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All 33 seats in the City Council of Valencia 17 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opinion polls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 579,733 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 402,400 (69.4%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A municipal election was held in Valencia 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.
The election saw the ruling People's Party (PP) obtaining a new absolute majority, which allowed incumbent Mayor Rita Barberá to be re-elected for a sixth consecutive term in office. On the other hand, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) saw a sharp decline in support, suffering from the nationwide backlash against José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero-led Government of Spain amid a harsh financial crisis at the time and scoring its worst historical result in a municipal election up to that point.
Also entering the City Council were the Compromís coalition (English: Commitment), formed by the Valencian Nationalist Bloc (Bloc), Initiative of the Valencian People (IdPV) and The Greens–Ecologist Left of the Valencian Country (EV–EE), which emerged as the third political force in the city; and United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV), the regional branch of United Left, which returned to the City Council after being left out in the previous election.
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 Valencia, the top-tier administrative and governing body was the City Council of Valencia. [3]
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 Valencia 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]
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]
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 Valencia, 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
| | Rita Barberá | Conservatism Christian democracy | 56.7% | 21 | [15] | ||
| PSPV–PSOE | List
| | Joan Calabuig | Social democracy | 33.8% | 12 | [16] [17] [18] | ||
| EUPV | List
| | Amadeu Sanchis | Socialism Communism | 4.8% | 0 | [19] | ||
| Compromís | List
| | Joan Ribó | Valencianism Progressivism Green politics | Did not contest | ||||
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.
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 Valencia.
Exit poll
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | | | | | | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 municipal election | 22 May 2011 | — | 69.4 | 52.5 20 | 21.8 8 | 7.2 2 | 9.0 3 | 2.8 0 | 30.7 |
| Ipsos–Eco/FORTA [p 1] [p 2] | 22 May 2011 | ? | ? | 49.9 22/23 | 26.3 11/12 | 7.2 2/3 | 7.8 3/4 | – | 23.6 |
| Ikerfel/Vocento [p 3] [p 4] | 15 May 2011 | 800 | ? | 54.6 20/21 | 33.9 12/13 | – | – | – | 20.7 |
| TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3 [p 5] [p 6] | 4 May 2011 | ? | ? | 55.5 21 | 27.1 10 | 7.0 2 | 3.3 0 | 2.7 0 | 28.4 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo [p 7] [p 8] | 15–19 Apr 2011 | 400 | ? | 57.3 21 | 28.8 10/11 | 5.3 1/2 | – | – | 28.5 |
| CIS [p 9] [p 10] | 17 Mar–17 Apr 2011 | 494 | ? | 53.4 21 | 27.0 10 | 6.6 2 | 3.1 0 | 3.2 0 | 26.4 |
| PP [p 11] [p 12] | 25 Feb 2011 | ? | ? | ? 22 | ? 9 | ? 2 | – | – | ? |
| 2009 EP election | 7 Jun 2009 | — | 55.8 | 53.8 (20) | 34.5 (13) | 3.5 (0) | 0.5 (0) | 3.3 (0) | 19.3 |
| 2008 general election | 9 Mar 2008 | — | 79.5 | 53.5 (19) | 38.1 (14) | 3.2 (0) | 0.8 (0) | 1.2 (0) | 15.4 |
| 2007 municipal election | 27 May 2007 | — | 68.4 | 56.7 21 | 33.8 12 | 4.8 0 | – | – | 22.9 |
The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | | | | | | Lead | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 municipal election | 22 May 2011 | — | 36.0 | 14.9 | 4.9 | 6.2 | 1.9 | — | 30.6 | 21.1 |
| CIS [p 9] | 17 Mar–17 Apr 2011 | 494 | 41.3 | 16.0 | 4.3 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 19.3 | 8.3 | 25.3 |
| 2009 EP election | 7 Jun 2009 | — | 29.9 | 19.2 | 1.9 | 0.3 | 1.8 | — | 44.2 | 10.7 |
| 2008 general election | 9 Mar 2008 | — | 42.2 | 30.1 | 2.5 | 0.6 | 0.9 | — | 20.5 | 12.1 |
| 2007 municipal election | 27 May 2007 | — | 38.6 | 23.0 | 3.3 | – | – | — | 31.6 | 22.9 |
The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become mayor of Valencia.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | | | | | | Other/ None/ Not care | Lead | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Barberá PP | Calabuig PSPV | Sanchis EUPV | Ribó Compromís | Igual UPyD | ||||||
| CIS [p 9] | 17 Mar–17 Apr 2011 | 494 | 50.4 | 14.2 | 0.4 | 5.3 | 1.4 | 5.9 | 22.4 | 36.2 |
| Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | ||
| People's Party (PP) | 208,727 | 52.54 | −4.13 | 20 | −1 | |
| Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV–PSOE) | 86,440 | 21.76 | −12.02 | 8 | −4 | |
| Commitment to Valencia: Commitment Municipal Coalition (Compromís) | 35,881 | 9.03 | New | 3 | +3 | |
| United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV) | 28,489 | 7.17 | +2.40 | 2 | +2 | |
| Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) | 11,243 | 2.83 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Greens and Eco-pacifists (VyE) | 5,177 | 1.30 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Valencian Coalition (CVa) | 2,219 | 0.56 | −0.79 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Spain 2000 (E–2000) | 1,920 | 0.48 | +0.29 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) | 1,771 | 0.45 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Republican Left of the Valencian Country–Municipal Agreement (ERPV–AM) | 980 | 0.25 | −0.01 | 0 | ±0 | |
| For a Fairer World (PUM+J) | 752 | 0.19 | +0.03 | 0 | ±0 | |
| United for Valencia (UxV) | 690 | 0.17 | +0.08 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Family and Life Party (PFyV) | 511 | 0.13 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Humanist Party (PH) | 488 | 0.12 | +0.07 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Liberal Democratic Centre (CDL) | 482 | 0.12 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) | 443 | 0.11 | +0.02 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Party of the Elderly and the Self-employed (PdMA) | 387 | 0.10 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| National Democracy (DN) | 343 | 0.09 | +0.03 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Foreigners' Party (PdEx) | 314 | 0.08 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Communist Unification of Spain (UCE) | 295 | 0.07 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| SOS Democracy (SOSDM) | 277 | 0.07 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Valencian Nationalist Left–European Valencianist Party (ENV–RV–PVE) | 275 | 0.07 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| The Republic (La República) | 271 | 0.07 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Authentic Phalanx (FA) | 220 | 0.06 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Blank ballots | 8,661 | 2.18 | +0.82 | |||
| Total | 397,256 | 33 | ±0 | |||
| Valid votes | 397,256 | 98.72 | −0.84 | |||
| Invalid votes | 5,144 | 1.28 | +0.84 | |||
| Votes cast / turnout | 402,400 | 69.41 | +0.99 | |||
| Abstentions | 177,333 | 30.59 | −0.99 | |||
| Registered voters | 579,733 | |||||
| Sources [20] [21] [22] | ||||||
| Investiture | |||
| Ballot → | 11 June 2011 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Required majority → | 17 out of 33 | ||
| 20 / 33 | ||
| 8 / 33 | ||
3 / 33 | |||
2 / 33 | |||
| Blank ballots | 0 / 33 | ||
| Absentees | 0 / 33 | ||
| Sources [20] [23] | |||