2011 Murcian regional election

The 2011 Murcian regional election was held on Sunday, 22 May 2011, to elect the 8th Regional Assembly of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia. All 45 seats in the Regional Assembly were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

2011 Murcian regional election
22 May 2011
All 45 seats in the Regional Assembly of Murcia
23 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered974,998 1.2%
Turnout662,086 (67.9%)
0.1 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Ramón Luis Valcárcel Begoña García Retegui José Antonio Pujante
Party PP PSOE IU
Leader since 5 October 1991 3 October 2010 April 2005
Leader's seat Three Three Three
Last election 29 seats, 58.3% 15 seats, 32.0% 1 seat, 6.3%
Seats won 33 11 1
Seat change 4 4 0
Popular vote 382,871 155,506 50,988
Percentage 58.8% 23.9% 7.8%
Swing 0.5 pp 8.1 pp 1.5 pp
Constituency results map for the Regional Assembly of Murcia
President before election

Ramón Luis Valcárcel
PP

 Elected President

Ramón Luis Valcárcel
PP

The election was won by the People's Party (PP), which obtained its best result ever in the Region. With over 70% of the seats (33), it obtained thrice the number of seats of the second most voted party, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which plummeted to just below 24% and 11 seats. The PP had won its first election in 1995, and under Ramón Luis Valcárcel it had achieved an absolute majority of seats and votes in all elections held ever since.

All in all, the PP gained four seats from the PSOE, with United Left (IU) holding its solitary seat but gaining ground, increasing its % of the share from 6.3% to 7.8%. The 5% regional threshold prevented Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) from winning a seat as, although it polled 5.3% in District Three, its vote in the entire Murcian region was 4.5%.

Overview

Electoral system

The Regional Assembly of Murcia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Murcia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Murcian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[1]

Voting for the Regional Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Region of Murcia and in full enjoyment of their political rights. Amendments to the electoral law in 2011 required for Murcians abroad to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado).[2] The 45 members of the Regional Assembly of Murcia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Seats were allocated to constituencies, which were established by law as follows:

Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of one seat, with the remaining 40 allocated among the constituencies in proportion to their populations.[3]

Election date

The term of the Regional Assembly of Murcia expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Regional Assembly were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 27 May 2007, setting the election date for the Regional Assembly on Sunday, 22 May 2011.[1][3][4]

The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Regional Assembly of Murcia 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 legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Regional Assembly was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. 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 four-year terms.[1]

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition 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 one percent of the electorate in the Region of Murcia, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.[3][4]

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

Candidacy Parties and
alliances		 Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Votes (%) Seats
PP
List
 Ramón Luis Valcárcel Conservatism
Christian democracy		 58.30% 29 checkY [5]
PSOE
List
 Begoña García Retegui Social democracy 32.00% 15 ☒N [6]
IU–V–RM
List
 José Antonio Pujante Socialism
Communism
Eco-socialism		 6.25% 1 ☒N [7]
[8]

Opinion polls

The table below lists voting intention estimates 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. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 23 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Regional Assembly of Murcia.

Results

Overall
← Summary of the 22 May 2011 Regional Assembly of Murcia election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes  % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 382,87158.79+0.49 33+4
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 155,50623.88–8.12 11–4
United Left–Greens of the Region of Murcia (IU–V–RM) 50,9887.83+1.58 1±0
Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) 29,2794.50New 0±0
The Greens of the Region of Murcia–Ecolo (LV–Ecolo) 7,6591.18New 0±0
Liberal Democratic Centre (CDL) 3,9300.60+0.02 0±0
Party for the Regeneration of Democracy in Spain (PRDE) 1,1770.18New 0±0
Employment Business Party (PEE) 1,0570.16New 0±0
National Democracy (DN) 8560.13–0.02 0±0
Renewed United Democratic Centre (CDUR) 8340.13New 0±0
Centre and Democracy Forum (CyD) 8240.13New 0±0
Communist Unification of Spain (UCE) 7190.11New 0±0
State Reform of Nostradamus (REN) 6210.10New 0±0
The Phalanx (FE) 4880.07New 0±0
Republican Platform–Republican Coalition of the Region of Murcia (PRCR) 2200.03New 0±0
Citizens' Convergence of the South-East (CCSE) 1820.03New 0±0
Blank ballots 14,0502.16+0.83
Total 651,261 45±0
Valid votes 651,26198.37–0.87
Invalid votes 10,8251.63+0.87
Votes cast / turnout 662,08667.91–0.10
Abstentions 312,91232.09+0.10
Registered voters 974,998
Sources[9][10][11]
Popular vote
PP
 
 58.79%
PSOE
 
 23.88%
IU–V–RM
 
 7.83%
UPyD
 
 4.50%
LV–Ecolo
 
 1.18%
Others
 
 1.67%
Blank ballots
 
 2.16%
Seats
PP
 
 73.33%
PSOE
 
 24.44%
IU–V–RM
 
 2.22%

Distribution by constituency
Constituency PP PSOE IU–V–RM
 % S  % S  % S
One 57.2 5 26.7 2 9.6 −
Two 60.8 8 21.4 2 6.9 −
Three 59.9 15 22.0 5 7.5 1
Four 53.2 3 33.9 1 7.9 −
Five 52.3 2 29.0 1 10.2 −
Total 58.8 33 23.9 11 7.8 1
Sources[9][10][11]

