1987 Castilian-Leonese regional election

1987 Castilian-Leonese regional election
10 June 1987
All 84 seats in the Cortes of Castile and León
43 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered1,997,693 0.2%
Turnout1,461,386 (73.2%)
3.4 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader José María Aznar Juan José Laborda Carlos Sánchez-Reyes
Party AP PSOE CDS
Leader since 22 June 1985 3 March 1987 1987
Leader's seat Valladolid Burgos Valladolid
Last election 39 seats (CP)[a] 42 seats, 44.4% 2 seats, 6.0%
Seats won 32 32 18
Seat change 1 10 16
Popular vote 493,488 488,469 278,253
Percentage 34.4% 34.0% 19.4%
Swing n/a 10.4 pp 13.4 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party
 
Leader Rafael de las Heras Tomás Cortés
Party PDP SI
Leader since 1986 1987
Leader's seat Segovia Burgos
Last election 6 seats (CP)[a] Did not contest
Seats won 1 1
Seat change 5 1
Popular vote 35,080 19,282
Percentage 2.4% 1.3%
Swing n/a New party
Constituency results map for the Cortes of Castile and León
President before election

José Constantino Nalda
PSOE

Elected President

José María Aznar
AP

A regional election was held in Castile and León on Wednesday, 10 June 1987, to elect the 2nd Cortes of the autonomous community. All 84 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, as well as the 1987 European Parliament election.

Expectations for the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) were low after the resignation in October 1986 of former president Demetrio Madrid, besieged by a judicial investigation on the alleged fraudulent sale of a former textile company of his property and by internal opposition from within his party.[3][4] The election saw both the PSOE and the opposition People's Alliance (AP)—which ran on its own after the break up of the People's Coalition with the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Liberal Party (PL) the previous year—lose ground to the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) which, with 18 seats and 19.4% of the share, scored the best result for a third party in a Castilian-Leonese regional election to date. The PDP was able to win one seat by Segovia, with Castile and León becoming one of the only two autonomous communities—the other being Navarre—in which the party was able to secure parliamentary representation. In Burgos, a breakway party, Independent Solution (SI), formed by the incumbent mayor of its capital city, José María Peña San Martín, obtained one seat in the regional Cortes.

As a result of the election, the support of PDP and SI procurators and the decisive abstention of the CDS, AP candidate José María Aznar was able to become President of the Regional Government of Castile and León, replacing Socialist José Constantino Nalda and starting an uninterrupted stay of over three decades in power for AP and its successor, the People's Party (PP). Aznar's presidency would last until 1989, when he would resign to Jesús Posada in order to become the PP's national leader and, in 1996, prime minister of Spain.

Overview

Under the 1983 Statute of Autonomy, the Cortes of Castile and León were the unicameral legislature of the homonymous autonomous community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[5]

Electoral system

Voting for the Cortes was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Castile and León and in full enjoyment of their political rights, provided that they were not sentenced—by a final court ruling—to deprivation of the right to vote, nor being legally incapacitated.[6][7][8]

The Cortes of Castile and León were entitled to 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 each 45,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 22,500. All members were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional voting system, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes (which included blank ballots) being applied in each constituency.[6][9] The use of the electoral method resulted in a higher effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.[10]

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

Seats Constituencies
15 León
14 Valladolid
11 Burgos, Salamanca
8 Zamora
7 Ávila, Palencia
6 Segovia
5 Soria

The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacated seats; instead, any vacancies that occurred after the proclamation of candidates and into the legislative term were to be covered by the successive candidates in the list and, when required, by the designated substitutes.[12][13]

Election date

The term of the Cortes of Castile and León expired four years after the date of their previous ordinary election. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the scheduled date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of Castile and León (BOCYL), with election day taking place between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication.[14][15][16] The previous election was held on 8 May 1983, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 8 May 1987. The election decree was required to be published in the BOCYL no later than 14 April 1987, with the election taking place up to the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible date for election day on Saturday, 13 June 1987.

