2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election

2003 Castilian-Leonese regional election
25 May 2003
All 82 seats in the Cortes of Castile and León
42 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered2,177,222 Decrease 0.4%
Turnout1,581,983 (72.7%)
Increase 5.1 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Juan Vicente Herrera Ángel Villalba Joaquín Otero
Party PP PSOE UPL
Leader since 16 March 2001 22 October 2000 13 September 1997
Leader's seat Burgos Valladolid León
Last election 48 seats, 50.4% 30 seats, 33.1% 3 seats, 3.7%
Seats won 48 32 2
Seat change Steady 0 Increase 2 Decrease 1
Popular vote 760,510 576,769 60,331
Percentage 48.5% 36.8% 3.8%
Swing Decrease 1.9 pp Increase 3.7 pp Increase 0.1 pp
Constituency results map for the Cortes of Castile and León
President before election

Juan Vicente Herrera
PP

 President after election

Juan Vicente Herrera
PP

A regional election was held in Castile and León on 25 May 2003 to elect the 6th Cortes of the autonomous community. All 82 seats in the Cortes were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all across Spain.

Overview

Under the 1999 Statute of Autonomy, the Cortes of Castile and León was the unicameral legislature of the homonymous autonomous community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to grant or withdraw confidence from a regional president.[1] The electoral and procedural rules were supplemented by national law provisions.[2]

Date

The term of the Cortes of Castile and León expired four years after the date of its previous ordinary election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The election decree was required to be issued no later than 25 days before the scheduled expiration date of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of Castile and León (BOCYL).[3] The previous election was held on 13 June 1999, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 25 May 2003.

The regional president had the prerogative to dissolve the Cortes of Castile and León at any given time and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election had been called and that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or during the last year of parliament before its planned expiration, nor before one year after a previous one.[4] In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called, except if it happened in the final year before the expiry of the legislative term.[5] Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected lawmakers serving the remainder of its original four-year term.[6]

The election to the Cortes of Castile and León was officially called on 1 April 2003 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOCYL, setting election day for 25 May and scheduling for the chamber to reconvene on 17 June.[7]

Electoral system

Voting for the Cortes was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Castile and León and with full political rights, provided that they had not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence, nor were legally incapacitated.[8]

The Cortes of Castile and León had three seats per each multi-member constituency—corresponding to the provinces of Ávila, Burgos, León, Palencia, Salamanca, Segovia, Soria, Valladolid and Zamora—plus one additional seat per 45,000 inhabitants or fraction above 22,500. All were elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a three percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each constituency.[9] The use of this electoral method resulted in a higher effective threshold depending on district magnitude and vote distribution.[10]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Cortes constituency was entitled the following seats:[11]

Seats Constituencies
14 León, Valladolid
11 Burgos, Salamanca
7 Ávila, Palencia, Zamora(–1)
6 Segovia
5 Soria

The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacant seats; instead, any vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term were filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes.[12]

Outgoing parliament

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of the election call.[13][14]

Parliamentary composition in April 2003
Groups Parties Legislators
Seats Total
People's Parliamentary Group PP 48 48
Socialist Parliamentary Group PSOE 30 30
Mixed Parliamentary Group UPL 3 5
IUCyL 1
TC 1

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, alliances and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 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.[15]

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

Candidacy Parties and
alliances		 Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Vote % Seats
PP
List
 Juan Vicente Herrera Conservatism
Christian democracy		 50.4% 48 Yes [16]
[17]
PSOE Ángel Villalba Social democracy 33.1% 30 No [18]
UPL Joaquín Otero Leonesism
Regionalism
Autonomism		 3.7% 3 No
IUCyL José Luis Conde Socialism
Communism		 5.4% 1 No [19]
TC–PNC Carlos Rad Castilian nationalism
Progressivism		 1.4% 1 No [20]

Opinion polls

The tables below list opinion polling results 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.