Aftermath

Government formation
Investiture
Ramón Luis Valcárcel (PP)
Ballot → 22 June 2011
Required majority → 23 out of 45 checkY
Yes
  • • PP (33)
33 / 45
No
12 / 45
Abstentions
0 / 45
Absentees
0 / 45
Sources[11]

2014 investiture
Investiture
Alberto Garre (PP)
Ballot → 8 April 2014
Required majority → 23 out of 45 checkY
Yes
  • • PP (33)
33 / 45
No
11 / 45
Abstentions
0 / 45
Absentees
1 / 45
Sources[11]

References
Opinion poll sources
  1. "El PP arrebataría un diputado al PSRM hasta alcanzar los 30". La Verdad (in Spanish). 14 May 2011.
  2. "La encuesta del CEMOP otorga al PP 30 escaños en la Asamblea Regional". La Verdad (in Spanish). 15 May 2011.
  3. "El PP blinda sus feudos". La Razón (in Spanish). 16 May 2011. Archived from the original on 16 September 2011.
  4. "El PP podría recuperar la alcaldía de Palma de Mallorca". Antena 3 (in Spanish). 7 May 2011.
  5. "Los cuatro inexpugnables". La Razón (in Spanish). 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 26 April 2011.
  6. "Barómetro electoral autonómico" (PDF). Celeste-Tel (in Spanish). 9 May 2011.
  7. "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas, 2011. Región de Murcia (Estudio nº 2880. Marzo-Abril 2011)" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 5 May 2011.
  8. "El PSOE fija su objetivo: salvar los muebles". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 6 May 2011.
  9. "El Mundo 25-27 de Abril 2011". El Mundo (in Spanish). 25 April 2011.
  10. "Valcárcel tendría dos tercios del Parlamento de Murcia (El Mundo)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 25 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 April 2011. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  11. "El PP arrasa con Valcárcel, que amplía su hegemonía y hunde aún más al PSOE". ABC (in Spanish). 8 May 2011.
  12. "Región de Murcia: PP 31 escaños, PSOE 13, IU 1 (Grupo Vocento)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 8 May 2011. Archived from the original on 11 May 2011. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  13. "Barómetro Región de Murcia Primavera 2011". CEMOP (in Spanish). 12 April 2011.
  14. "El PP podría acaparar hasta dos tercios de la Asamblea en Murcia (El Mundo)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 7 January 2011. Archived from the original on 7 March 2011. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
  15. "Barómetro de la Región de Murcia. Otoño 2010". CEMOP (in Spanish). 19 November 2010.
  16. "Caso electoral histórico en más comunidades autónomas (El Mundo)". Electómetro (in Spanish). 1 June 2010. Archived from the original on 22 June 2010.
  17. "Barómetro de la Región de Murcia. Primavera 2010". CEMOP (in Spanish). 4 June 2010. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  18. "Si hoy hubiera elecciones, el PP murciano obtendría el 60% de los votos". Consultores CSA (in Spanish). 29 November 2009.
  19. "Barómetro Región de Murcia. Otoño 2009". CEMOP (in Spanish). 28 November 2009. Archived from the original on 9 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  20. "Barómetro Región de Murcia. Primavera 2009". CEMOP (in Spanish). 10 May 2009. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
Other
  1. "Ley Orgánica 4/1982, de 9 de junio, de Estatuto de Autonomía para la Región de Murcia". Organic Law No. 4 of 9 June 1982 (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  2. Reig Pellicer, Naiara (16 December 2015). "Spanish elections: Begging for the right to vote". cafebabel.co.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
  3. "Ley 2/1987, de 24 de febrero, Electoral de la Región de Murcia". Law No. 2 of 24 February 1987 (in Spanish). Retrieved 22 February 2017.
  4. "Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General". Act of 19 June 1985 (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
  5. "Valcárcel optará a la reelección en Murcia en 2011". El Economista (in Spanish). Madrid. EFE. 30 September 2009. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  6. "Begoña García Retegui será la rival de Valcárcel en las próximas elecciones autonómicas". La Verdad (in Spanish). Agencias. 4 October 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  7. "IU integra a la formación Ecosocialistas de la Región de Murcia en su proyecto político y social". 20 minutos (in Spanish). Europa Press. 15 November 2010. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  8. "José Antonio Pujante es ratificado como candidato de IU-Verdes a la presidencia de la CARM" (in Spanish). Murcia: Europa Press. 15 January 2011. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  9. "2011 Statistical Yearbook of the Region of Murcia. Volume I" (PDF). econet.carm.es (in Spanish). Regional Statistics Center of Murcia. Retrieved 7 December 2019.
  10. Sierra Rodríguez, Javier (2015). El Sistema Electoral de la Región de Murcia: Balance y Perspectivas (PDF) (in Spanish). Murcia: Universidad de Murcia. Facultad de Derecho. p. 326. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  11. "Elecciones a la Asamblea Regional de Murcia (1983 - 2019)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 30 September 2017.
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