Andorran parliamentary election, 2009
Encyclopedia
Andorra
Andorra , officially the Principality of Andorra , also called the Principality of the Valleys of Andorra, , is a small landlocked country in southwestern Europe, located in the eastern Pyrenees mountains and bordered by Spain and France. It is the sixth smallest nation in Europe having an area of...
on 26 April 2009, the fourth under the 1993 Constitution
Constitution of Andorra
The Constitution of Andorra is the supreme law of the Principality of Andorra. It was adopted on 2 February 1993 and given assent by the Andorran people in a referendum on 14 March 1993...
. The elections were held at the end of the normal four-year term of the General Council (Consell General, Andorra's parliament), but also following months of intense pressure from Co-Prince Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy is the 23rd and current President of the French Republic and ex officio Co-Prince of Andorra. He assumed the office on 16 May 2007 after defeating the Socialist Party candidate Ségolène Royal 10 days earlier....
to change the country's banking secrecy laws.
The Social Democratic Party
Social Democratic Party (Andorra)
The Social Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in Andorra.In the April 24 2005 legislative elections, the party came second in the elections, with 38.1 % of the popular vote and 11 out of 28 seats. It remained in opposition to the government of the Liberal Party of Andorra...
led by Jaume Bartumeu
Jaume Bartumeu
Jaume Bartumeu Cassany is an Andorran lawyer and politician, who served as head of government from 2009 to 2011. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party in June 2000, in which he held the position of first secretary between 2000 and 2004...
was the clear winner, with 45.03% of votes for its national list, followed by the "Reformist Coalition" led by the Liberal Party of Andorra
Liberal Party of Andorra
The Liberal Party of Andorra is a centre-right, conservative-liberal, political party and the largest party in Andorra. It was founded in 1992 by Marc Forné, who became Head of Government in 1994...
(32.34%) and the new Andorra for Change
Andorra for Change
Andorra for Change is a political party in Andorra. At the 2009 parliamentary elections, the party gained 18.86% of the vote and three parliamentary seats....
party (18.86%). The Social Democrats hold fourteen seats in the General Council, against eleven for the Liberals and three for Andorra for Change.
The electorate, restricted to Andorran citizens, was 20,298 voters out of a population of about 85,000. There were 114 candidates for 28 seats, more than one candidate for every 200 voters. Turnout was 75.3%.
Issues
The main issue in the elections is the possible changes required to Andorra's economic modelEconomy of Andorra
Andorra's GDP in 2007 was $3.66 billion, with tourism as its principal component. Attractive for shoppers from France and Spain as a free port, the country also has developed active summer and winter tourist resorts. With some 270 hotels and 400 restaurants, as well as many shops, the tourist trade...
to facilitate its international relations.
On 11 March 2009, three weeks before the 2009 G-20 London Summit
2009 G-20 London summit
The 2009 G-20 London Summit is the second meeting of the G-20 heads of state in discussion of financial markets and the world economy, which was held in London on 2 April 2009 at the ExCeL Exhibition Centre. It followed the first G-20 Leaders Summit on Financial Markets and the World Economy, which...
, the Head of Government Albert Pintat
Albert Pintat
Albert Pintat Santolària was the head of government of Andorra fom 27 May 2005 to 5 June 2009.Pintat graduated from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland in 1967, majoring in economics....
made a unilateral declaration in Paris promising to improve the exchange of information (for tax purposes) about non-residents who hold bank accounts in Andorra. He committed the incoming government to drafting changes to the banking secrecy laws by 1 September 2009, which would then be passed by the General Council before 15 November 2009. He also announced that he would not be leading the Liberal Party of Andorra in the elections so as to devote his time to negotiating tax treaties
Tax treaty
Many countries have agreed with other countries in treaties to mitigate the effects of double taxation . Tax treaties may cover income taxes, inheritance taxes, value added taxes, or other taxes...
with other countries, starting with France. Such agreements would also abolish the punitive customs duties
Duty (economics)
In economics, a duty is a kind of tax, often associated with customs, a payment due to the revenue of a state, levied by force of law. It is a tax on certain items purchased abroad...
which France and Spain impose on Andorran exports (33% and 25% respectively). The Liberal Party and the Social Democratic Party have agreed to cooperate in the drafting of the new legislation.
