1989 жылғы испандық жалпы сайлауы

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The 1989 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 29 October 1989, to elect the 4th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 254 seats in the Senate. An election had not been due until 28 July 1990 at latest, but Prime Minister Felipe González called for a snap election nine months ahead of schedule, allegedly on the need of implementing tough economic measures. González hoped to capitalize on a still strong economy and his party's electoral success in a European Parliament election held in June, after a troubled legislature which had seen an increase of social protest on his government's economic policy and the calling of a massive general strike in 1988. Judicial courts were forced to intervene, determining by elections for Murcia, Pontevedra and Melilla. The issue was appealed to the Constitutional Court of Spain, which overruled previous rulings and validated the vote in Melilla only, with a new election being held on 25 March 1990. Julio Anguita's left wing coalition, United Left (IU), scored a remarkable success by doubling its 1986 totals, whereas Adolfo Suárez's Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) fell short of its goal of becoming a government alternative and lost votes and seats.

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 constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.

Despite Aznar's designation as PP candidate, the opposition remained divided and weak on the road to the 1989 election. This, coupled with a buoyant economy, made a new PSOE victory inevitable. The electoral campaign, thus, focused on whether the Socialists would be able to maintain their absolute majority on the Congress of Deputies for a third term in office. United Left had also appointed a new leader, Julio Anguita, and had high expectations to increase their parliamentary representation from the 7 seats they had won in 1986. During the campaign, Felipe González pledged that this would be the last time he would stand for the office of Prime Minister. He would eventually stand for two more elections, until 1996.

Party or alliance Original slogan English translation Ref. (References) PSOE « España, en progreso » "Spain, in progress" PP « ¡Palabra! » "Promise!"

