The neutrality of this article is disputed. Please see the discussion on the talk page.

Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 14, 2004. At stake were all 350 seats in the lower house of the Cortes Generales, the Congress of Deputies, and 208 seats in upper house, the Senate. The governing People's Party (PP) was led into the campaign by Mariano Rajoy, successor to outgoing Prime Minister José María Aznar. In a result which defied most predictions, the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), led by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, won a plurality of seats in Congress of Deputies, and was able to form a government with the support of minor parties. The socialists received more votes than expected as a result of the government's handling of the 11 March 2004 Madrid train bombings and the PSOE's electoral manipulations during the reflection period. In the early moments following the attacks, the national government maintained the theory of the ETA responsibility; when evidence pointed to the possibility that an Islamic extremist group was behind the massacre, the ETA theory lost weight. If Islamic extremists were responsible, the attack could have been perceived by the electorate to be a consequence of the Spanish government's support of the invasion of Iraq. However during the reflection period 'March 11 - March 14', when no political parties may use influence on the public in order to prepare for voting, the PSOE formed protests and concentrations of political nature and thus illegaly interrupting reflection period. One of the explanations for the PSOE votes was that a certain number of voters, known as the original non voters (who did not intend to vote in the elections like in prior elections), went to the polls for PSOE. Also many members of IU switched sides and enlarged the PSOE votes and decreased those of IU. Coat of Arms of the King of Spain King of Spain redirects here. ... Juan Carlos I, King of Spain (baptized as Juan Alfonso Carlos Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias) was born on January 5, 1938 in Rome and is the reigning King (Rey de España) and Head of state of Spain. ... The President of the Government of Spain (Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno), sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the Spanish head of government. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... (1977 - 1979): Council of Ministers of Spain (1st Legislature) (1979 - 1982): Council of Ministers of Spain (2nd Legislature) (1982 - 1986): Council of Ministers of Spain (3rd Legislature) (1986 - 1989): Council of Ministers of Spain (4th Legislature) (1989 - 1993): Council of Ministers of Spain (5th Legislature) (1993 - 1996): Council of Ministers... The Cortes Generales (Spanish for General Courts) is the legislature of Spain. ... The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... Political parties in Spain lists political parties in Spain. ... Elections in Spain gives information on election and election results in Spain. ... The Spanish general election of 1977 took place on June 15. ... El País official webpage (spanish) Congreso de españa official webpage (spanish) Categories: | ... Image:Felipe-1982. ... In this election, the Communist Party of Spain merged with other minor left parties to form the coalition Izquierda Unida; in Catalonia they ran as the Unió de L`Esquerra Catalana. ... Official results [1] Categories: | ... Official results Categories: | ... Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 3, 1996. ... Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 12, 2000. ... The Constitutional Court of Spain (Spanish: Tribunal Constitucional de España) is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of the Spanish Government. ... The General Council of the Judicial Power is the autonomous institution which governs all the judicial instances of Spain, such as tribunals, courts, and judges, as it is established by the Spanish Constitution of 1978, article 122. ... The Supreme Court of Spain is the highest judicial body in Spain for all matters not pertaining to the Constitution. ... The Audiencia Nacional de España, is a high court in Spain. ... An ombudsman is an official, usually (but not always) appointed by the government or by parliament, who is charged with representing the interests of the public by investigating and addressing complaints reported by individual citizens. ... Autonomous communities of Spain. ... This article is about the Spanish capital. ... List of Spanish Regional Governments Spain has 17 autonomous regions (comunidades autonomas), plus two autonomous cities (ciudades autonomas). ... Andalucia - Parlamento de Andalucia Aragon - Cortes de Aragón Asturias - Junta del Principado Basque Country - Basque Parliament Canary Islands - Parlamento de Canarias Cantabria - Parlamento de Cantabria Castilla y León - Cortes de Castilla y León Castilla La Mancha - Cortes de Castilla La Mancha Catalonia - Parlament de Catalunya Extremadura - Asamblea... In addition to its seventeen autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty provinces. ... Officially, Spain is subdivided into: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autónomas) and two autonomous cities (ciudades autónomas: Ceuta and Melilla). ... The municipalities of Spain (Spanish: municipios), 8111 in total, are the basic level of Spanish local government. ... Spain is a democracy with a Constitutional monarch. ... The European Union or EU is a supranational and international organization of 27 member states. ... After the return of democracy following the death of General Franco in 1975, Spains foreign policy priorities were to break out of the diplomatic isolation of the Franco years and expand diplomatic relations, enter the European Community, and define security relations with the West. ... Information on politics by country is available for every country, including both de jure and de facto independent states, inhabited dependent territories, as well as areas of special sovereignty. ... For the Lebanese political coalition, see March 14 Alliance. ... 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Cortes Generales (Spanish for General Courts) is the legislature of Spain. ... The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is the largest liberal conservative political party in Spain. ... Mariano Rajoy Brey (born March 27, 1955), Spanish politician, is the leader of the opposition and of the conservative Popular Party, (PP). ... ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), is a major party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... The 2004 Madrid train bombings (also known as 11-M, 3/11, 11/3 and M-11) were a series of coordinated bombings against the commuter train system of Madrid, Spain on the morning of 11 March 2004, which killed 191 people and wounded over 1700. ...

