The political instability resulting from the implosion of the Progressive Party, as well as the unwillingness of the opposition groups—republicans, alfonsists and carlists—to recognize the legitimacy of the new king, led to several governments succeeding each other within a short timespan: Serrano's coalition, formed in the aftermath of Prim's assassination, was replaced by a Radical cabinet under Zorrilla, which then gave way to Constitutional governments under José Malcampo and Sagasta. The latter, realizing he could not secure the confidence of the parliament, chose to ask King Amadeo I for a parliamentary dissolution and call a snap election; however, when the King questioned the fairness of the incoming electoral process, Sagasta himself replied that "[the election] will be as fair as it can be in Spain", hinting at the widespread use of electoral fraud in favour of government candidates.[4][5] Among the alleged election interference tactics were the suspension of opposition-controlled local councils, instructions given to civil governors to manipulate the election in the government's favour, vote buying through bribery and promises of infrastructure improvements, voter intimidation through the arrest of opposition candidates or disenfranchisement, ballot stuffing, among others.[6]
Under the 1869 Constitution, the Spanish Cortes were envisaged as "co-legislative bodies", based on a nearly perfect bicameral system.[9] Both the Congress of Deputies and the Senate had legislative, control and budgetary functions, sharing equal powers except for laws on contributions, public credit or military force, the first reading of which corresponded to Congress—which also had preeminence in case of disagreement—and impeachment processes against government ministers, in which each chamber had separate powers of indictment (Congress) and trial (Senate).[10][11] Voting for each chamber of the Cortes was on the basis of universal manhood suffrage, which comprised all national males over 25 years of age and in full enjoyment of their civil rights.[12][13][14] In Puerto Rico, voting was on the basis of censitary suffrage, comprising males of age fulfilling one of the following criteria: being literate or taxpayers with a minimum quota of 16 escudos.[15][16] Voters were required to not being sentenced—by a final court ruling—to disqualification from political rights, to afflictive penalties not legally rehabilitated; neither being criminally prosecuted with an arrest warrant not substituted with bail; nor homeless.[17][18]
The Congress of Deputies was entitled to one member per each 40,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 20,000. Seats were allocated to single-member districts—406 for the April 1872 election—distributed among the provinces of Spain and Puerto Rico in proportion to their populations, and elected using plurality voting.[19][20][21][22] 18 additional seats were awarded to multi-member constituencies in the island of Cuba, where elections (as well as the updating of district divisions to comply with the new electoral law) were indefinitely postponed due to the military situation.[3][23]
For the Senate, 200 seats were elected using an indirect, write-in, two-roundmajority voting system. Voters in each local council elected delegates—equivalent in number to one-sixth of the councillors, with an initial minimum of one—who, together with provincial deputies, would in turn vote for senators. Each province, as well as the whole of Puerto Rico, was allocated four seats.[22][24][25]
The law provided for by-elections to fill seats vacated in the Congress throughout the legislature's term.[26] By-elections were not required in the Senate, with vacancies being filled in the next regular election of the chamber.[27]
Eligibility
For the Congress, Spanish citizens with the legal capacity to vote could run for election, provided that they were not holders of government-appointed offices.[28][29] A number of positions were exempt from ineligibility, provided that no more than 40 deputies benefitted from these:[30]
Senior Administration chiefs residing in Madrid and with a yearly public salary of at least Pts 12,500;
The holders of a number of positions: government ministers; general officers of the Army and Navy based in Madrid; the president and chamber presidents of the territorial court of Madrid; the rector and full professors of the Central University of Madrid; and first-class inspectors-general and chief engineers with residence in Madrid and a two-year seniority in office.
For the Senate, eligibility was limited to Spanish citizens over 40 years of age and in full enjoyment of their civil rights, provided that they belonged or had belonged to one of the following categories:[31][32]
Provided two prior years of service: members of the Supreme Court, the Supreme Council of War and Navy, and the Court of Auditors; plenipotentiaries; and full professors;
The 50 largest taxpayers by territorial contribution, and the 20 largest by industrial and trade subsidy, in each province.
Other causes of ineligibility for both chambers were imposed on territorial-level officers in government bodies and institutions—during their tenure of office and up to three months after their dismissal—in constituencies within the whole or part of their respective area of jurisdiction; contractors of public works or services; tax collectors and their guarantors; and debtors of public funds (including their substitutes or jointly liable parties);[33] additionally for Puerto Rico, ineligibility extended to those having been convicted of crimes related to the repression of slave trade.[34] Incompatibility provisions extended to the impossibility of simultaneously holding the positions of deputy, senator, provincial deputy and local councillor, as well as serving by two or more parliamentary constituencies.[35][36]
Election date
The term of each chamber of the Cortes—the Congress and one-quarter of the Senate—expired three years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier.[37] The previous election was held on 8 March 1871, which meant that the chambers' terms would have expired on 8 March 1874. The monarch had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election.[38] Only elections to renew one-quarter of the Senate were constitutionally required to be held concurrently with elections to the Congress, though the former could be renewed in its entirety in the case that a full dissolution was agreed by the monarch.[37]
The Cortes were officially dissolved on 24 January 1872, with the dissolution decree setting the election dates from 2 to 5 April and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 24 April.[4][39][40] In Cuba, elections were indefinitely postponed due to the outbreak of the Ten Years' War.[2][3]
↑ The election in the district of Lérida was postponed to 17–19 June 1872.[1]
1 2 3 Elections in Cuba were indefinitely postponed due to the outbreak of the Ten Years' War, resulting in the vacancy of the 18 seats allocated to the island.[2][3]
↑ Sagasta was elected in both Gerona and Seville II, but the parliament was dissolved before he could chose which district to sit for.
↑ Zorrilla was also elected in Madrid III; he chose to sit for El Burgo de Osma instead, and resigned as deputy for Madrid III.
1 2 3 Decree of 1 April (1871), explanatory statement: "On the island of Cuba, the work of preparing electoral lists was hampered by the state of war that prevailed there and the necessary replacement of the electoral districts established by the decree, now law, of 14 December 1868, with new districts. [Spanish: En la isla de Cuba embarazaron los trabajos de formación de las listas electorales el estado de guerra que allí se sostiene y la precisa sustitución por nuevos distritos de las circunscripciones de elección establecidos por el decreto, hoy ley, de 14 de diciembre de 1868.]".
Vilches, Jorge (2001). Progreso y libertad: el Partido Progresista en la revolución liberal española (in Spanish). Madrid: Alianza Editorial. ISBN8420667684.
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