6 May 2010	1,000	?	46.8 17/18	38.2 13/14	6.5 2	3.4 0	–	8.6
2009 EP election	7 Jun 2009	—	44.2	41.0 (16)	45.5 (17)	4.1 (0)	0.8 (0)	4.6 (0)	4.5
PP [p 27]	21 Dec 2008	500	?	47.7 17/18	37.3 13/14	7.1 2	2.4 0	–	10.4
2008 regional election	9 Mar 2008	—	73.4	39.0 (14)	47.7 (17)	6.3 (2)	2.5 (0)	1.3 (0)	8.7
2008 general election	9 Mar 2008	—	73.5	38.2 (14)	52.0 (19)	4.1 (0)	1.3 (0)	1.9 (0)	13.8
2007 municipal election	27 May 2007	—	54.6	41.8 15	40.5 15	8.4 3	4.5 0	–	1.3

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			IULV			?	N	Lead
2011 municipal election	22 May 2011	—	30.4	18.1	4.4	2.9	2.0	—	37.3	12.3
Infortécnica [p 5]	1–30 Apr 2011	388	33.7	20.2	3.2	3.5	–	23.8	12.8	13.5
CIS [p 12]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	1,000	24.6	24.1	4.5	1.1	1.4	26.2	13.4	0.5
Infortécnica [p 16]	16 Mar 2011	397	27.6	17.1	7.1	5.4	–	41.6	1.3	10.5
Infortécnica [p 17]	1–28 Feb 2011	413	27.1	20.5	3.6	5.4	–	42.2	1.2	6.6
Commentia/Grupo Joly [p 18]	8–14 Feb 2011	400	24.9	15.4	3.9	0.6	–	45.6	5.2	9.5
2009 EP election	7 Jun 2009	—	18.0	20.0	1.8	0.3	2.0	—	55.8	2.0
2008 regional election	9 Mar 2008	—	28.5	34.9	4.6	1.8	1.0	—	26.6	6.4
2008 general election	9 Mar 2008	—	28.0	38.1	3.0	1.0	1.4	—	26.5	10.1
2007 municipal election	27 May 2007	—	22.8	22.0	4.6	2.4	–	—	45.4	0.8

Victory preferences

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

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			IULV			Other/ None	?	Lead
GAD/COPE [p 4]	2 May 2011	?	42.0	33.0	–	–	–	25.0		9.0
CIS [p 12]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	1,000	30.0	32.1	4.5	1.3	1.6	14.2	16.3	2.1

Victory likelihood

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

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			IULV		Other/ None	?	Lead
CIS [p 12]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	1,000	43.1	25.5	0.3	0.2	0.6	30.3	17.6

Preferred Mayor

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

All candidates

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size					Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Zoido PP	Espadas PSOE–A	Rodrigo IULV	Ceballos UPyD
CIS [p 12]	17 Mar–17 Apr 2011	1,000	23.4	15.2	3.3	2.4	10.4	45.3	8.2

Zoido vs. Espadas

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Zoido PP	Espadas PSOE–A
GAD/COPE [p 4]	2 May 2011	?	42.0	30.0	28.0		12.0

Results

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

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	166,040	49.31	+7.47	20	+5
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party of Andalusia (PSOE–A)	99,168	29.45	−11.01	11	−4
	United Left/The Greens–Assembly for Andalusia (IULV–CA)	24,066	7.15	−1.22	2	−1
	Andalusian Party–Andalusian Plural Space (PA–EPAnd)1	16,097	4.78	−0.43	0	±0
	Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD)	10,945	3.25	New	0	±0
	The Greens–Ecological Andalusia (LV–AE)	4,063	1.21	+0.17	0	±0
	Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB)	2,062	0.61	New	0	±0
	Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA)	1,398	0.42	+0.18	0	±0
	For a Fairer World (PUM+J)	1,051	0.31	+0.14	0	±0
	Humanist Party (PH)	412	0.12	+0.05	0	±0
	Group of Independent Citizens (GCI)	406	0.12	−0.05	0	±0
	Free and Efficient Election (ele)	339	0.10	New	0	±0
	Democratic Majority (MD)	326	0.10	New	0	±0
	Internationalist Solidarity and Self-Management (SAIn)	300	0.09	−0.08	0	±0
	Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)	258	0.08	−0.01	0	±0
	National Democracy (DN)	237	0.07	New	0	±0
	Andalusian Popular Unity (UPAN)	204	0.06	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		9,346	2.78	+0.79
Total		336,718			33	±0
Valid votes		336,718	98.14	−1.47
Invalid votes		6,380	1.86	+1.47
Votes cast / turnout		343,098	62.73	+8.12
Abstentions		203,846	37.27	−8.12
Registered voters		546,944
Sources [24] [25] [26]
Footnotes: 1 Andalusian Party–Andalusian Plural Space results are compared to the combined totals of Andalusian Party and Socialist Party of Andalusia in the 2007 election.

