2003 Madrid municipal election

2003 Madrid municipal election
25 May 2003
All 55 seats in the City Council of Madrid
28 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered2,484,328 Decrease 0.2%
Turnout1,711,613 (68.9%)
Increase 8.9 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Trinidad Jiménez Inés Sabanés
Party PP PSOE IUCM
Leader since 18 July 2002 21 May 2002 23 June 1998
Last election 28 seats, 49.5% 20 seats, 36.0% 5 seats, 8.7%
Seats won 30 21 4
Seat change Increase 2 Increase 1 Decrease 1
Popular vote 874,264 625,148 123,015
Percentage 51.3% 36.7% 7.2%
Swing Increase 1.8 pp Increase 0.7 pp Decrease 1.5 pp
Mayor before election

José María Álvarez del Manzano
PP

 Mayor after election

Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
PP

A municipal election was held in Madrid on 25 May 2003 to elect the 7th City Council of the municipality. All 55 seats in the City Council were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all across Spain.

The People's Party (PP) under President of the Community of Madrid Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, who was succeeding the retiring José María Álvarez del Manzano, managed to revert the near-tie situation predicted by opinion polls between his party and the PSOE-IU bloc. Gallardón went on to win a comfortable absolute majority both in votes and seats, reverting the 1999 result in which it had seemed that party's support had begun to decline. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) under Trinidad Jiménez obtained its best result since it was ousted from power in 1989, despite it not being enough to recover the mayoralty. United Left (IU) continued on its long-term decline and lost another seat, scoring its worst result since 1987.

A remarkable event for this election was that both main parties' contenders (Ruiz-Gallardón and Jiménez) were cousins, despite belonging to opposing parties.

Overview

Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain—part of the country's local government system—was centered on the figure of city councils (Spanish: ayuntamientos), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly.[1] The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly, requiring an absolute majority; otherwise, the candidate from the most-voted party automatically became mayor (ties were resolved by drawing lots).[2] In the case of Madrid, the top-tier administrative and governing body was the City Council of Madrid.[3]

Date

The term of local assemblies in Spain expired four years after the date of their previous 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 54 days before the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE).[4] The previous local elections were 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.

Local assemblies could not be dissolved before the expiration of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harmed the public interest and implied a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers could—optionally—decide to call a by-election.[5]

Elections to the assemblies of local entities were officially called on 1 April 2003 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOE, setting election day for 25 May.[6]

Electoral system

Voting for local assemblies was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality 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), as well as resident non-national European citizens, and those whose country of origin allowed reciprocal voting by virtue of a treaty.[7]

Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each municipality.[8] Each municipality was a multi-member constituency, with a number of seats based on the following scale:[9]

Population Councillors
<250 5
251–1,000 7
1,001–2,000 9
2,001–5,000 11
5,001–10,000 13
10,001–20,000 17
20,001–50,000 21
50,001–100,000 25
>100,001 +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction
+1 if total is an even number

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.[10]

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 a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list. In the case of Madrid, as its population was over 1,000,001, at least 8,000 signatures were required.[11]

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
 Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón Conservatism
Christian democracy		 49.5% 28 Yes [12]
[13]
[14]
[15]
PSOE Trinidad Jiménez Social democracy 36.0% 20 No [16]
[17]
[18]
IUCM Inés Sabanés Socialism
Communism		 8.7% 5 No [19]
LV
List
 José María Mendiluce Green politics 0.7% 0 No [20]
[21]
[22]

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; 28 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Madrid (27 in the 1999 election).

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 municipal 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 municipal election taking place.

Preferred Mayor

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become mayor of Madrid.

Predicted Mayor

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood for each leader to become mayor.