The day after the election, Zapatero announced his intention to form a minority PSOE government, without a coalition, saying in a radio interview: "the implicit mandate of the people is for us to form a minority government negotiating accords on each issue with other parliamentary groups". Two minor left-wing parties, Republican Left of Catalonia and United Left, immediately announced their intention to support Zapatero's government. Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... United Left (Izquierda Unida) is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. It was formed by several groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was always dominated by the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). ...

Results

Map of Spain's electoral circumscriptions, and the parties leading in each circumscription in the election for the Congress of Deputies

In the Congress of Deputies, the PP vote fell by 6.9 percent, and the party lost 39 seats. The PSOE vote rose by 8.5 percent, bringing a gain of 35 seats. On the left, the United Left (a coalition led by the Communist Party of Spain), lost four of its nine seats, but the leftwing Catalan party Republican Left of Catalonia gained seven seats. The conservative Catalan nationalist party, Convergence and Unity, which in the recent past has been allied with the PP, lost five of its 15 seats. PNG version of Ac. ... PNG version of Ac. ... United Left is the name of a political party in various countries Argentina - United Left Austria - United Left (defunct) Peru - United Left Spain - United Left See also: List of political parties. ... PCE symbol The Communist Party of Spain (Partido Comunista de España or PCE) is the third largest political party of Spain. ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió, CiU) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ...

The PSOE's victory was celebrated in the street outside the party's headquarters in Calle Ferraz with shouts of "No war!" and "How happy we are, to live without Aznar", but also "Zapatero, don't fail us!". Consistent with the PSOE's long-standing opposition to the Iraq war, Rodríguez Zapatero had promised during the election campaign to withdraw Spanish troops from Iraq by June. Zapatero withdrew the troops shortly after taking office, a decision he justified on his belief that the United Nations was not likely to assume responsibility for Iraq after the U.S.-led occupation formally ended at the end of June, which was his criterion for allowing troops to stay. Subsequent events, indeed, bore out his prediction.

A feature of the result was the increased representation for the Republican Left of Catalonia, a minor left-wing party which has formed a coalition government with the PSOE in Catalonia. The Republican Left's leader, Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira, had recently held meetings with the Basque separatist group ETA in France, a revelation which had forced his exit from the recently formed Catalan regional government and had become a campaign issue in the general election. Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan, Spanish and Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ... Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira (born May 17, 1952) is a Catalan politician, since 1996 leader of the party ERC or Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia), a political party founded by Francesc Macià i Llussà. ERC campaigns on a platform of independence for Catalan Countries. ... ETA symbol or ETA (Basque for Basque Homeland and Freedom; IPA pronunciation: [) is a paramilitary Basque nationalist organization. ...