The Cortes of Castile and León could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament, except in the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot. In such a case, the Cortes were to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected legislators merely serving out what remained of their original four-year term.[17]

The election to the Cortes of Castile and León was officially called on 14 April 1987 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOCYL, setting election day for 10 June and scheduling for the chamber to reconvene on 2 July.[11]

Outgoing parliament

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of the election call.[18][19]

Parliamentary composition in April 1987
Groups Parties Legislators
Seats Total
Socialist Parliamentary Group PSOE 41 41
People's Parliamentary Group AP 31 36
PDP 5[20]
Mixed Parliamentary Group CDS 1 7
PANCAL 1[b]
INDEP 5[c]

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 ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within ten 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 of candidates.[22][23]

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

Candidacy Parties and
alliances 		Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Vote % Seats
PSOE
List
 Juan José Laborda Social democracy 44.4% 42 [24]
[25]
[26]
AP
List
 José María Aznar Conservatism
National conservatism
39.7%
[a] 		39 [27]
[28]
[29]
PDP
List
 Rafael de las Heras Christian democracy [30]
[31]
CDS
List
 Carlos Sánchez-Reyes Centrism
Liberalism 		6.0% 2 [32]
[33]
IU
List
 Antonio Herreros Socialism
Communism
3.2%
[d] 		0
SI
List
 Tomás Cortés Conservatism
Localism 		Did not contest

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; 43 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Cortes of Castile and León.

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 10 June 1987 Cortes of Castile and León election results →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Alliance (AP)1 493,488 34.36 n/a 32 +1
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 488,469 34.01 −10.36 32 −10
Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) 278,253 19.37 +13.41 18 +16
United Left (IU)2 54,676 3.81 +0.58 0 ±0
People's Democratic Party (PDP)1 35,080 2.44 n/a 1 −5
Independent Solution (SI) 19,282 1.34 New 1 +1
Workers' Party of Spain–Communist Unity (PTE–UC) 11,943 0.83 New 0 ±0
Leonesist Union (UNLE) 8,960 0.62 New 0 ±0
Party of El Bierzo (PB) 5,387 0.38 +0.07 0 ±0
Nationalist Party of Castile and León (PNCL–PANCAL)1 5,190 0.36 n/a 0 −1
Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (PREPAL) 4,090 0.28 −2.23 0 ±0
Humanist Platform (PH) 3,934 0.27 New 0 ±0
Liberal Party (PL)1 2,213 0.15 n/a 0 −1
Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) 1,828 0.13 New 0 ±0
Spanish Ruralist Party (PRE) 749 0.05 New 0 ±0
Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) n/a n/a −2.72 0 −1
Blank ballots 22,690 1.58 +0.62
Total 1,436,232 84 ±0
Valid votes 1,436,232 98.28 −0.23
Invalid votes 25,154 1.72 +0.23
Votes cast / turnout 1,461,386 73.15 +3.31
Abstentions 536,307 26.85 −3.31
Registered voters 1,997,693
Sources[18][34][35][36]
Footnotes:
Popular vote
AP
 
 34.36%
PSOE
 
 34.01%
CDS
 
 19.37%
IU
 
 3.81%
PDP
 
 2.44%
SI
 
 1.34%
Others
 
 3.08%
Blank ballots
 
 1.58%
Seats
AP
 
 38.10%
PSOE
 
 38.10%
CDS
 
 21.43%
PDP
 
 1.19%
SI
 
 1.19%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency AP PSOE CDS PDP SI
% S % S % S % S % S
Ávila 30.3 2 23.5 2 40.6 3 1.9 −
Burgos 30.3 4 34.4 4 17.1 2 1.7 − 10.0 1
León 33.8 6 38.2 7 13.7 2 1.7 −
Palencia 45.0 4 33.4 2 13.7 1
Salamanca 35.2 4 35.0 4 21.7 3 0.9 −
Segovia 22.4 1 26.8 2 22.6 2 17.7 1
Soria 41.7 2 32.3 2 14.3 1 5.5 −
Valladolid 32.7 5 36.4 6 20.3 3 0.9 −
Zamora 43.0 4 32.5 3 16.7 1 2.0 −
Total 34.4 32 34.0 32 19.4 18 2.4 1 1.3 1
Sources[18][34][35][36]

