Elections to the Cantabrian Parliament, 2011
Encyclopedia
The 2011 elections to the Cantabrian Parliament were the eighth elections to the unicameral
regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community
of Cantabria
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 39 members of the Assembly.
Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage
in a secret ballot
. The electoral system used was closed list
proportional representation
in a single electoral district with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method
. Only lists which polled at least 5% of the votes (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats.
The Regionalist Party of Cantabria
(PRC) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
(PSOE) had formed the government of the region since the 2003 elections, however the elections were won by the People's Party
(PP) who gained three seats from the PSOE. This was the first absolute majority of seats won by the PP, although it predecessor, the People's Alliance achieved the same feat at the 1983 elections.
One of the first tasks of the new Parliament will be to elect the President of Cantabria
from among their number, with Ignacio Diego of the PP expected to replace the current President, Miguel Ángel Revilla
.
Unicameralism
In government, unicameralism is the practice of having one legislative or parliamentary chamber. Thus, a unicameral parliament or unicameral legislature is a legislature which consists of one chamber or house...
regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community
Autonomous communities of Spain
An autonomous community In other languages of Spain:*Catalan/Valencian .*Galician .*Basque . The second article of the constitution recognizes the rights of "nationalities and regions" to self-government and declares the "indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation".Political power in Spain is...
of Cantabria
Cantabria
Cantabria is a Spanish historical region and autonomous community with Santander as its capital city. It is bordered on the east by the Basque Autonomous Community , on the south by Castile and León , on the west by the Principality of Asturias, and on the north by the Cantabrian Sea.Cantabria...
. The elections were held on 22 May 2011 to elect the 39 members of the Assembly.
Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage
Universal suffrage
Universal suffrage consists of the extension of the right to vote to adult citizens as a whole, though it may also mean extending said right to minors and non-citizens...
in a secret ballot
Secret ballot
The secret ballot is a voting method in which a voter's choices in an election or a referendum are anonymous. The key aim is to ensure the voter records a sincere choice by forestalling attempts to influence the voter by intimidation or bribery. The system is one means of achieving the goal of...
. The electoral system used was closed list
Closed 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...
proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional 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...
in a single electoral district with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method
D'Hondt method
The d'Hondt method is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. The method described is named after Belgian mathematician Victor D'Hondt who described it in 1878...
. Only lists which polled at least 5% of the votes (including votes "en blanco" i.e. for "none of the above") were eligible for seats.
The Regionalist Party of Cantabria
Regionalist Party of Cantabria
The Regionalist Party of Cantabria , is the second oldest political party in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Cantabria. The PRC originated in the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , founded on May 14, 1976, with the objective of promoting Cantabrian autonomy.-History:The PRC...
(PRC) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in...
(PSOE) had formed the government of the region since the 2003 elections, however the elections were won by the People's Party
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
(PP) who gained three seats from the PSOE. This was the first absolute majority of seats won by the PP, although it predecessor, the People's Alliance achieved the same feat at the 1983 elections.
One of the first tasks of the new Parliament will be to elect the President of Cantabria
President of Cantabria
The President of the Government of Cantabria, according to the Autonomy Statute of Cantabria, presides over the Government of Cantabria, directing its activities, coordinating the Administration of the autonomous community, designating and separating the councillors, and holds supreme...
from among their number, with Ignacio Diego of the PP expected to replace the current President, Miguel Ángel Revilla
Miguel Ángel Revilla
Miguel Ángel Revilla Roiz, President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria , was born in Polaciones, Cantabria on 23 January 1943.In 1976, he was a founder of the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , a pioneer organization in the defense of the autonomy of Cantabria, and later...
.
Parties represented in Parliament
| Candidates |
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| Party | Candidate |
|---|---|
| People's Party People's Party (Spain) The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship... (PP) |
Juan Ignacio Diego |
| Regionalist Party of Cantabria Regionalist Party of Cantabria The Regionalist Party of Cantabria , is the second oldest political party in the Spanish Autonomous Community of Cantabria. The PRC originated in the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , founded on May 14, 1976, with the objective of promoting Cantabrian autonomy.-History:The PRC... (PRC) |
Miguel Ángel Revilla Miguel Ángel Revilla Miguel Ángel Revilla Roiz, President of the Autonomous Community of Cantabria , was born in Polaciones, Cantabria on 23 January 1943.In 1976, he was a founder of the Association in Defense of the Interests of Cantabria , a pioneer organization in the defense of the autonomy of Cantabria, and later... |
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in... (PSOE) |
Dolores Gorostiaga Saiz |
Opinion polls
| Poll details | PP People's Party (Spain) The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship... |
PRC | PSOE Spanish Socialist Workers' Party The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party is a social-democratic political party in Spain. Its political position is Centre-left. The PSOE is the former ruling party of Spain, until beaten in the elections of November 2011 and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in... |
IU United Left (Spain) The United Left is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 bringing together several political organisations opposed to Spain joining NATO. It was formed by a number of groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was dominated by the Communist Party of Spain... |
UPyD Union, Progress and Democracy Union, Progress and Democracy is a Spanish political party founded in September 2007.It is a progressivist party, between social democracy and social liberalism. One of its goals is to build a federal system for Spain and European Union, with clear responsibilities distributed among local... |
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| El Mundo El Mundo (Spain) El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the... (15/02/2010) |
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| El Mundo El Mundo (Spain) El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the... (31/05/2010) |
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| El Mundo El Mundo (Spain) El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the... (05/01/2011) |
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