October 2003 Madrilenian regional election

Last updated
October 2003 Madrilenian regional election
Flag of the Community of Madrid.svg
←  2003 (May)
26 October 2003
2007  →
All 111 seats in the Assembly of Madrid
56 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered4,455,706 Increase2.svg 0.3%
Turnout2,788,495 (62.6%)
Decrease2.svg 6.6 pp
 First partySecond partyThird party
  Esperanza Aguirre 2004 (cropped).jpg Rafael Simancas 2004 (cropped).jpg Fausto Fernandez 2014c (cropped).jpg
Leader Esperanza Aguirre Rafael Simancas Fausto Fernández
Party PP PSOE IUCM
Leader since16 October 200226 November 200011 March 2002
Last election55 seats, 46.7%47 seats, 40.0%9 seats, 7.7%
Seats won57459
Seat changeIncrease2.svg 2Decrease2.svg 2Steady2.svg 0
Popular vote1,346,5881,083,205236,013
Percentage48.5%39.0%8.5%
SwingIncrease2.svg 1.8 pp Decrease2.svg 1.0 pp Increase2.svg 0.8 pp
President before election

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (acting)
PP

Elected President

Esperanza Aguirre
PP

A regional election was held in the Community of Madrid on Sunday, 26 October 2003, to elect the 7th Assembly of the autonomous community. All 111 seats in the Assembly were up for election. It was a snap election, held as a result of the parliamentary deadlock resulting from the Tamayazo scandal after the May 2003 election.

Contents

The People's Party (PP) recovered the absolute majority it had lost in the previous election. This came at the expense of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which suffered from the scandal of the rebel MPs who refused to support a PSOE–IU government led by Rafael Simancas. United Left (IU) saw a slight increase in support but failed to translate its gains into new seats. As a result of the election, Esperanza Aguirre was elected as President of the Community of Madrid, becoming the first woman to be appointed to the office.

Overview

Under the 1983 Statute of Autonomy, the Assembly of Madrid was the unicameral legislature of the homonymous autonomous community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president. [1]

Electoral system

Voting for the Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Community 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, nor being legally incapacitated. [2] [3] [4]

The Assembly of Madrid was entitled to one seat per each 50,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 25,000. All members were elected in a single multi-member constituency—corresponding to the autonomous community's territory—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 regionally. [2] [5] As a result of the aforementioned allocation, the Assembly was entitled to 111 seats, based on the official population figures resulting from the latest revision of the municipal register (as of 1 January 2002). [6]

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. [7] [8]

Election date

The term of the Assembly of Madrid expired four years after the date of its previous ordinary election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the fifty-fifth day prior to the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (BOCM). [2] [9] [10] The previous election was held on 25 May 2003, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 27 May 2007.

The regional president had the prerogative to dissolve the Assembly of Madrid and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the parliament's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution. [11] [12] In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Assembly was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called, which was to be held on the first Sunday following the fifty-fourth day after the call. [13] Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their original four-year term. [11] [14]

The Tamayazo scandal had resulted in the impossibility of any successful investiture in the Assembly elected at the May 2003 election, [15] with a snap election being widely regarded by political parties as the only way out of the deadlock. [16] However, a discussion sparked on the date in which it was legally feasible to hold such an election: [17] the PP aimed for the parties to agree on the dissolution of parliament as soon as it was certified that no candidate was willing to attempt investiture, whereas the PSOE sought to adhere to the legal two-month period as it attempted to have the two defectors to resign their seats and be replaced by their successive candidates in the electoral list. [18] [19] With the deadline to nominate a candidate for investiture being set at 27 June, a vote was being required for no later than 3 July, thus setting the deadline for parliamentary dissolution on 3 September. [20] After Simancas's failed investiture on 28–30 June and the growing expectation of a snap election in October, [21] parties agreed on law amendments to ensure that early elections called under these circumstances were held on the nearest Sunday after all legal deadlines were met, [22] [23] which for this occasion was 26 October. [24]

The election to the Assembly of Madrid was officially called on 30 August 2003 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOCM, setting election day for 26 October and scheduling for the chamber to reconvene on 12 November. [6]

Outgoing parliament

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of the election call. [25]

Parliamentary composition in March 2011
GroupsPartiesLegislators
SeatsTotal
People's Parliamentary Group PP 5555
Socialist Parliamentary Group PSOE 4545
United Left Parliamentary Group IUCM 99
Mixed Parliamentary Group INDEP 2 [a] 2

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 at least 0.5 percent of the electorate in the Community of Madrid, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. [7] [27]

Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:

CandidacyParties and
alliances		Leading candidateIdeologyPrevious resultGov.Ref.
Vote %Seats
PP
List
 Esperanza Aguirre 2004 (cropped).jpg Esperanza Aguirre Conservatism
Christian democracy 		46.7%55Check-green.svg
PSOE Rafael Simancas 2004 (cropped).jpg Rafael Simancas Social democracy 40.0%47Dark Red x.svg
IUCM Fausto Fernandez 2014c (cropped).jpg Fausto Fernández Socialism
Communism 		7.7%9Dark Red x.svg

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; 56 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Assembly of Madrid.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Victory preferences

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

Victory likelihood

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

Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Community of Madrid.

Predicted President

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood for each leader to become president.

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 26 October 2003 Assembly of Madrid election results →
MadridAssemblyDiagram200310.svg
Parties and alliancesPopular voteSeats
Votes%±pp Total+/−
People's Party (PP)1,346,58848.48+1.8157+2
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)1,083,20539.00−0.9945−2
United Left of the Community of Madrid (IUCM)236,0138.50+0.829±0
The Greens of the Community of Madrid (LVCM)14,0670.51−0.410±0
The Greens (LV)12,6650.46−0.920±0
Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB)8,1110.29New0±0
New Socialism (NS)6,1760.22New0±0
National Democracy (DN)3,6940.13+0.020±0
Family and Life Party (PFyV)2,3260.08−0.050±0
The Phalanx (FE)2,2120.08−0.050±0
Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)12,0360.07−0.010±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)1,8940.07−0.010±0
Romantic Mutual Support Party (PMAR)1,5040.05New0±0
Party Association of Widows and Legal Wives (PAVIEL)1,4610.05−0.020±0
Republican Left (IR)1,3960.05−0.030±0
Humanist Party (PH)1,3230.05−0.020±0
Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM)1,2550.05−0.020±0
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC)1,1350.04−0.020±0
Another Democracy is Possible (ODeP)9040.03−0.030±0
Citizen Unity (UC)7760.03−0.030±0
Federal Progressives (PF)4480.02New0±0
Spanish Democratic Party (PADE)00.00−0.120±0
Blank ballots48,4331.74−0.25
Total2,777,622111±0
Valid votes2,777,62299.61+0.06
Invalid votes10,8730.39−0.06
Votes cast / turnout2,788,49562.58−6.69
Abstentions1,667,21137.42+6.69
Registered voters4,455,706
Sources [25] [28]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
PP
 
48.48%
PSOE
 
39.00%
IUCM
 
8.50%
Others
 
2.28%
Blank ballots
 
1.74%
Seats
PP
 
51.35%
PSOE
 
40.54%
IUCM
 
8.11%

Elected legislators

The following table lists the elected legislators sorted by order of election: [28]

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Nomination of Esperanza Aguirre (PP)
Ballot →20 November 2003
Required majority →56 out of 111 Yes check.svg
Yes
  • • PP (57)
57 / 111
No
54 / 111
Abstentions
0 / 111
Absentees
0 / 111
Sources [25] [29]

Notes

  1. ↑ María Teresa Sáez and Eduardo Tamayo, former PSOE legislators. [26]
  2. ↑ Quick count.
  3. ↑ Undecided and/or abstentionists excluded.