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture
Nomination of José María Aznar (AP)
Ballot → 21 July 1987 21 July 1987
Required majority → 43 out of 84 N Simple Y
Yes
  • • AP (32)
  • • PDP (1)
  • • SI (1)
34 / 84
34 / 84
No
32 / 84
32 / 84
Abstentions
18 / 84
18 / 84
Absentees
0 / 84
0 / 84
Sources[18]

1989 investiture

Investiture
Nomination of Jesús Posada (PP)
Ballot → 15 September 1989
Required majority → 43 out of 84 Y
Yes
51 / 84
No
30 / 84
Abstentions
0 / 84
Absentees
3 / 84
Sources[18][37][38]

Notes

  1. ^ a b c Within the AP–PDP–UL alliance in the 1983 election: AP (31 seats), PDP (6 seats), UL/PL (1 seat) and PANCAL (1 seat).[1][2]
  2. ^ Francisco José Alonso.[21]
  3. ^ Manuel Cabezas, former PSOE legislator;[21] Antonio Martín Beaumont and Fernando Gil Nieto, former AP legislators; José Manuel Hernández, former CDS legislator; Francisco Montoya, former PDL/PRD legislator.
  4. ^ Results for PCCL–PCE in the 1983 election.
  5. ^ a b Results for PRD.
  6. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Within CP.
  7. ^ a b Results for PCE.
  8. ^ a b Does not include non-resident citizens.

References

Opinion poll sources

  1. ^ "Candidatos y encuestas". ABC (in Spanish). 27 May 1987.
  2. ^ "Gana el que menos votos pierde" (PDF). El País (in Spanish). 4 June 1987.
  3. ^ "Presupuestos: La tentación electoralista". La Prensa Alcarreña (in Spanish). 28 July 1985.
  4. ^ a b c d "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Castilla y León 1987 (IV) (Estudio nº 1662. Junio 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 5 June 1987.
  5. ^ a b c d "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Castilla y León 1987 (III) (Estudio nº 1642. Mayo 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 16 May 1987.
  6. ^ a b c d "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Castilla y León 1987 (II) (Estudio nº 1622. Abril 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 23 April 1987.
  7. ^ a b c "Preelectoral municipales y autonómicas de Castilla y León 1987 (I) (Estudio nº 1605. Marzo 1987)". CIS (in Spanish). 22 March 1987.
  8. ^ a b c "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Castilla y León (II) (Estudio nº 1568. Febrero-Marzo 1986)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 December 1986.
  9. ^ "Barómetro de la comunidad autónoma de Castilla y León (I) (Estudio nº 1507. Febrero-Marzo 1986)". CIS (in Spanish). 1 March 1986.
  10. ^ "Estudio CIS nº 1505. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 1 March 1986.