+ ← Summary of the 29 October 1989 Senate of Spain election results → Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats Votes % ±pp Total +/− Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)1 22,272,484 40.14 –4.38 107 –17 People's Party (PP)1 2 14,459,290 26.06 –0.03 78 +15 United Left (IU) 4,866,930 8.77 +4.12 1 +1 Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)1 4,218,268 7.60 –0.57 1 –2 Convergence and Union (CiU) 2,937,029 5.29 +0.01 10 +2 Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) 742,058 1.34 –0.34 4 –3 Andalusian Party (PA) 638,137 1.15 +0.61 0 ±0 Popular Unity (HB) 631,299 1.14 –0.08 3 +2 Basque Solidarity (EA) 398,922 0.72 New 0 ±0 Ruiz Mateos Group (Ruiz Mateos) 391,939 0.71 New 0 ±0 Valencian Union (UV) 336,379 0.61 +0.20 0 ±0 The Ecologist Greens (LVE) 300,390 0.54 New 0 ±0 Basque Country Left (EE) 299,794 0.54 –0.02 0 ±0 The Greens–Green List (LV–LV) 273,310 0.49 +0.29 0 ±0 Workers' Party of Spain–Communist Unity (PTE–UC)3 267,683 0.48 –0.69 0 ±0 Aragonese Party (PAR) 239,550 0.43 –0.03 0 ±0 Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 239,532 0.43 –0.03 0 ±0 Communists in the Senate Coalition (CS) 151,563 0.27 New 0 ±0 Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) 144,544 0.26 +0.11 0 ±0 Galician Coalition (CG) 133,989 0.24 –0.19 0 ±0 Valencian People's Union (UPV) 133,327 0.24 –0.01 0 ±0 Workers' Socialist Party (PST) 124,597 0.22 +0.07 0 ±0 Canarian Independent Groups (AIC) 113,524 0.20 –0.03 2 +1 Galician Socialist Party–Galician Left (PSG–EG) 101,432 0.18 –0.06 0 ±0 Spanish Vertex Ecological Development Revindication (VERDE) 99,949 0.18 –0.09 0 ±0 Green Alternative–Ecologist Movement of Catalonia (AV–MEC) 85,078 0.15 +0.02 0 ±0 Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) 71,859 0.13 –0.19 0 ±0 Galician Nationalist Party–Galicianist Party (PNG–PG) 58,054 0.10 New 0 ±0 United Extremadura (EU) 44,872 0.08 –0.03 0 ±0 Canarian Nationalist Assembly (ACN)4 39,568 0.07 –0.02 0 ±0 Humanist Party (PH) 39,436 0.07 New 0 ±0 Regional Party of Madrid (PAM) 23,998 0.04 New 0 ±0 Alliance for the Republic (AxR)5 23,692 0.04 ±0.00 0 ±0 Lanzarote Independents Group (AIL) 17,768 0.03 +0.01 0 ±0 Spanish Catholic Movement (MCE) 17,588 0.03 New 0 ±0 Asturianist Party (PAS) 17,380 0.03 New 0 ±0 Nationalist Left (PSM–ENE) 15,814 0.03 ±0.00 0 ±0 Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (PREPAL) 15,742 0.03 +0.01 0 ±0 Asturian People's Union (UPA) 13,977 0.03 New 0 ±0 Group of Madrid Radicals (GRM) 13,576 0.02 New 0 ±0 Aragonese Union (UA–CHA) 12,282 0.02 New 0 ±0 Independents of Gran Canaria (IGC) 12,138 0.02 New 0 ±0 Asturian Nationalist Unity (UNA) 10,956 0.02 New 0 ±0 Independent Solution (SI) 9,910 0.02 New 0 ±0 Nationalist Party of Castile and León (PANCAL) 8,694 0.02 +0.01 0 ±0 Revolutionary Workers' Party of Spain (PORE) 7,301 0.01 –0.03 0 ±0 Natural Culture (CN) 6,633 0.01 –0.01 0 ±0 Galician People's Front (FPG) 6,249 0.01 New 0 ±0 Balearic Union (UB) 6,054 0.01 New 0 ±0 United Ceuta (CEU) 5,462 0.01 New 0 ±0 Centrist Unity–Democratic Spanish Party (PED) 5,434 0.01 New 0 ±0 Majorera Assembly (AM) 5,268 0.01 ±0.00 1 ±0 Spanish Democratic Republican Action (ARDE) 5,016 0.01 New 0 ±0 Alicanton Alicantine Coalition (COA) 4,099 0.01 New 0 ±0 Liberal and Social Democratic Coalition (CSD y L)6 3,269 0.01 ±0.00 0 ±0 Regionalist Party of Castilla–La Mancha (PRCM) 3,267 0.01 New 0 ±0 Valencian Nationalist Left–Valencian Regional Union (ENV–URV) 2,989 0.01 ±0.00 0 ±0 Radicals for Cantabria (RxC) 2,977 0.01 New 0 ±0 Independent Citizen Group (ACI) 2,846 0.01 New 0 ±0 Independent Spanish Phalanx (FEI) 2,259 0.00 New 0 ±0 Proverist Party (PPr) 2,053 0.00 –0.01 0 ±0 Regionalist Party of Guadalajara (PRGU) 1,819 0.00 New 0 ±0 Independents of Almeria and Province (IAYP) 1,576 0.00 New 0 ±0 Seven Green Stars (SEV) 1,402 0.00 New 0 ±0 Independent Herrenian Group (AHI) 1,219 0.00 New 1 +1 Lanzarote Assembly (Tagoror) 607 0.00 New 0 ±0 Balearic Radical Party (PRB) 569 0.00 New 0 ±0 Spanish Nationalist Party of Melilla (PNEM) 551 0.00 New 0 ±0 Spanish Action (AE) 444 0.00 New 0 ±0 Blank ballots 334,118 1.67 +0.10 Total 55,481,782 208 ±0 Valid votes 19,974,111 96.57 –0.11 Invalid votes 710,101 3.43 +0.11 Votes cast / turnout 20,684,212 69.87 –0.45 Abstentions 8,919,843 30.13 +0.45 Registered voters 29,604,055 Sources

