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1983 Riojan regional election

8 May 1983 1987 →
All 35 seats in the General Deputation of La Rioja 18 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	194,994
Turnout	136,964 (70.2%)
First party Second party Third party   Leader José María de Miguel Joaquín Espert Luis Javier Rodríguez Party PSOE AP–PDP–UL PRP Leader since 1983 1983 6 December 1982 Seats won 18 15 2 Popular vote 63,848 54,121 10,102 Percentage 47.2% 40.0% 7.5%
President before election Antonio Rodríguez Basulto PSOE Elected President José María de Miguel PSOE

The 1983 Riojan regional election was held on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect the 1st General Deputation of the Autonomous Community of La Rioja. All 35 seats in the General Deputation were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

The election was won by the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which obtained an absolute majority of seats, being the only time in which the party achieved this in a regional election in La Rioja.^[1]

The People's Coalition, an electoral alliance led by the People's Alliance (AP), which also included the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Liberal Union (UL), emerged as the second largest grouping in the General Deputation, while the newly created regionalist Progressive Riojan Party (PRP) came third. Neither the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) or the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), the only other parties standing in the election, were able to meet the electoral threshold and failed to gain any parliamentary representation.

Overview

Electoral system

The General Deputation of La Rioja was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of La Rioja, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Riojan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Autonomous Community.^[2] Voting for the General Deputation was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in La Rioja and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

The 35 members of the General Deputation of La Rioja were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 5 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution.^[2]

The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election—needing to secure, in any case, the signature of 500 electors—. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within fifteen days of the election being called.^[3]

Election date

The Provisional Deputation of La Rioja, in agreement with the Government of Spain, was required to call an election to the General Deputation of La Rioja within from 1 February to 31 May 1983. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the General Deputation was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.^[2]

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 given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 18 seats were required for an absolute majority in the General Deputation of La Rioja.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout						PRP	Lead
1983 municipal election	8 May 1983	N/A	70.2	47.2 18	40.0 14	–	2.4 0	2.2 0	7.5 2	7.2
Sofemasa/El País[p 1][p 2]	23–26 Apr 1983	?	?	? 20/22	? 12/14	–	–	–	–	?
ICSA–Gallup/El Correo[p 3]	22 Apr 1983	?	?	45.2	42.0	–	3,1	1.7	5.1	3.2
1982 general election	28 Oct 1982	N/A	84.1	43.5 17	41.5 16	7.4 2	3.7 0	1.6 0	–	2.0

Results

Summary of the 8 May 1983 General Deputation of La Rioja election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	63,848	47.17	n/a	18	n/a
	People's Coalition (AP–PDP–UL)	54,121	39.98	n/a	15	n/a
	Progressive Riojan Party (PRP)	10,102	7.46	n/a	2	n/a
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	3,264	2.41	n/a	0	n/a
	Communist Party of Spain (PCE)	2,934	2.17	n/a	0	n/a
Blank ballots		1,090	0.81	n/a
Total		135,359			35	n/a
Valid votes		135,359	98.83	n/a
Invalid votes		1,605	1.17	n/a
Votes cast / turnout		136,964	70.24	n/a
Abstentions		58,030	29.76	n/a
Registered voters		194,994
Sources[4][5][1]

References

Opinion poll sources

Other