More detailed table of share of votes: The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), is a major party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. ... The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is the largest liberal conservative political party in Spain. ... United Left (Izquierda Unida) is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. It was formed by several groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was always dominated by the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). ... Logo of the ICV Initiative for Catalonia - Greens (Iniciativa per Catalunya - Verds, ICV) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... United and Alternative Left (Esquerra Unida i Alternativa) is a political party from Catalonia, Spain. ... Valencian Left (in Catalan: Esquerra Valenciana) is a historical nationalist Valencian left party founded the July 26 in 1934 that advocated the self-determination of the Valencian Country. ... United Left (Izquierda Unida) is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. It was formed by several groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was always dominated by the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). ... Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió, CiU) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... The Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... The Democratic Union of Catalonia is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Spanish political parties ... Categories: Politics stubs | Secessionist organizations | Spanish political parties ... The Andalucista Party (Partido Andalucista) is a party created by nacionalist and center forces cas a regional party in Andalusia (Spain) but it still has an important power in any capitals of Andalusia such as Cádiz or Seville. ... Aragonese Council The Chunta Aragonesista (CHA) is a regionalist and social democratic party of Aragon (a region of Spain), influenced by socialism and ecopacifism. ... Eusko Alkartasuna, Basque and Spanish regional political party, translated as Basque Solidarity and abbreviated as EA, is a party which describes itself as a Basque national, democratic, popular, progressive and non-denominational party. ... Navarre Yes or Nafarroa Bai (Basque) is a basque coalition of Navarre for the 2004 Spanish elections made of the Partido Nacionalista Vasco (Basque Nationalist Party), Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque Solidarity) and Aralar political parties, specifically candidating in Navarre aiming to win a seat in the spanish parliament, in which the... The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ... Eusko Alkartasuna, Basque and Spanish regional political party, translated as Basque Solidarity and abbreviated as EA, is a party which describes itself as a Basque national, democratic, popular, progressive and non-denominational party. ... Aralar is a Basque nationalist political group in Spain. ...

The Spanish Socialist Workers Party (Partido Socialista Obrero Español or PSOE) is one of the main parties of Spain. ... From the left: Mariano Rajoy, Josep Piqué and José María Aznar during the proclamation act of Josep Piqué in September 2003 The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is a large liberal-conservative political party in Spain. ... United Left (Izquierda Unida) is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. It was formed by several groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was always dominated by the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). ... Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió, CiU) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Spanish political parties ... Categories: Politics stubs | Secessionist organizations | Spanish political parties ... The Andalucista Party (Partido Andalucista) is a party created by nacionalist and center forces cas a regional party in Andalusia (Spain) but it still has an important power in any capitals of Andalusia such as Cádiz or Seville. ... Aragonese Council The Chunta Aragonesista (CHA) is a regionalist and social democratic party of Aragon (a region of Spain), influenced by socialism and ecopacifism. ... Eusko Alkartasuna, Basque and Spanish regional political party, translated as Basque Solidarity and abbreviated as EA, is a party which describes itself as a Basque national, democratic, popular, progressive and non-denominational party. ... Navarre Yes or Nafarroa Bai (Basque) is a basque coalition of Navarre for the 2004 Spanish elections made of the Partido Nacionalista Vasco (Basque Nationalist Party), Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque Solidarity) and Aralar political parties, specifically candidating in Navarre aiming to win a seat in the spanish parliament, in which the... The Valencian Nationalist Bloc (Bloc Nacionalista Valencià, BLOC or BNV) is a nationalist party of Land of Valencia which was created in 1998. ... Ciudadanos En Blanco is a Spanish electoral law, a distinction is made between valid votes, blank votes (votos en blanco) and null votes. ... Aralar is a Basque nationalist political group in Spain. ... Zutik symbol Zutik is a political party in Basque Country, Spain. ... The Argonese Party (Spanish: Partido Aragonés, or PAR) is a political party which advocates the interests of Aragon within Spain. ... Democratic and Social Centre (in Castillan: Centro Democrático y Social) is a political party in Spain. ... The Humanist Party (Partido Humanista in Spanish)is a political party in Spain and is a member of the Humanist International. ... Izquierda Republicana is a Spanish political party. ... DN symbol National Democracy (in Spanish: Democracia Nacional) is a far-right political party in Spain. ... UPL symbol Leonese Peoples Union (in Spanish: Unión del Pueblo Leonés) is a regional political party in Castilla y León, Spain. ... Party symbol Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (in Spanish: Partido Comunista de los Pueblos de España), a communist political party in Spain. ... The Falange (or Phalange) is the name assigned to several political movements and parties dating from the 1930s, most particularly the original movement in Spain. ... The Mallorcan Union (Unió Mallorquina) is a regional liberal party in Spain. ... Yoke and Arrows. ... MRS symbol The Republican Social Movement (Spanish: , MSR) is a political party in Spain. ... Yoke and Arrows. ... España 2000 is a far right-wing political party of Spain. ... Party of the Democratic Karma (Partido del Karma Democrático in Spanish) is a Spanish joke party founded by the publishers of the magazine Karma Dice, a highly satirical publication. ... The Frente Popular Galega (in English: Galician Peoples Front) is a galician politic organization. ... The nationalist flag of Asturia, often used by Andecha Astur Andecha Astur (AA) is an Asturian nationalist leftist political party of Spain. ... ... Otra Democracia es Posible is an extraparliamentary Spanish political party. ... Izquierda Asturiana (IAS) is an Asturian leftist nationalist political party of Spain. ... Socialist Party of the People of Ceuta (in Spanish: Partido Socialista del Pueblo de Ceuta) is a political party in Ceuta. ... Balearic Peoples Union (in Spanish: Unión del Pueblo Balear) is a political party on the island of Menorca, Spain. ... N symbol (a swastika) European Nation State (in Spanish: Estado Nacional Europeo) is a small far-right political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... PNT symbol Workers National Party (in Spanish: Partido Nacional de los Trabajadores) is a small far-right political party in Murcia, Spain. ... Regionalist Party of Guadalajara (in Spanish: Partido Regionalista de Guadalajara, PRGU) is a political party in the province of Guadalajara, Spain. ... Citizens Convergence of the South-East (in Spanish: Convergencia Ciudadana del Sureste) is a political party in Cartagena, Spain. ... PDNE symbol National Democratic Party of Spain (in Spanish: Partido Demócrata Nacional de España) is a small far-right nationalist political party in Spain. ... Spanish Absolute Honesty Political Group (in Spanish: Grupo Político Honradez Absoluta Española) is a small political party in Spain. ...