Results

← Summary of the 25 May 2003 City Council of Madrid election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 874,26451.30+1.82 30+2
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 625,14836.68+0.68 21+1
United Left of the Community of Madrid (IUCM) 123,0157.22−1.45 4−1
The Greens (LV) 26,4481.55+0.85 0±0
The Greens of the Community of Madrid (LVCM) 9,9440.58New 0±0
Republican Left (IR) 3,5530.21New 0±0
Family and Life Party (PFyV) 3,0940.18New 0±0
The Phalanx (FE) 2,1740.13+0.02 0±0
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 2,1360.13−0.32 0±0
Independent Spanish Phalanx (FEI) 1,1130.07−0.01 0±0
Humanist Party (PH) 1,0220.06−0.07 0±0
Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM) 9030.05−0.06 0±0
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC) 8200.05−0.02 0±0
Another Democracy is Possible (ODeP) 8100.05New 0±0
Spanish Democratic Party (PADE) 8010.05±0.00 0±0
Authentic Phalanx (FA) 6350.04New 0±0
Immigrants with Rights, Equality and Obligations (INDIO) 4790.03New 0±0
Republican Federation (FR) 4780.03New 0±0
Blank ballots 27,3041.60−1.30
Total 1,704,141 55+2
Valid votes 1,704,14199.56+0.14
Invalid votes 7,4720.44−0.14
Votes cast / turnout 1,711,61368.90+8.86
Abstentions 772,71531.10−8.86
Registered voters 2,484,328
Sources[23][24][25][26]
Popular vote
PP
 
 51.30%
PSOE
 
 36.68%
IUCM
 
 7.22%
LV
 
 1.55%
Others
 
 1.64%
Blank ballots
 
 1.60%
Seats
PP
 
 54.55%
PSOE
 
 38.18%
IUCM
 
 7.27%

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Ballot → 14 June 2003
Required majority → 28 out of 55
30 / 55
 check
21 / 55
 X mark
4 / 55
 X mark
Abstentions/Blank ballots
0 / 55
Absentees
0 / 55
Sources[23][27]

Notes

  1. ↑ 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. ↑ "El PP retiene la mayoría en Madrid, Valencia, Málaga y Valladolid, pero pierde Zaragoza". ABC (in Spanish). 25 May 2003.
  3. ↑ "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.
  4. ↑ "La 'batalla' de Madrid, la más reñida en los comicios del 25-M". El Mundo (in Spanish). 20 May 2003.
  5. ↑ "Los indecisos deberán romper el empate a la alcaldía y la Comunidad de Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  6. ↑ "La alcaldía de Madrid depende de los indecisos". El País (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  7. ↑ "Mayoría constitucionalista en Vitoria, al obtener 9 ediles el PP y 7 el PSE". ABC (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  8. ↑ "Empate técnico en la 'batalla' de Madrid a 9 días de las elecciones". El Mundo (in Spanish). 16 May 2003.
  9. ↑ "Estimación de concejales, mayo 2003". El Mundo (in Spanish). 16 May 2003.
  10. ↑ "Madrid". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 18 May 2003. Archived from the original on 2004-04-06.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "La alcaldía de Madrid pende de un hilo". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  12. 1 2 "Preelectoral elecciones autonómicas, 2003. CA de Madrid (Estudio nº 2493. Marzo-Abril 2003)". CIS (in Spanish). 17 May 2003.
  13. ↑ "La guerra pasa factura electoral al PP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 18 May 2003.
  14. 1 2 3 "Gallardón mantiene la mayoría absoluta en Madrid y PSOE-IU ganarían la Comunidad". ABC (in Spanish). 28 April 2003.
  15. ↑ Cuéllar, Manuel (11 March 2003). "El PSOE recuperará 135.000 votos en las municipales, según una encuesta". El País (in Spanish).
  16. ↑ "El PP ganará las locales en Madrid, según una encuesta de Sondaxe". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
  17. ↑ "Las mujeres no gobernarán en el Ayuntamiento y la Comunidad". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
  18. 1 2 3 "Ruiz-Gallardón logra mayoría absoluta para ser alcalde de Madrid pero por sólo un concejal". El País (in Spanish). 2 December 2002.
  19. 1 2 "Ruiz-Gallardón lograría la mayoría absoluta sin Ana Botella, según un sondeo de la CEIM". El País (in Spanish). 13 November 2002.
  20. ↑ "El PP mantiene por la mínima la mayoría en Madrid". El País (in Spanish). 29 September 2002.
  21. ↑ "Encuesta España. Septiembre 2002" (PDF). Instituto Opina (in Spanish). 29 September 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on 7 May 2005. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  22. 1 2 "El PP mantiene la mayoría absoluta a ocho meses de los comicios municipales". ABC (in Spanish). 22 September 2002.
  23. ↑ "El PSOE maneja un sondeo en el que el PP pierde por un concejal la mayoría absoluta en Madrid". ABC (in Spanish). 29 June 2002.
  24. ↑ "Una encuesta vaticina un empate entre el PP y la oposición en los comicios locales". El País (in Spanish). 27 June 2002.
  25. ↑ "La izquierda puede desbancar al PP de la alcaldía de la capital, según un sondeo del PSOE". El País (in Spanish). 6 July 2001.
  26. ↑ "La encuesta de la FSM atribuye a la izquierda la mayoría". ABC (in Spanish). 30 June 2001.
  27. ↑ "Un sondeo del PSOE sobre intención de voto predice una victoria de la izquierda". El País (in Spanish). 25 June 2001.