The negotiation of tax treaties is complicated by the present tax structure of Andorra. The state is funded mostly by indirect taxation, such as levies on water supplies and telecommunications, and by fees for administrative permits. The Social Democratic Party proposes the introduction of income tax
Income tax
An income tax is a tax levied on the income of individuals or businesses . Various income tax systems exist, with varying degrees of tax incidence. Income taxation can be progressive, proportional, or regressive. When the tax is levied on the income of companies, it is often called a corporate...
and value added tax
Value added tax
A value added tax or value-added tax is a form of consumption tax. From the perspective of the buyer, it is a tax on the purchase price. From that of the seller, it is a tax only on the "value added" to a product, material or service, from an accounting point of view, by this stage of its...
, albeit at low rates, whereas the Liberal Party prefers keeping changes to the tax system to a minimum. Andorra for Change rejects any changes whatsoever to the current system.
A third issue is the relationship Andorra should have with the European Economic Area
European Economic Area
The European Economic Area was established on 1 January 1994 following an agreement between the member states of the European Free Trade Association and the European Community, later the European Union . Specifically, it allows Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway to participate in the EU's Internal...
(EEA): at present, Andorra has a limited set of bilateral agreements with the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
in the fields of economic, social, and cultural cooperation, signed in June 2004. The Social Democratic Party favours expanding these into a fully fledged association agreement; the Liberal Party is more reticent, but has promised to cooperate in any discussions.
Electoral system
Twenty-eight "general councillors" were elected on 26 April, 2009, based on party lists (closed listClosed list
Closed list describes the variant of party-list proportional representation where voters can only vote for political parties as a whole and thus have no influence on the party-supplied order in which party candidates are elected...
system):
- two general councillors from each of the seven parishesParishes of AndorraAndorra consists of seven communities known as parishes . Until relatively recently, it had only six parishes; the seventh, Escaldes-Engordany, was created in 1978....
, elected from the list with most votes in each parish; - fourteen general councillors elected from national lists using the largest remainder methodLargest remainder methodThe largest remainder method is one way of allocating seats proportionally for representative assemblies with party list voting systems...
of proportional representationProportional representationProportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
.
The parish lists and the national list are independent of one another: the same person cannot appear on both the national list and on a parish list, and voters cast two separate ballots (there is no requirement to vote for the same party for both lists).
Party lists
| Name of national list | First candidate on national list | Parish lists | 2005 result | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | Seats | ||||
Reformist Coalition (Coalició Reformista)
|
Joan Gabriel Joan Gabriel i Estany Joan Gabriel i Estany is an Andorran politician. He is a member of the Liberal Party of Andorra and served as Síndic general of the Parliament of Andorra from 2005 to 2009. He is the candidate for the Reformist Coalition for the 2009 election.-External links:*... |
7 | 41.2% (11.0%) |
14 (2) |
|
| Social Democratic Party Social Democratic Party (Andorra) The Social Democratic Party is a social democratic political party in Andorra.In the April 24 2005 legislative elections, the party came second in the elections, with 38.1 % of the popular vote and 11 out of 28 seats. It remained in opposition to the government of the Liberal Party of Andorra... (Partit Socialdemòcrata) Parochial Union of Independents Group Parochial Union of Independents Group is a local progressive political party in Ordino, Andorra.In the local elections of 2003 GUPI won 2 out of 10 seats in Ordino.... (Grup d'Unió Parroquial Independents), and other independents in some parishes |
Jaume Bartumeu Jaume Bartumeu Jaume Bartumeu Cassany is an Andorran lawyer and politician, who served as head of government from 2009 to 2011. He was a founding member of the Social Democratic Party in June 2000, in which he held the position of first secretary between 2000 and 2004... |
7 | 38.0% | 11 | |
| Andorra for Change Andorra for Change Andorra for Change is a political party in Andorra. At the 2009 parliamentary elections, the party gained 18.86% of the vote and three parliamentary seats.... (Andorra pel Canvi) Democratic Renewal (Andorra) The Democratic Renewal is a social-liberal political party in Andorra.At the legislative elections of 24 April 2005, the party won 6.2% of the popular vote and 1 out of 28 seats.... (Renovació Democràtica) |
Juan Eusebio Nomen Calvet | 5 | (6.2%) | (1) | |
| National Union of Progress (Unió Nacional de Progrés) | Tomas Pascual Casabosch | 0 | — | — | |
| Greens of Andorra Greens of Andorra The Greens of Andorra is a green political party in Andorra.At the legislative election of 2005 the party's 451 votes translated into no seats in the General Council, in 2009 its 466 votes led to no seats, and in 2011 its 520 votes again won no seats. The party did not contest the 2001 election... (Els Verds d'Andorra) |
Isabel Lozano Muñoz | 3 | 3.5% | 0 | |
External links
- Official site on the 2009 parliamentary elections from the Government of Andorra
- El Periòdic d'Andorra, daily newspaper
- Diari d'Andorra, daily newspaper