Development of voteshares and seats

The Congress of Deputies for the 7th term

The Congress of Deputies for the 8th term

Source: Spanish Interior Ministry Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 12, 2000. ... Spanish general election, 1977 Spanish general election, 1979 Spanish general election, 1982 Spanish general election, 1986 Spanish general election, 1989 Spanish general election, 1993 Spanish general election, 1996 Spanish general election, 2000 Spanish general election, 2004 External links Official results (in Spanish) Categories: Politics of Spain | History of Spain ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), is a major party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. ... The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is the largest liberal conservative political party in Spain. ... United Left (Izquierda Unida) is a political coalition that was organized in 1986 during the mobilizations in Spain against NATO. It was formed by several groups of leftists, greens, left-wing socialists and republicans, but was always dominated by the Communist Party of Spain (PCE). ... Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió, CiU) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ... The Canarian Coalition (Spanish: Coalición Canaria) is a liberal party in the Canary Isles of Spain. ... The Bloque Nacionalista Galego (Galician Nationalist Bloc), BNG, is a political organisation in Galicia in Spain, founded in 1982. ... Some regionalist, agrarian and center-right forces created PA, which now is not an important party in Andalusia (Spain) but it still has an important power in any capitals of Andalusia such as Cádiz or Seville. ... Aragonese Council The Chunta Aragonesista (CHA) is a regionalist and social democratic party of Aragon (a region of Spain), influenced by socialism and ecopacifism. ... Eusko Alkartasuna, Basque and Spanish regional political party, translated as Basque Solidarity and abbreviated as EA, is a party which describes itself as a Basque national, democratic, popular, progressive and non-denominational party. ... Navarre Yes or Nafarroa Bai (Basque) is a basque coalition of Navarre for the 2004 Spanish elections made of the Partido Nacionalista Vasco (Basque Nationalist Party), Eusko Alkartasuna (Basque Solidarity) and Aralar political parties, specifically candidating in Navarre aiming to win a seat in the spanish parliament, in which the... Composition of the Spanish Congress of Deputies for the 7th term (2000-2004). ... Made by Habbit with ADSVote (also by Habbit) File links The following pages link to this file: Spanish Congress of Deputies Spanish legislative election, 2004 Categories: GFDL images ...