Other

  1. ^ "Candidaturas proclamadas para Cortes de Castilla y León convocadas por Decreto 1/83 de 5 de marzo, del Pleno del Consejo General de Castilla y León, estructurado conforme a lo dispuesto en la Disposición Transitoria 1ª. de la Ley Orgánica 4/83 de 25 de Febrero, de convocatoria de elecciones a Cortes de Castilla y León" (PDF). Official Gazette of Castile and León (in Spanish) (10 (Extraordinary)): 1–20. 12 April 1983. ISSN 1989-8959. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  2. ^ "Candidaturas proclamadas a Cortes de Castilla y León, convocadas por Decreto 74/1987 de 13 de abril" (PDF). Official Gazette of Castile and León (in Spanish) (65): 1–38. 12 May 1987. ISSN 1989-8959. Retrieved 21 February 2026.
  3. ^ "La crisis por la dimisión de Demetrio Madrid debe resolverse en 15 días". El País. 31 October 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  4. ^ "La dimisión de Demetrio Madrid favorece las expectativas electorales del centro y la derecha". El País. 3 November 1986. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
  5. ^ Statute (1983), arts. 9 & 13.
  6. ^ a b Statute (1983), art. 10.
  7. ^ LECyL (1987), art. 2.
  8. ^ LOREG (1985), arts. 2–3.
  9. ^ 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. ^ a b Decreto 74/1987, de 13 de abril, por el que se convocan elecciones a las Cortes de Castilla y León (PDF) (Decree 74/1987). Official Gazette of Castile and León (in Spanish). 13 April 1987. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  12. ^ LECyL (1987), arts. 21 & 26.
  13. ^ LOREG (1985), arts. 46 & 48.
  14. ^ Statute (1983), art. 11.
  15. ^ LECyL (1987), art. 16.
  16. ^ LOREG (1985), art. 42.
  17. ^ Statute (1983), art. 15.
  18. ^ a b c d e Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a Cortes de Castilla y León (desde 1983)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2025.
  19. ^ "El Parlamento. Legislaturas anteriores. I Legislatura" (in Spanish). Cortes of Castile and León. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Situación precaria del PDP en Castilla y León". ABC (in Spanish). 20 July 1986. Retrieved 30 January 2020.
  21. ^ a b "Pase al Grupo Mixto". El País (in Spanish). 2 June 1984. Retrieved 30 January 2022.
  22. ^ LECyL (1987), arts. 25–26.
  23. ^ LOREG (1985), art. 44.
  24. ^ Jáuregui, Fernando (11 March 1985). "El burgalés Juan José Laborda, nuevo secretario general del PSOE de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  25. ^ Rodríguez, Gonzalo (30 October 1986). "El presidente de Castilla y León dimite tras su procesamiento". El País (in Spanish). Valladolid. Retrieved 27 January 2026.
  26. ^ De Dios, Luis Miguel (4 March 1987). "Juan José Laborda, portavoz socialista en el Senado, será el candidato del PSOE a la presidencia de la Junta de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  27. ^ Díez, Anabel (23 June 1985). "Alianza Popular de Castilla y León cree que aún se puede cambiar el mapa autonómico". El País (in Spanish). Palencia. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  28. ^ Jáuregui, Fernando (14 November 1986). "Manuel Fraga abre en Castilla y León un nuevo 'frente electoral'". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  29. ^ Jáuregui, Fernando (16 November 1986). "Fraga afirma que AP no tiene previsto celebrar en breve un nuevo congreso". El País (in Spanish). Burgos. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  30. ^ "El PDP irá en solitario". El País (in Spanish). 14 September 1986. Retrieved 10 March 2026.
  31. ^ "Alzaga descarta cualquier coalición del PDP con Alianza Popular". El País (in Spanish). Valencia. 28 January 1987. Retrieved 28 November 2025.
  32. ^ De Dios, Luis Miguel (28 May 1987). "Tres presidentes socialistas en nueve meses, si vence el PSOE". El País (in Spanish). Valladolid. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  33. ^ Prieto, Joaquín; Gómez, Carlos (30 May 1987). "Conflictos regionales y cambios de listas en el centro-derecha". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 4 March 2026.
  34. ^ a b "Procesos electorales a las Cortes de Castilla y León" (in Spanish). Regional Government of Castile and León. Retrieved 19 October 2025.
  35. ^ a b "Resultados generales y por circunscripciones de las elecciones a las Cortes de Castilla y León celebradas el 10 de junio de 1987" (PDF). Official Gazette of Castile and León (in Spanish) (129): 2418–2421. 12 August 1987. ISSN 1989-8959. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  36. ^ a b "Nº 75. Informe de fiscalización de la regularidad de las contabilidades electorales derivadas de las elecciones celebradas el 10 de junio de 1987" (PDF). Court of Auditors (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  37. ^ Forjas, Francisco; De Dios, Luis Miguel (15 September 1989). "Jesús Posada será elegido hoy presidente de Castilla y León". El País (in Spanish). Valladolid. Retrieved 25 January 2026.
  38. ^ Forjas, Francisco (16 September 1989). "Posada fue elegido presidente de Castilla y León con los votos del CDS y los populares". El País (in Spanish). Valladolid. Retrieved 25 January 2026.

Bibliography

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