Electoral system
Voting for local assemblies is on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprises all nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality of Barcelona and in full enjoyment of their political rights (provided that they are 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 allow Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty. [2] [4] [5]
Local councillors are elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional voting system, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes (which includes blank ballots) being applied in each municipality. [6] Each municipality constitutes a multi-member constituency, entitled a number of seats based on the following scale: [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 does not provide for by-elections to fill vacated seats; instead, any vacancies that occur after the proclamation of candidates and into the legislative term are to be covered by the successive candidates in the list and, when required, by the designated substitutes. [8]
The mayor is indirectly elected by the local assembly. [2] A legal clause requires candidates to earn the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party is to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the appointee is to be determined by lot. [9]
Election date
The term of city councils in Spain expires 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). [10]
Local councils can not be dissolved before the expiry of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harm the public interest and imply a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers can—optionally—agree to call a by-election. [11]
