Basque parliamentary election, 2012

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Basque parliamentary election, 2012

← 2009 21 October 2012 2016 →

All 75 seats in the Basque Parliament
38 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered 1,775,351 Decrease0.0%
Turnout 1,135,568 (64.0%)
Decrease0.7 pp
  First party Second party Third party
  170x170px 170x170px 170x170px
Leader Iñigo Urkullu Laura Mintegi Patxi López
Party EAJ-PNV EH Bildu PSE-EE (PSOE)
Leader since 2 December 2007 2 July 2012 23 March 2002
Last election 30 seats, 38.1% 5 seats, 9.6%[lower-alpha 1] 25 seats, 30.4%
Seats won 27 21 16
Seat change Decrease3 Increase16 Decrease9
Popular vote 384,766 277,923 212,809
Percentage 34.2% 24.7% 18.9%
Swing Decrease3.9 pp Increase15.1 pp Decrease11.5 pp

  Fourth party Fifth party
  170x170px 170x170px
Leader Antonio Basagoiti Gorka Maneiro
Party PP UPyD
Leader since 25 October 2008 2008
Last election 13 seats, 13.9% 1 seat, 2.1%
Seats won 10 1
Seat change Decrease3 ±0
Popular vote 130,584 21,539
Percentage 11.6% 1.9%
Swing Decrease2.3 pp Decrease0.2 pp

300px
Provinces won by EAJ-PNV (green) and EHB (light green)

Lehendakari before election

Patxi López
PSE-EE (PSOE)

Elected Lehendakari

Iñigo Urkullu
EAJ-PNV

The 2012 Basque parliamentary election was held on Sunday, 21 October 2012, to elect the 10th Basque Parliament, the regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community of the Basque Country. At stake were all 75 seats in the Parliament, determining the Lehendakari (President of the Basque Country). It was a snap election, held several months earlier than required.[1]

The Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV) defended its position as the strongest party, while the left-wing separatist Basque Country Unite coalition (EHB) made significant gains in terms of its share of votes and seats. All other major parties lost votes and seats.[2]

Electoral system

The 75 members of the Basque Parliament were elected in 3 multi-member districts, corresponding to the Basque Country's three provinces, using the D'Hondt method and a closed-list proportional representation system. Each district was assigned a fixed set of seats, distributed as follows: Alava (25), Biscay (25) and Gipuzkoa (25).

Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. Only lists polling above 3% of valid votes in each district (which include blank ballots—for none of the above) were entitled to enter the seat distribution.[3]

Background

Following the 2009 parliamentary election, Patxi López of the Basque Socialist Party (PSE-EE) became the first Lehendakari (i.e. regional president) in thirty years not to be affiliated to the Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV).

In 2011 Eusko Alkartasuna (EA), Alternatiba, other abertzale groups and independent individuals from the Basque leftist-nationalist milieu, formed a coalition named Bildu.

In the 2011 municipal elections, the EAJ-PNV came first with 30.1% of the vote, but the big winner was Bildu, which obtained 25.5% and a majority of town councillors. Among the other parties, the PSE-EE gained 16.3%, the People's Party (PP) 13.5%, and Aralar 3.0%.[4]

In late 2011 the leftist-secessionist coalition was enlarged to include other abertzale groups, including Aralar. In the 2011 general election, this new coalition, known as Amaiur, came second in the Basque Country with 24.1% of the vote, behind the EAJ-PNV, which came first with 27.4%. Among the other parties, the PSE-EE won 21.5% of the vote and the PP 17.8%.[5]

The four main groups that constituted Amaiur, namely abertzale left (former Batasuna members, led by Rufi Etxeberria), EA, Alternatiba and Aralar, announced that they would also stand as part of a joint list also in the election.[6] That list was named Euskal Herria Bildu (EHB)[7] and Laura Mintegi was chosen as candidate for Lehendakari.[8]

Opinion polls

Vote

Poll results are listed in the table below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. The lead column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the two parties with the highest figures. Poll results use the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. However, if such date is unknown, the date of publication will be given instead.

Seat projections

Opinion polls showing seat projections are displayed in the table below. The highest seat figures in each polling survey have their background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Basque Parliament.

Results

Overall

Summary of the 21 October 2012 Basque Parliament election results
Party Vote Seats
Votes  % ±pp Won +/−
Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ-PNV) 384,766 34.16 Decrease3.98 27 Decrease3
Basque Country Unite (EH Bildu)[lower-alpha 1] 277,923 24.67 Increase15.05 21 Increase16
Socialist Party of the Basque Country-Basque Country Left (PSE-EE/PSOE) 212,809 18.89 Decrease11.47 16 Decrease9
People's Party (PP) 130,584 11.59 Decrease2.36 10 Decrease3
United Left-The Greens-Plural Left (IU-LV) 30,318 2.69 Decrease0.78 0 Decrease1
Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) 21,539 1.91 Decrease0.21 1 ±0
United Left-Greens (EB-B) 17,345 1.54 New 0 ±0
Equo Greens-Basque Ecologists (EB-EE) 11,625 1.03 New 0 ±0
Blank Seats (Eb-Az) 11,480 1.02 New 0 ±0
Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA-ATTKA) 4,066 0.36 Increase0.22 0 ±0
Jaded.org (Hartos.org) 2,831 0.25 New 0 ±0
For a Fairer World (PUM+J) 2,476 0.22 Decrease0.07 0 ±0
Humanist Party (PH) 1,113 0.10 Increase0.06 0 ±0
Blank ballots 14,640 1.30 Increase1.20
Total 1,126,400 100.00 75 ±0
Valid votes 1,126,400 99.18 Increase7.98
Invalid votes 9,168 0.81 Decrease7.98
Votes cast / turnout 1,135,568 63.96 Decrease0.72
Abstentions 639,783 36.04 Increase0.72
Registered voters 1,775,351
Source: Argos Information Portal
Vote share
EAJ-PNV
  
34.16%
EH Bildu
  
24.67%
PSE-EE/PSOE
  
18.89%
PP
  
11.59%
IU-LV
  
2.69%
UPyD
  
1.91%
EB-B
  
1.54%
EB-EE
  
1.03%
Eb-Az
  
1.02%
Others
  
1.19%
Blank ballots
  
1.30%
Parliamentary seats
EAJ-PNV
  
36.00%
EH Bildu
  
28.00%
PSE-EE/PSOE
  
21.33%
PP
  
13.33%
UPyD
  
1.33%

Post-election

Investiture voting

Date Choice Vote Total
12 Dec 2012
Majority required:
Absolute (38/75)
Iñigo Urkullu PNV (27)
27 / 75
Laura Mintegi EHB (21)
21 / 75
Blank PSE-EE (16), PP (10), UPyD (1)
27 / 75
13 Dec 2012
Majority required:
Simple
YesYIñigo Urkullu PNV (27)
27 / 75
Laura Mintegi EHB (21)
21 / 75
Blank PSE-EE (16), PP (10), UPyD (1)
27 / 75
Source: Historia Electoral - Basque Parliament Elections

Notes

  1. 1.0 1.1 Compared to the Aralar+Basque Solidarity results in the 2009 election.

References