THE SPANISH NATIONAL ELECTIONS: FREQUENTLY ASKED

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 MADRID 000613 SIPDIS SENSITIVE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV PREL SP PSOE SUBJECT: THE SPANISH NATIONAL ELECTIONS: FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQS) ¶1. (U) This cable aims at providing "at a glance" answers to questions we have received from Washington audiences about the upcoming Spanish national elections, including the complexities of Spain's parliamentary system and its regional aspects. ¶2. (U) WHEN ARE THE NATIONAL ELECTIONS? -------------- -------------- Sunday, March 14, 2004 ¶3. (U) WHAT'S AT STAKE IN THIS ELECTION? -------------- -------------- -- All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies. -- All 208 elected seats in the Senate. (an additional 51 seats are appointed by the regional governments (called Autonomous Communities)) -- President of the Government (Prime Minister). Not voted on directly, but selected by the Congress of Deputies. -- Separate elections for regional assembly and government in Andalucia. ¶4. (U) HOW ARE SEATS ALLOCATED AND MEMBERS ELECTED TO THE CONGRESS OF DEPUTIES? -------------- -------------- -- Each of the 50 provinces is entitled to a minimum of two seats = 100 seats -- The autonomous cities of Ceuta & Melilla receive one seat each = 2 seats -- The remainder of the 248 seats are allocated to the 50 provinces in proportion to their populations (Ceuta and Melilla are excluded) -- Voters do not choose individual candidates, but rather vote for a party list. The political parties assign candidates for each province list. Those candidates do not necessarily have to be residents of the province, as members of Congress serve the nation, not their constituency. Constituency issues are handled by the regional, provincial and local governments or in the Senate, which has the responsibility of managing the relations between the national government and the regions. -- The candidates on the list are ranked-ordered by the party, with the rank designating the preference in which candidates will receive any seats won by the party. For example, if a party wins three seats in a province, the top three names on its list will take a seat in Congress. Parties strategically place those they wish to ensure are elected by placing them at the head of a list or in a province where they expect to win enough seats to reach the candidate. -- In order to participate in the allocation of seats, a party must win at least 3% of all valid votes cast (this includes blank ballets) in their respective provinces. -- From the votes cast, seats are assigned in each province by a proportional representation formula, called the D,Hondt Method. ¶5. (SBU) DOES THE SYSTEM HAVE ANY BIASES? -------------- -------------- The D'Hondt Method's proportional-representational formula tends to over-represent the party that wins the highest percent of the vote, and under-represents the smallest parties. It also benefits parties who agree to unite and run a combined candidate list, providing more seats than if the parties agreed to coalition after the election. ¶6. (SBU) HAVE THE TWO MAJOR LEFT-LEANING PARTIES CONSIDERED RUNNING TOGETHER THIS ELECTION TO DEFEAT THE RULING CONSERVATIVES? -------------- -------------- No, the Socialists (PSOE) and the far-left party (Izquierda Unida) have not run combined lists since the reintroduction of democracy. Socialists and "communists" uniting (which is still remembered as being the constituents of the Popular Front coalition of the mid-1930,s) would likely drive some voters away, negating any benefit of the union. The Socialists and far leftists have had agreements and joint candidate lists in regional races in Catalonia and Mallorca. ¶7. (U) HOW IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE GOVERNMENT (PRIME MINISTER) SELECTED? -------------- -------------- -- Indirectly, by majority vote of the Congress of Deputies. -- Just as political parties select the closed-list of candidates for Congress, the parties also select their candidates for President. These are in practice designated before the election, but in theory, a party could put forward a different candidate after the election. -- The Presidential candidates run for a position in the Congress at the top of the party list in a given province ) usually Madrid. -- The political party which wins the largest number of seats will be invited by the King to form a government. -- The candidate for President of the Government (PM) then presents his program (similar to party platforms in the US, giving the candidate,s proposals for social, economic and foreign policy, etc.) to the Congress. After this presentation, the Congress votes to approve the candidate, who must be approved by an absolute majority* of the