• The Gallagher/Lijphart index of disproportionality for the election is 5.20
• The effective number of elective parties is 3.04
• The effective number of parliamentary parties is 2.49

The Gallagher Index (or least squares) can be used to measure the disproportionality of electoral systems, in particular majoritarian systems. ...

Senate

In the Senate the PP won 102 seats to the PSOE's 81, a better result than in the lower house. Even so, this was a 28-seat gain for the PSOE and a 25-seat loss for the PP. In Catalonia, a combined Socialist-Republican left ticket won 12 Senate seats, and the Basque Nationalists won six.

Senate seats by Autonomous Community and Constituency The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Spanish Socialist Workers Party, commonly abbreviated by its Spanish initials, PSOE (Partido Socialista Obrero Español), is a major party in Spain and the second oldest, exceeded only by the Partido Carlista, founded in 1833. ... Logo of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party. ... Logo of the Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (PSC) party Partit dels Socialistes de Catalunya (Socialist Party of Catalonia) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... Logo of the ICV Initiative for Catalonia - Greens (Iniciativa per Catalunya - Verds, ICV) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... United and Alternative Left (Esquerra Unida i Alternativa) is a political party from Catalonia, Spain. ... The Peoples Party (Spanish: Partido Popular) is the largest liberal conservative political party in Spain. ... Convergence and Unity (Convergència i Unió, CiU) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... The Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya) is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... The Democratic Union of Catalonia is a political party in Catalonia, Spain. ... The Basque Nationalist Party is a political party in the Basque region of Spain. ... This article is part of or related to the Liberalism series Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Liberal parties | Spanish political parties ...

The Senate at the end of the 7th term

The Senate at the start of the 8th term

The PSOE and its Catalan affiliate the PSC-ERC thus has 93 seats to the PP's 102. The rest of the nationalist parties, Catalan CiU, Basque EAJ-PNV, and Canary Islands CC are all conservative parties. Even if the six Basque Nationalists (EAJ-PNV), which are strongly at odds with the PP, vote with the left, the PP will still outvote them. The PSOE will thus need to gain the support of the Catalan and Canary Islands regionalists, the CiU and CC, to carry legislation in the Senate. Both parties have supported PSOE and PP governments in 1990-2000, when the largest party did not enjoy an absolute majority in the Congress. Composition of the Spanish Senate at the end of the 7th term. ... Composition of the Spanish Senate. ...

It is possible that voters swung to the PSOE in the vote for the Congress of Deputies, which determines the government, but stuck with the PP in the voting for the Senate, thus placing a brake on a future socialist government. However, a swing in votes that fails to change who leads in a district has a larger effect in the Congress, with large numbers of seats per constituency allocated proportionally, that in the Senate, where constituencies elect up to four representatives and voters cast votes for up to three people (usually all from the same party).

Electoral system

This was the eighth general election since the restoration of democratic government in 1978, or the ninth if the elections to a constitutional assembly in 1977 are included. Each of Spain's autonomous communities elects a number of deputies and senators in rough proportion to its population. The smaller autonomous communities (such as La Rioja) form a single electoral district (a circumscription). The larger autonomous communities (such as Catalonia) are divided into several circumscriptions. 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday. ... Autonomous communities of Spain. ... The Spanish Congress of Deputies (Spanish: Congreso de los Diputados) is the lower house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... The Spanish Senate (Spanish: Senado) is the upper house of the Cortes Generales, Spains legislative branch. ... Capital Logroño Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 16th  5 045 km²  1,0% Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ % of Spain  â€“ Density Ranked 17th   301 084  0,7%  59,68/km² Demonym  â€“ English  â€“ Spanish  â€”  riojano/a Statute of Autonomy June 9, 1982 Parliament  â€“ Congress seats  â€“ Senate seats  4  1 President Pedro Sanz... Anthem: Els Segadors Capital Barcelona Official language(s) Catalan, Spanish and Aranese Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 6th  32,114 km²  6. ...

