This article will address 1987 Spanish local elections, a current topic that has aroused the interest of different sectors of society. 1987 Spanish local elections has gained relevance in recent times and has generated a debate around its implications and repercussions. Through an exhaustive analysis, we will seek to offer a complete and objective view of 1987 Spanish local elections, in order to provide readers with a deeper understanding of this topic. In addition, different perspectives and approaches will be examined that will allow 1987 Spanish local elections to be approached from different angles, thus enriching the knowledge and debate around this topic.
Municipalities in Spain were local corporations with independent legal personality. They had a governing body, the municipal council or corporation, composed of a mayor, deputy mayors and a plenary assembly of councillors. Voting for the local assemblies was on the basis of universal suffrage, with all nationals over eighteen, registered in the corresponding municipality and in full enjoyment of all political rights entitled to vote. The mayor was in turn elected by the plenary assembly, with a legal clause providing for the candidate of the most-voted party to be automatically elected to the post in the event no other candidate was to gather an absolute majority of votes.
Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed listproportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:
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
Councillors of municipalities with populations between 100 and 250 inhabitants were elected under an open listpartial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties and for up to four candidates. Additionally, municipalities below 100 inhabitants, as well as those whose geographical location or the best management of municipal interests or other circumstances made it advisable, were to be organized through the open council system (Spanish: régimen de concejo abierto), in which voters would directly elect the local major.
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election:
At least 1 percent of the electors in municipalities below 5,000 inhabitants, provided that the number of signers was more than double that of councillors at stake.
At least 100 signatures in municipalities between 5,001 and 10,000.
At least 500 signatures in municipalities between 10,001 and 50,000.
At least 1,500 signatures in municipalities between 50,001 and 150,000.
At least 3,000 signatures in municipalities between 150,001 and 300,000.
At least 5,000 signatures in municipalities between 300,001 and 1,000,000.
At least 8,000 signatures in municipalities over 1,000,001.
Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.
Most deputations were indirectly elected by local councillors from municipalities in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale:
Population
Seats
<500,000
25
500,001–1,000,000
27
1,000,001–3,500,000
31
>3,500,001
51
Island councils and foral deputations were elected directly by electors under their own, specific electoral regulations.
Municipal elections
Overall
Councillor share for different parties in the elections.
4 Democratic and Social Centre–Gomera Group of Independents results are compared to Gomera Group of Independents totals in La Gomera in the 1983 elections.
The following table lists party control in provincial capitals, as well as in municipalities above or around 75,000. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.