Popular vote

PP			49.31%
PSOE–A			29.45%
IULV–CA			7.15%
PA–EPAnd			4.78%
UPyD			3.25%
LV–AE			1.21%
Others			2.08%
Blank ballots			2.78%

Seats

PP			60.61%
PSOE–A			33.33%
IULV–CA			6.06%

Aftermath

Investiture
Ballot →		11 June 2011
Required majority →		17 out of 33
	Juan Ignacio Zoido (PP) • PP (20)	20 / 33	Y
	Juan Espadas (PSOE–A) • PSOE–A (11)	11 / 33	N
	Antonio Rodrigo (IULV–CA) • IULV–CA (2)	2 / 33	N
	Blank ballots	0 / 33
	Absentees	0 / 33
Sources [27]

Notes

1. Undecided and/or abstentionists excluded.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "El PP logra mayoría absoluta y el PSOE se hunde en Sevilla". El País (in Spanish). 15 May 2011.
2. "Estimación de resultado electoral en Sevilla". El País (in Spanish). 15 May 2011.
3. "El PP gobernará Sevilla con mayoría absoluta y el PA regresará al Ayuntamiento". El Mundo (in Spanish). 16 May 2011.(subscription required)
4. "El PP de Zoido logra la mayoría absoluta en Sevilla". COPE (in Spanish). 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011.
5. "2011. 11 de Mayo. Estudio sobre la situación política, social y económica del municipio de Sevilla" (PDF). Infortécnica (in Spanish). 11 May 2011.
6. "Mayoría holgada en Sevilla". ABC (in Spanish). 15 May 2011.
7. "Sondeo municipales II (Grupo Vocento)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 19 May 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
8. "El PP lograría la mayoría absoluta en la Comunidad de Madrid y en Sevilla". Antena 3 (in Spanish). 2 May 2011. Archived from the original on 5 May 2011.
9. "Encuesta de TNS para Antena 3 y Onda Cero. Elecciones 22M. Expectativas electorales en la Ciudad de Sevilla" (PDF). TNS Demoscopia (in Spanish). 2 May 2011.
10. "El PP gobernaría Sevilla (Antena 3)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 4 May 2011. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011.
11. "Zoido logrará la mayoría absoluta en Sevilla (El Mundo)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 30 April 2011. Archived from the original on 28 May 2011.
12. "Preelectoral elecciones municipales 2011. Sevilla (Estudio nº 2867. Abril 2011)". CIS (in Spanish). 5 May 2011.
13. "La encuesta del CIS también otorga la mayoría a Zoido, incluso la absoluta". ABC (in Spanish). 6 May 2011.
14. "Zoido tiene la absoluta". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 1 May 2011.
15. "Zoido ganaría en Sevilla rozando la mayoría absoluta". Sevilla Actualidad (in Spanish). 25 April 2011.
16. "2011. 16 de Marzo. Estudio sobre la situación política, social y económica del municipio de Sevilla" (PDF). Infortécnica (in Spanish). 16 March 2011.
17. "2011. Febrero. Estudio sobre la situación política, social y económica del municipio de Sevilla" (PDF). Infortécnica (in Spanish). February 2011.
18. "Zoido alcanza la absoluta". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 20 February 2011.
19. "El PP alcanzaría la mayoría absoluta en Sevilla (Diario de Sevilla)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 20 February 2011.
20. "Un sondeo da la mayoría absoluta al PP en las próximas elecciones". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 14 October 2010.
21. "El PP ganaría en Sevilla, según el sondeo de RedPeriodistas.es". RedPeriodistas.es (in Spanish). 14 October 2010. Archived from the original on 19 March 2011.
22. "El PP ganaría con mayoría absoluta en Sevilla (RedPeriodistas.es)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 14 October 2010.
23. "Un sondeo atribuye al PP mayoría simple en 2011 en Sevilla con un concejal para la alianza PA-PSA". Europa Press (in Spanish). 29 June 2010.
24. "El PA sería clave en Sevilla (sondeo promovido por el PA)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 30 June 2010.
25. "Una encuesta del PP le da la mayoría absoluta en las próximas municipales". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). 16 May 2010.
26. "Mayoría absoluta del PP en Sevilla (Sigma Dos para el PP)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 17 May 2010.
27. "El PP aventaja en diez puntos al PSOE en intención de voto y lograría mayoría absoluta". ABC (in Spanish). 21 December 2008.