All 350 deputies are elected on party lists, by roughly proportional representation in each electoral district. The method used to allocate the seats is the D'Hondt method, which favours larger parties over smaller ones, and concentrated minorities over scattered ones. Proportional representation (sometimes referred to as full representation, or PR), is a category of electoral formula aiming at a close match between the percentage of votes that groups of candidates (grouped by a certain measure) obtain in elections and the percentage of seats they receive (usually in legislative assemblies). ... The DHondt method (equivalent to Jeffersons method) is a highest averages method for allocating seats in party-list proportional representation. ...

In the Senate, each of Spain's 50 provinces (except in the Canary and Balearic Islands) elects four Senators regardless of population. This results in under-representation for the large urban circumscriptions of Madrid and Barcelona, and over-representation for the conservative provinces of Castile and Galicia. Further, the Canary Islands and the Balearic Islands elect additional senators (since circumscriptions consist of the island governnments rather than the provinces), and the small autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla (Spanish enclaves on the coast of Morocco) elect two Senators each. The islands and the enclaves are PP strongholds. The net effect of this system is to advantage the PP at the expense of the PSOE in the Senate. In the senate elections, voters can cast votes for up to three different people. Voters tend to cast all their votes for members of the same party, with the result that most provinces allocate 3 senators to the party with the strongest support, and 1 senator to the second party. In addition to its seventeen autonomous communities, Spain is divided into fifty provinces. ... The Canaries is the nickname of Norwich City FC. The Canaries is also the nickname of Hitchin Town F.C.. Capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 13th  7,447 km²  1. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official language(s) Spanish and Catalan Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4,992 km²  1. ... Motto: De Madrid al Cielo (From Madrid to Heaven) Coordinates: Country Spain Autonomous Community Comunidad Autónoma de Madrid Province Madrid Administrative Divisions 21 Neighborhoods 127 Founded 9th century Government  - Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (PP) Area  - Land 607 km² (234. ... Location Coordinates : Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Barcelona (Catalan) Spanish name Barcelona Nickname Ciutat Comtal (Catalan) Ciudad Condal (Spanish) Postal code 08001–08080 Area code 34 (Spain) + 93 (Barcelona) Website http://www. ... This article or section needs a complete rewrite for the reasons listed on the talk page. ... Galicia (Spain) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The Canaries is the nickname of Norwich City FC. The Canaries is also the nickname of Hitchin Town F.C.. Capital Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and Santa Cruz de Tenerife Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 13th  7,447 km²  1. ... Capital Palma de Mallorca Official language(s) Spanish and Catalan Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 17th  4,992 km²  1. ... Area  â€“ Total   28 km² Population  â€“ Total (2005)  â€“ Density  75,276  2688. ...  Spain Area  â€“ Total    20 km² (8 mi²) Population  â€“ Total (2006)  â€“ Density  66,871  3,343. ...

The Congress of Deputies must appoint the prime minister within two months of convening on April 2. Although constitutionally the King, as head of state, submits a proposed prime minister to the approval of the Congress, in practice the King exercises no discretion. Each of the candidates, starting with the candidate of the largest party, comes before the Congress for two investiture votes, the first by majority and the second by plurality. Typically, the leader of the largest bloc becomes Prime Minister of Spain, unless a coalition of different parties has a majority of seats. April 2 is the 92nd day of the year (93rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 273 days remaining. ... The President of the Government of Spain (Spanish: Presidente del Gobierno), sometimes known in English as the Prime Minister of Spain, is the Spanish head of government. ... A coalition is an alliance among entities, during which they cooperate in joint action, each in their own self-interest. ...

At the 2000 general election, the People's Party won a majority of seats in Congress with 183 seats, the Socialists won 125, the Catalan nationalist party Convergence and Unity won 15 and the United Left (a coalition around the Communist Party) won 8. Minor parties won the remaining 19 seats. Legislative elections were held in Spain on March 12, 2000. ...

Elections to Andalusia's regional parliament were held on the same day. The PSOE retained office in these elections with an increased majority. (El Mundo - results) Motto: Andalucía por sí, para España y la humanidad (Andalusia by herself, for Spain, and for humankind) Capital Seville Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 2nd  87,268 km²  17. ...

External links

• Spanish Interior Ministry elections website
• People's Party
• Spanish Socialist Workers' Party
• Convergence and Unity
• Republican Left of Catalonia
• United Left
• Basque Nationalist Party
• Canarian Coalition