Albacete (Senate constituency)

Albacete
Albacete
Senate of Spain; Electoral constituency
	Location of Albacete within Spain
Province	Albacete
Autonomous community	Castilla–La Mancha
Population	388,599 (2024)
Electorate	307,988 (2023)
Major settlements	Albacete
Current constituency
Created	1977
Seats	4
Members	PP (3); PSOE (1);

Albacete is one of the 59 constituencies represented in the Senate of Spain, the upper chamber of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales. The constituency (whose boundaries correspond to those of the homonymous province) elects four senators. The electoral system uses open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. Electors can vote for up to three candidates.

Electoral system

The constituency was created as per the Political Reform Law and was first contested in the 1977 general election. The Law provided for the provinces of Spain to be established as multi-member districts in the Senate,^[2] with this regulation being maintained under the Spanish Constitution of 1978.^[3] Additionally, the Constitution requires for any modification of the provincial limits to be approved under an organic law, needing an absolute majority in the Cortes Generales.^[4]

Voting is based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age with full political rights, provided that they have not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence.^[5] The only exception was in 1977, when this was limited to nationals over 21 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political and civil rights.^[6]^[7] Amendments in 2011 required non-resident citizens to apply for voting, a system known as "begged" voting (Spanish: Voto rogado).^[8]^[9] which was abolished in 2022.^[10] Further, amendments in 2018 granted the right to vote to those legally incapacitated.^[11] 209 Senate seats (207 in 1977, 208 from 1978 to 2026) are elected using open-list partial block voting: voters in constituencies electing four seats can choose up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, up to two; and in single-member districts, one. Each of the 47 peninsular provinces is allocated four seats, while in insular provinces—such as the Balearic and Canary Islands—the districts are the islands themselves, with the larger ones (Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife) being allocated three seats each, and the smaller ones (Menorca, Ibiza, Formentera, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma) one each.^[a] Ceuta and Melilla elect two seats each.^[14]^[15] Until 1985, the law also provided for by-elections to fill Senate seats vacated up to two years into the legislature; subsequently, any vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term are filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes.^[16]

The electoral law allows 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 are required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 days of the election call—15 before 1985—whereas groupings of electors need to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they seek election—one permille of the electorate, with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures, until 1985—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list. Also since 2011, parties, federations or alliances that have not obtained a mandate in either chamber of the Cortes at the preceding election are required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies.^[17] Amendments in 2007 required a balanced composition of men and women in the electoral lists, so that candidates of either sex made up at least 40 percent of the total composition; further amendments in 2024 required the use of a zipper system.^[18]

Senators

Senators for Albacete 1977–

Key to parties

PSOE

UCD

PP

CP

AP

Legislature

Election

Distribution

Constituent

1977

1

3

1st

1979

2

2nd

1982

3

1

3rd

1986

3

1

4th

1989

3

1

5th

1993

3

1

6th

1996

1

3

7th

2000

1

3

8th

2004

1

3

9th

2008

1

3

10th

2011

1

3

11th

2015

1

3

12th

2016

1

3

13th

2019 (Apr)

3

1

2

1

3

General elections

2023

Summary of the 23 July 2023 Senate of Spain election results in Albacete
Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
Parties and alliances		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	268,170	42.32	+6.00	3	+1
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	224,734	35.46	−0.52	1	−1
	Vox (Vox)	89,060	14.05	+7.06	0	±0
	Unite (Sumar)¹	43,435	6.85	−2.77	0	±0
	Animalist Party with the Environment (PACMA)²	2,898	0.46	−0.59	0	±0
	For a Fairer World (PUM+J)	1,120	0.18	−0.01	0	±0
	Zero Cuts (Recortes Cero)	742	0.12	−0.01	0	±0
Blank ballots^[b]		3,546	1.62	−0.27

Total		633,705			4	±0

Valid votes		218,335	97.57	+0.20
Invalid votes		5,431	2.43	−0.20
Votes cast / turnout		223,766	72.65	+2.73
Abstentions		84,222	27.35	−2.73
Registered voters		307,988

Sources^[19]
Footnotes: ¹ Unite results are compared to United We Can totals in the November 2019 election. ² Animalist Party with the Environment results are compared to Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals totals in the November 2019 election.

November 2019

Summary of the 10 November 2019 Senate of Spain election results in Albacete
Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
Parties and alliances		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	206,097	36.32	+10.51	2	+1
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	204,172	35.98	+2.42	2	−1
	United We Can (Podemos–IU)	54,603	9.62	−0.17	0	±0
	Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (Cs)	50,318	8.87	−7.48	0	±0
	Vox (Vox)	39,678	6.99	−4.89	0	±0
	Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA)	5,962	1.05	−0.50	0	±0
	For a Fairer World (PUM+J)	1,098	0.19	+0.04	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)	751	0.13	−0.02	0	±0
	Zero Cuts–Green Group–PCAS–TC (Recortes Cero–GV–PCAS–TC)	725	0.13	−0.01	0	±0
Blank ballots^[b]		3,987	1.89	+0.09

Total		567,391			4	±0

Valid votes		211,044	97.37	+0.06
Invalid votes		5,691	2.63	−0.06
Votes cast / turnout		216,735	69.92	−6.33
Abstentions		93,261	30.08	+6.33
Registered voters		309,996

Sources^[19]

April 2019

Summary of the 28 April 2019 Senate of Spain election results in Albacete
Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
Parties and alliances		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	222,535	33.56	+4.96	3	+2
	People's Party (PP)	171,144	25.81	−16.76	1	−2
	Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (Cs)	108,432	16.35	+4.35	0	±0
	Vox (Vox)	78,769	11.88	New	0	±0
	United We Can (Podemos–IU–Equo)	64,940	9.79	−4.16	0	±0
	Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA)	10,288	1.55	+0.03	0	±0
	For a Fairer World (PUM+J)	1,020	0.15	New	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)	970	0.15	+0.04	0	±0
	Zero Cuts–Green Group–PCAS–TC (Recortes Cero–GV–PCAS–TC)	932	0.14	−0.02	0	±0
Blank ballots^[b]		4,153	1.80	−0.53

Total		663,183			4	±0

Valid votes		230,180	97.31	+0.06
Invalid votes		6,351	2.69	−0.06
Votes cast / turnout		236,531	76.25	+5.19
Abstentions		73,676	23.75	−5.19
Registered voters		310,207

Sources^[19]