The 1989 election night was one of the most dramatic since González's first victory in 1982, as PSOE's overall majority in the Congress of Deputies—set at 176—lingered during the entire vote tally. Exit polls and initial counts showed the PSOE below the majority threshold—with as few as 170 seats in some projections—. As the vote tally progressed, the party was allocated more seats, and with 98% of the votes counted at 4 am it was awarded the decisive 176th seat. Earlier in the night, the party's Secretary for Organization Txiki Benegas, Deputy Prime Minister Alfonso Guerra and González himself had commented that, notwithstanding the final outcome, the PSOE still remained the largest party by far and would lead the new government on its own, rejecting any coalition deal. The tight result could not hide the loss of nearly 800,000 voters and a clear erosion in support since 1986, which led opposition parties and some international media—such as the Financial Times, The Independent or The Times—to ask González for a change of direction in government, accusing him of acting "arrogantly" during his previous seven years in office. PP candidate José María Aznar found his party's results as "satisfactory", slightly improving on Fraga's result in 1986. IU experienced a remarkable growth by doubling its 1986 results, with its leaders highlighting "the electorate's displacement to the left".

During the days after the election, the 176th seat determining the PSOE's absolute majority remained in dispute. PP leaders voiced their concerns over a delay in the Ministry of the Interior's presentation of detailed results during the election night, during which the PSOE was awarded several seats by very few votes in the later stages of the vote tally; seats which ultimately proved decisive for the PSOE retaining its majority. PP claims in Barcelona were cast off after the tally of Spaniards voting abroad gave an even larger margin for the PSC and secured their 14th seat in the constituency. On 5 November, the Electoral Commission found irregularities in Murcia after determining that the number of voters and of ballot papers did not match up in fifteen wards. The new provisional results published on 6 November, which did not include the wards where irregularities had been found, awarded the last seat to PSOE by just two votes. Some IU members openly accused the PSOE of fraud, claiming that Socialist intervenors had voted twice in some wards not just in Murcia, but also in Málaga, Madrid and La Rioja—where, however, election results had not been contested—. A new tally on 11 November in Murcia resulted in the Commission awarding the seat to IU, which prompted a PSOE appeal to the Superior Court of Justice of Murcia. Concurrently, both the PP and the CDS alleged to have found irregularities in several polling stations in Melilla and Pontevedra, where seats had been awarded to PSOE by just a handful of votes, and asked for the vote to be declared void in those constituencies. The chaotic situation was further aggravated when, on 22 November, the PP denounced that it had found cases of name duplicity in the electoral register of Ceuta, with the party also demanding for the election to be repeated in Murcia after denouncing irregular procedures by the Electoral Commission during the vote tally. The Spanish Attorney General, Javier Moscoso, entered the fray and stated on 24 November that the disputed Murcia's seat belonged to PSOE. On 1 December, the Superior Court of Murcia voided the election results in the constituency and required the government to call a by election within three months. The judicial decision in Murcia raised speculation in other constituencies where results had been appealed that the local Superior Courts would issue similar rulings. This happened in Pontevedra, where the number of counted votes exceeded the number of voters. Finally, the Superior Court of Andalusia ruled that the election in Melilla was void, but dismissed the appeal on Ceuta where it declared the election validity. González's government announced that it would appeal the decision to the Constitutional Court which, on 25 January 1990, provisionally suspended the scheduled by elections in Murcia, Pontevedra and Melilla. From 15 to 19 February, the Court overruled the Superior Courts of Justice of Murcia and Galicia and annulled the by elections for Murcia and Pontevedra, declaring the 29 October results in these as valid and final. For Melilla, it determined that the magnitude of the irregularities found was such that a new, full election was required in the constituency. The election in Melilla on 25 March 1990 gave the constituency's single deputy and its two senators to the PP, thus reducing the PSOE's deputy count to 175. A by election was also held on 7 October 1990 in a polling station in Mamblas, Ávila, as the consequence of a judicial conflict between the PP and the CDS over one senator in the constituency, which resulted in the PP winning the disputed senator from the CDS. Irregularities were found to be a consequence of flawed electoral registers, lack of knowledge on election rules by those appointed to integrate the polling bureaus, a lack of means for the active monitoring of the election process and an inefficient structure of the electoral administration, all of which was coupled with the detection of some illicit votes in several wards. While these flaws had been present in past elections, the closeness of results in the 1989 election and the fact that the PSOE overall majority relied on a single seat meant that these were abruptly exposed. As a result, the electoral law was subsequently amended in 1991 in order to improve the efficiency of the electoral administration.