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 42 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Cortes of Castile and León.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Victory preferences

The table below lists opinion polling on the victory preferences for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Victory likelihood

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood of victory for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Regional Government of Castile and León.

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 25 May 2003 Cortes of Castile and León election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 760,51048.49−1.96 48±0
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 576,76936.77+3.71 32+2
Leonese People's Union (UPL) 60,3313.85+0.15 2−1
United Left of Castile and León (IUCyL) 54,0853.45−1.98 0−1
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC) 18,5951.19−0.20 0−1
Independent Candidacy–The Party of Castile and León (CI–PCL) 11,1800.71+0.25 0±0
The Greens (LV) 7,4240.47+0.42 0±0
The Greens–Left Forum (LV–FI) 4,1300.26New 0±0
The Greens (LV) 1,8350.12+0.07 0±0
The Greens–Cives (LV–Cives) 1,4590.09New 0±0
Union of the Salamancan People (UPSa) 6,6300.42New 0±0
Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL) 5,3230.34−0.43 0±0
Castilian Left (IzCa) 3,9720.25New 0±0
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 3,0160.19−0.52 0±0
United Zamora (ZU) 2,5790.16New 0±0
Republican Left (IR) 2,4200.15New 0±0
Party of El Bierzo (PB) 2,2860.15−0.11 0±0
The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV) 2,1960.14+0.05 0±0
Leonese United Independent Citizens (CiuLe) 2,0510.15New 0±0
Humanist Party (PH) 2,0380.13−0.03 0±0
Zamoran People's Union (UPZ) 1,9980.13+0.02 0±0
Initiative for the Development of Soria (IDES) 1,9080.12New 0±0
Salamanca–Zamora–León–PREPAL (PREPAL) 1,6200.10−0.11 0±0
Independent Segovian Alternative (ASí) 1,3140.08New 0±0
The Phalanx (FE) 1,1970.08New 0±0
Regionalist Party of El Bierzo (PRB) 1,0410.07New 0±0
Liberal Centrist Union (UCL) 6520.04New 0±0
Independent Spanish Phalanx–Phalanx 2000 (FEI–FE 2000) 5560.04New 0±0
Spanish Democratic Party (PADE) 4650.03−0.19 0±0
Authentic Phalanx (FA) 2430.02New 0±0
Blank ballots 36,0272.30−0.37
Total 1,568,426 82−1
Valid votes 1,568,42699.14+0.09
Invalid votes 13,5570.86−0.09
Votes cast / turnout 1,581,98372.66+5.08
Abstentions 595,23927.34−5.08
Registered voters 2,177,222
Sources[13][21][22]
Popular vote
PP
 
 48.49%
PSOE
 
 36.77%
UPL
 
 3.85%
IUCyL
 
 3.45%
TC–PNC
 
 1.19%
Others
 
 3.96%
Blank ballots
 
 2.30%
Seats
PP
 
 58.54%
PSOE
 
 39.02%
UPL
 
 2.44%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency PP PSOE UPL
% S % S % S
Ávila 59.4 5 32.1 2
Burgos 53.2 7 33.6 4
León 38.9 6 36.0 6 17.8 2
Palencia 48.6 4 41.6 3
Salamanca 51.7 7 36.8 4
Segovia 50.8 4 36.4 2
Soria 53.4 3 36.6 2
Valladolid 46.3 8 39.9 6
Zamora 50.8 4 36.5 3 3.0 −
Total 48.5 48 36.8 32 3.8 2
Sources[13][21][22]

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Nomination of Juan Vicente Herrera (PP)
Ballot → 2 July 2003
Required majority → 42 out of 82 check
Yes
  • • PP (48)
48 / 82
No
34 / 82
Abstentions
0 / 82
Absentees
0 / 82
Sources[13]

Notes

  1. 1 2 3 Does not include non-resident citizens.