References

  1. ↑ Statute (1983) , art. 9.
  2. 1 2 3 Statute (1983) , art. 10.
  3. ↑ LECM (1986) , art. 2.
  4. ↑ LOREG (1985) , arts. 2–3.
  5. ↑ LECM (1986) , art. 18.
  6. 1 2 Decreto 43/2003, de 29 de agosto, del Presidente de la Comunidad de Madrid, por el que se convocan elecciones a la Asamblea de Madrid (Decree 43/2003). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 29 August 2003. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  7. 1 2 LECM (1986) , arts. 10 & 18.
  8. ↑ LOREG (1985) , arts. 46 & 48.
  9. ↑ LECM (1986) , art. 8.
  10. ↑ LOREG (1985) , art. 42.
  11. 1 2 Statute (1983) , art. 21.
  12. ↑ LAMPC (1990) , art. 1.
  13. ↑ Statute (1983) , art. 18.
  14. ↑ LAMPC (1990) , art. 2.
  15. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (20 June 2003). "Aguirre y Simancas renuncian a la investidura, pero el PSOE pide más tiempo". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  16. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (13 June 2003). "Aguirre quiere elecciones inmediatas en Madrid y Simancas pide más tiempo". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  17. ↑ Cardona, Melitón (25 June 2003). "Aspectos jurídicos del escándalo de la Asamblea de la Comunidad de Madrid". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  18. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (19 June 2003). "Simancas rechaza ser investido presidente con el voto de los tránsfugas". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  19. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (20 June 2003). "Aguirre y Simancas renuncian a la investidura, pero el PSOE pide más tiempo". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  20. ↑ Marcos, Pilar (13 June 2003). "El 27 de junio acaba el plazo para designar un candidato a la investidura". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  21. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (1 July 2003). "Los tránsfugas impiden la investidura de Simancas como presidente de Madrid". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  22. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (13 August 2003). "Los populares dan por hecho que las elecciones madrileñas serán el 26 de octubre". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  23. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (26 August 2003). "Los tránsfugas impiden que la investigación de su deserción tenga un dictamen oficial". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  24. ↑ "El Gobierno regional convoca nuevas elecciones para el 26 de octubre". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. 30 August 2003. Retrieved 7 December 2025.
  25. 1 2 3 Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones autonómicas a la Asamblea de Madrid (desde 1983)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 5 December 2025.
  26. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (24 June 2003). "Los dos tránsfugas de Madrid reaparecen para convertirse en árbitros de la Asamblea". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  27. ↑ LOREG (1985) , art. 44.
  28. 1 2 "Elecciones a la Asamblea de Madrid celebradas el 26 de octubre de 2003" (PDF). Official Gazette of the Community of Madrid (in Spanish) (280): 77–78. 24 November 2003. ISSN   1989-4791 . Retrieved 6 December 2025.
  29. ↑ Martín, José Luis (21 November 2003). "Esperanza Aguirre, elegida presidenta de la Comunidad de Madrid con los 57 votos del PP". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
Opinion poll sources
  1. 1 2 "Los primeros sondeos dan la mayoría absoluta al PP en Madrid". El Mundo (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  2. ↑ "Escaños y % según los sondeos". El Mundo (in Spanish). 26 October 2003. Archived from the original on 28 October 2003.
  3. ↑ "Los sondeos a pie de urna le otorgan la mayoría absoluta al PP". El País (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  4. ↑ "El PP obtiene mayoría absoluta, según los sondeos". ABC (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  5. ↑ "El PP vence en Madrid, según sondeos a pie de urna". La Hora Nacional (in Spanish). 26 October 2003.
  6. 1 2 "El Partido Popular recupera la mayoría absoluta". El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 October 2003.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Intención de voto. Comunidad de Madrid. 16 de octubre de 2003" (PDF). Instituto Opina (in Spanish). 16 October 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 August 2005. Retrieved 20 June 2018.
  8. 1 2 "Aguirre conseguirá mayoría absoluta". El País (in Spanish). 19 October 2003.
  9. ↑ "Una encuesta del PSOE le da un diputado más". ABC (in Spanish). 14 October 2003.
  10. ↑ "Mayoría absoluta para el PP en Madrid, según el Pulsómetro". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 10 October 2003.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 "Pulsómetro 10/10/2003". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 10 October 2003. Archived from the original on 23 September 2015.
  12. ↑ "Un sondeo de la SER pronostica mayoría absoluta para Aguirre". El País (in Spanish). 11 October 2003.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas, 2003. CA de Madrid (Estudio nº 2539. Septiembre-Octubre 2003)". CIS (in Spanish). 16 October 2003.
  14. ↑ "El PSOE paga la fuga de Tamayo y entrega al PP la mayoría absoluta en Madrid, según el CIS". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 17 October 2003.
  15. 1 2 3 "Prospectiva Electoral de la Comunidad de Madrid". Infortécnica (in Spanish). September 2003.
  16. ↑ "El Partido Popular recupera la mayoría absoluta". El Mundo (in Spanish). 29 September 2003.
  17. ↑ "Una encuesta del PP le da mayoría absoluta". ABC (in Spanish). 28 September 2003.
  18. 1 2 3 4 "El PP lograría la mayoría absoluta por un solo diputado en Madrid tras la crisis de la Asamblea". ABC (in Spanish). 7 September 2003.
  19. ↑ "El partido socialista perdería el Gobierno de Madrid si se celebran unas nuevas elecciones". El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 June 2003.
  20. ↑ "Intención de voto en la Comunidad de Madrid". El Mundo (in Spanish). 27 June 2003.
  21. 1 2 3 "Los madrileños no cambiarán su voto, según una encuesta de Tele 5". El País (in Spanish). 16 June 2003.

Bibliography

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