Other

1. Constitution (1978) , art. 140.
2. LBRL (1985) , art. 19.
3. LBRL (1985) , arts. 121–132.
4. Constitution (1978) , art. 13.
5. LOREG (1985) , arts. 2–3 & 176.
6. LOREG (1985) , arts. 163 & 180.
7. LOREG (1985) , art. 179.
8. LOREG (1985) , arts. 46, 48 & 182.
9. LOREG (1985) , art. 196.
10. LOREG (1985) , arts. 42 & 194.
11. LBRL (1985) , art. 61.
12. Real Decreto 424/2011, de 28 de marzo, por el que se convocan elecciones locales y a las Asambleas de Ceuta y Melilla para el 22 de mayo de 2011 (PDF) (Royal Decree 424/2011). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 28 March 2011. Retrieved 10 November 2025.
13. LOREG (1985) , arts. 44 & 187.
14. LOREG (1985) , art. 44 bis.
15. "Juan Ignacio Zoido, portavoz municipal del PP". El Correo de Andalucía (in Spanish). 18 September 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
16. "Zoido presenta el pacto «Sevilla 29» para alcanzar «la ciudad de la excelencia»". ABC (in Spanish). 20 September 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
17. "Monteseirín renuncia a ser candidato acorralado por los casos de corrupción". El Mundo (in Spanish). Seville. Europa Press. 4 March 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
18. Blanco, Juan Carlos (11 March 2010). "Juan Espadas es el elegido". El Correo de Andalucía (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
19. "Juan Espadas será designado por fin candidato del PSOE a la Alcaldía el próximo jueves". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
20. Rivera, Agustín (28 May 2010). "El PSOE andaluz 'puentea' a Ferraz y nombra al candidato a la Alcaldía de Sevilla". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Málaga. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
21. "Torrijos vuelve a encabezar la lista de IU a la Alcaldía de Sevilla". El Mundo (in Spanish). Seville. Europa Press. 17 May 2010. Retrieved 12 November 2025.
22. Sánchez Ameneiro, Ana (20 June 2010). "IU confirma a Torrijos como candidato con el 90% de votos". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
23. S., R. (31 January 2010). "El PA elige a Pilar González como candidata a la Alcaldía de Sevilla". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). Retrieved 12 November 2025.
24. Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones municipales en Sevilla (desde 1979)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2025.
25. "Elecciones celebradas. Resultados electorales" (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior . Retrieved 5 November 2025.
26. "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: Salamanca, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Segovia, Sevilla, Soria, Tarragona, Teruel, Toledo, Valencia, Valladolid, Vizcaya, Zamora, Zaragoza, Ceuta y Melilla" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish) (181): 86078–86708. 29 July 2011. ISSN   0212-033X . Retrieved 6 November 2025.
27. Rubio, Javier (11 June 2011). "Zoido, proclamado nuevo alcalde de Sevilla". El Mundo (in Spanish). Seville. Retrieved 12 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.