References

Opinion poll sources

  1. ↑ "El sondeo de Sigma Dos determina una lucha codo a codo entre populares y socialistas en Madrid". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2003. Archived from the original on 25 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  2. ↑ "Sondeo a pie de urna de Ipsos Eco Consulting para TVE". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2003. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 11 December 2017.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas, 2003. CA de Castilla y León (Estudio nº 2490. Marzo-Abril 2003)". CIS (in Spanish). 17 May 2003.
  4. ↑ "La guerra pasa factura electoral al PP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  5. 1 2 "Instituciones y autonomías, II. CA de Castilla y León (Estudio nº 2455. Septiembre-Octubre 2002)". CIS (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
  6. ↑ "El PP, partido más votado en diez Comunidades Autónomas" (PDF). El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
  7. ↑ "El PP ganaría las autonómicas en diez Comunidades y el PSOE en cuatro, según el CIS". ABC (in Spanish). 20 November 2002.

Other

  1. ↑ Statute (1983), arts. 10 & 15–16 (am. by Statute (1999), single art.).
  2. ↑ LECyL (1987), final prov. 1.
  3. ↑ Statute (1983), art. 12 (am. by Statute (1999), single art.); LECyL (1987), arts. 16–17 (suppl. by LOREG (1985), art. 42).
  4. ↑ Statute (1983), art. 23 (am. by Statute (1999), single art.); LPGCyL (2001), art. 6.
  5. ↑ Statute (1983), art. 17 (am. by Statute (1999), single art.).
  6. ↑ Statute (1983), art. 23 (am. by Statute (1999), single art.).
  7. ↑ Decree 1/2003 (2003), arts. 1 & 4.
  8. ↑ Statute (1983), art. 11 (am. by Statute (1999), single art.); LECyL (1987), art. 2 (suppl. by LOREG (1985), arts. 2–3).
  9. ↑ Statute (1983), art. 11 (am. by Statute (1999), single art.; LECyL (1987), arts. 18–20.
  10. ↑ Gallagher, Michael (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Dublin: Trinity College Dublin. Archived from the original on 30 July 2017. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
  11. ↑ Decree 1/2003 (2003), art. 2.
  12. ↑ LECyL (1987), arts. 21 & 26 (suppl. by LOREG (1985), arts. 46 & 48).
  13. 1 2 3 4 Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a Cortes de Castilla y León (desde 1983)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  14. ↑ "El Parlamento. Legislaturas anteriores. V Legislatura" (in Spanish). Cortes of Castile and León. Retrieved 29 January 2022.
  15. ↑ LECyL (1987), arts. 25–26 (suppl. by LOREG (1985), art. 44).
  16. ↑ Sánchez Cuéllar, Jaime (28 February 2001). "Juan Vicente Herrera suple a Lucas tras diez años de gobierno en Castilla y León". ABC (in Spanish). Valladolid. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  17. ↑ "Juan Vicente Herrera, investido sexto presidente de Castilla y León". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 15 March 2001. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  18. ↑ Forjas, Francisco (22 October 2000). "El PSOE espera evitar la expulsión del alcalde de A Coruña". El País (in Spanish). Soria. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  19. ↑ "José Luis Conde encabezará la lista de Izquierda Unida por Valladolid". ABC (in Spanish). Valladolid. Agencias. 15 December 2002. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  20. ↑ "Tierra Comunera presenta a Carlos Rad como candidato a la presidencia de la Junta de Castilla y León" (in Spanish). Castilian Party–Commoners' Land. 8 June 2003. Retrieved 3 February 2026.
  21. 1 2 "Procesos electorales a las Cortes de Castilla y León" (in Spanish). Regional Government of Castile and León. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  22. 1 2 "Resolución de 4 de julio de 2003, de la Junta Electoral de Castilla y León, por la que se publican los resultados de las Elecciones a las Cortes de Castilla y Léon, celebradas el 25 de mayo de 2003" (PDF). Official Gazette of Castile and León (in Spanish) (131): 9741–9743. 9 July 2003. ISSN 1989-8959. Retrieved 18 January 2026.

Bibliography

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