Other

  1. ↑ Constitution (1978), art. 140; LBRL (1985), art. 19.
  2. ↑ LBRL (1985), art. 19; LOREG (1985), art. 196.
  3. ↑ LBRL (1985), add. prov. 6 (suppl. by Decree 1674 of 11 July (1963), art. 3).
  4. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 42 & 194.
  5. ↑ LBRL (1985), art. 61.
  6. ↑ Royal Decree 374/2003 (2003), art. 1.
  7. ↑ Constitution (1978), art. 13; LBRL (1985), art. 19; LOREG (1985), arts. 2–3 & 176.
  8. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 163 & 180.
  9. ↑ LOREG (1985), art. 179.
  10. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 46, 48 & 182.
  11. ↑ LOREG (1985), arts. 44 & 187.
  12. ↑ Casqueiro, Javier (26 November 2001). "El PP planea ya sustituir a Manzano como candidato a la alcaldía de Madrid en 2003". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  13. ↑ Casqueiro, Javier (9 July 2002). "Aznar pide a Gallardón que sea candidato a la alcaldía de Madrid". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  14. ↑ "Ruiz-Gallardón y Esperanza Aguirre serán los candidatos del PP en Madrid a la alcaldía y la comunidad respectivamente". ABC (in Spanish). 9 July 2002. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  15. ↑ "El Comité Electoral del PP de Madrid propondrá hoy a Gallardón como candidato a la Alcaldía de la capital" (in Spanish). Madrid: Servimedia. 17 July 2002. Retrieved 16 November 2025.
  16. ↑ Díez, Anabel; Casqueiro, Javier (15 April 2002). "La mayoría del PSOE regional se decanta por el tándem de candidatos Jiménez-Simancas". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  17. ↑ Díez, Anabel (10 May 2002). "Trinidad Jiménez y Simancas serán elegidos candidatos por el PSOE regional el lunes". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  18. ↑ Díez, Anabel (14 May 2002). "El PSOE de Madrid designa candidatos a Simancas y Jiménez". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 3 December 2025.
  19. ↑ Serrano, Rodolfo (19 July 2002). "IU llega a un acuerdo de candidatos para poner fin a su crisis electoral". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  20. ↑ Díez, Anabel (8 May 2002). "El eurodiputado Mendiluce estudia ser candidato de Los Verdes a la alcaldía". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  21. ↑ Díez, Anabel (9 May 2002). "El eurodiputado por el PSOE Mendiluce se presenta con Los Verdes en Madrid". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  22. ↑ Díez, Anabel (9 May 2002). "Mendiluce desoye a Zapatero y confirma que será candidato a la alcaldía por Los Verdes". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 9 November 2025.
  23. 1 2 Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones Municipales en Madrid (desde 1979)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2025.
  24. ↑ "Elecciones al Ayuntamiento de Madrid de 25 de mayo de 2003 y a la Asamblea de Madrid de 26 de octubre de 2003" (PDF) (in Spanish). City Council of Madrid. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  25. ↑ "Elecciones celebradas. Resultados electorales" (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Archived from the original on 5 August 2024. Retrieved 5 November 2025.
  26. ↑ "Acuerdo de 20 de junio de 2003, de la Junta Electoral Central, por el que se procede a la publicación del resumen de los resultados de las elecciones locales convocadas por Real Decreto 374/2003, de 31 de marzo, y celebradas el 25 de mayo, según los datos que figuran en las actas de proclamación remitidas por cada una de las Juntas Electorales de Zona" (PDF). Official State Gazette (in Spanish) (158 (Supplement)): 1–700. 3 July 2003. ISSN 0212-033X. Retrieved 6 November 2025.
  27. ↑ "Gallardón, elegido alcalde de Madrid con los 30 votos del PP". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. EFE. 14 June 2003. Retrieved 9 November 2025.

Bibliography

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