Congress. If this does not happen, the candidate can return to the Congress (approximately one week later) and win the Presidency with a simple majority*. -- After the installation of a new government, the party can designate one or more Vice Presidents, but the position of Vice President in Spain does not necessarily go to the party,s next most influential member(s). Note *Absolute majority means a majority representing more than half the number voting (In the case of the Congress of Deputies, 176 votes of the total 350). Simple majority means the greatest number of votes. ¶8. (U) HAVE THE TWO MAJOR PARTIES EVER HAD TO SHARE POWER? -------------- -------------- No. Since the reintroduction of democracy in 1977, one of the major parties has always been able to either win an absolute majority or coalition with smaller parties to win a majority and select their President. ¶9. (U) IS THERE A CONTROLLED CAMPAIGN TIME? -------------- -------------- Official campaigning begins two weeks before the actual elections. All canvassing for votes must cease one day before the actual election day, and no campaigning is permitted either on the last day ("day of reflection") or on election day. ¶10. (U) WHO ARE THE MAIN PARTIES IN THE ELECTORAL RACE? -------------- -------------- The two main parties are: PP ) Popular Party; Leader: Mariano Rajoy PSOE ) Spanish Socialist Worker,s Party; Leader: Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero Others include: CiU ) Convergence and Union (Moderate Catalan Nationalists); Leader: Josep Antoni Duran i Lleida IU ) United Left; Leader: Gaspar Llamazares PNV ) Basque Nationalist Party; Leader: Josu Jon Imaz CC ) Canarian Coalition; Leader: Paulino Rivero BNG ) Galician Nationalist Bloc; Leader: Anxo Quintana AP ) Andalusian Party; Leader: Antonio Ortega ERC ) Catalonia,s Republican Left; Leader: Josep-Lluis Carod-Rovira ¶11. (SBU) HOW DO THE TWO MAIN PARTIES COMPARE ON POLICY? -------------- -------------- The ruling Popular Party (PP),led by Mariano Rajoy, has pledged to continue the PP,s commitment to a strong transatlantic alliance, supporting a Spanish military role in Iraq peacekeeping efforts and maintaining close ties with the United States in the War on Terrorism. The PP also promises to keep the strong economy on track and to preserve the integrity of the Spanish state from growing nationalist pressures in Catalonia and the Basque Country. The Spanish Socialist Worker,s Party (PSOE),led by Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, has agreed to maintain the Spanish presence in Iraq until the end of the current commitment (June 30),but advocates the withdrawal of Spanish forces after that date unless the UN is in control of peacekeeping. While the PSOE states a desire for a constructive transatlantic alliance with the US, it stresses the primacy of Spain,s relationship with the European Union. The PSOE pledges to maintain full Spanish cooperation in the War on Terrorism. The PSOE also proposes to increase social programs without raising taxes. ¶12. (U) WHAT IS THE POPULATION OF SPAIN IN RELATION TO THE NUMBER OF ELIGIBILE PARTIES? -------------- -------------- Population: 42,717,064 Number of eligible voters**: 34,403,965 Note **Voters do not need to be registered to vote in Spain. The only requirements are that the voter be over 18 years of age, listed on the census, and a Spanish citizen. Permanent residents and some other non-citizens are allowed to vote in municipal elections, but not in national or regional elections. ¶13. (U) HOW ARE MEMBERS ELECTED TO THE SPANISH SENATE? -------------- -------------- -- There are 208 directly elected seats: - Each of the 47 peninsular provinces is assigned 4 seats = 188 seats - The larger Balears and Canarias (3 islands) are assigned 3 seats each = 9 seats - The smaller islands (seven) are assigned one seat each = 7 seats - Ceuta & Melilla are assigned two seats each = 4 seats -- The legislative assemblies of the regional governments (Autonomous Communities) are also assigned one seat each and one seat for every million inhabitants. These positions are appointed by the regional government assemblies and are not involved in the electoral process. -- Voters select specific candidates for the Senate, as it uses an "open" list of candidates. Voters have three votes for the four seats allocated to the province, and can cast all three for a single candidate or split their votes as they choose among different parties. -- The Senate in the Spanish system is by far the weaker of the two houses. ¶14. (SBU) WHAT'S THE LIKELY OUTCOME IN THE REGIONAL ELECTIONS IN ANDALUCIA? -------------- -------------- Andalucia has been a PSOE stronghold, and polls indicate that they are close to an absolute majority and should be able to form a government in coalition with smaller parties. MANZANARES