1999 European Parliament election in Spain

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An election was held in Spain on Sunday, 13 June 1999, as part of the EU-wide election to elect the 5th European Parliament. All 64 seats allocated to the Spanish constituency as per the Treaty of Amsterdam were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

1999 European Parliament election in Spain
← 1994
13 June 1999
2004 →
← outgoing members
elected members →
All 64 Spanish seats in the European Parliament
Opinion polls
Registered33,840,432 7.2%
Turnout21,334,948 (63.0%)
3.9 pp
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Loyola de Palacio Rosa Díez Alonso Puerta
Party PP PSOE–p IU–EUiA
Alliance EPP (EPP–ED) PES GUE/NGL
Leader since 22 April 1999 22 March 1999 2 March 1994
Leader's seat Spain Spain Spain
Last election 28 seats, 40.1% 22 seats, 30.8% 9 seats, 11.9%
Seats won 27 24 4
Seat change 1 2 5
Popular vote 8,410,993 7,477,823 1,221,566
Percentage 39.7% 35.3% 5.8%
Swing 0.4 pp 4.5 pp 6.1 pp
  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Pere Esteve Isidoro Sánchez Josu Ortuondo
Party CiU CE CN–EP
Alliance ELDR
EPP (EPP–ED) 		ELDR
ERA (Greens/EFA) 		Greens/EFA
Leader since 16 November 1998 1999 17 April 1999
Leader's seat Spain Spain Spain
Last election 3 seats, 4.7% 0 seats, 2.2% 2 seats, 2.8%
Seats won 3 2 2
Seat change 0 2 0
Popular vote 937,687 677,094 613,968
Percentage 4.4% 3.2% 2.9%
Swing 0.3 pp 1.0 pp 0.1 pp

The ruling People's Party (PP)—which for the first time contested a nationwide election in Spain while in government—emerged as the largest political force in the country, albeit with a diminished victory margin than in the previous election held in 1994. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), in opposition for the first time since 1982, recovered some ground from its previous result. Overall, the PP lead decreased from 9.3 to 4.4 percentage points, though this was an increase from the 1.2 points between both parties in the 1996 general election. United Left (IU) lost half of its votes and parliamentary representation amid internal divisions—Initiative for Catalonia (IC) and the New Left (NI) had split from the larger alliance in 1997—policy differences over their relationship with the PSOE and the deteriorating health condition of IU's maverick leader, Julio Anguita.

Electoral system

64 members of the European Parliament were allocated to Spain as per the Treaty of Amsterdam. Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals and resident non-national European citizens over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights.

All seats were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with no electoral threshold being applied in order to be entitled to enter seat distribution. Seats were allocated to a single multi-member constituency comprising the entire national territory. The use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.

Outgoing delegation

Outgoing delegation in May 1999
Groups Parties MEPs
Seats Total
European People's Party PP 26 29
UPN 2
UDC 1
Party of European Socialists PSOE 21 21
European United Left–Nordic Green Left IU 8 9
IC–V 1
European Radical Alliance PAR 1 3
CG 1
INDEP 1
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party CDC 2 2

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call. In order to be entitled to run, parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least 15,000 registered electors; this requirement could be lifted and replaced through the signature of at least 50 elected officials—deputies, senators, MEPs or members from the legislative assemblies of autonomous communities or from local city councils. Electors and elected officials were disallowed from signing for more than one list of candidates.

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

Candidacy Parties and
alliances 		Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Ref.
Vote % Seats
PP
List
  • People's Party (PP)
  • Navarrese People's Union (UPN)
Loyola de Palacio Conservatism
Christian democracy 		40.1% 28
PSOE–p
List
 Rosa Díez Social democracy 30.8% 22
IU–EUiA
List
  • United Left (IU)
    – Communist Party of Spain (PCE)
    – Socialist Action Party (PASOC)
    – Republican Left (IR)
    – Collective for the Unity of Workers–Andalusian Left Bloc (CUT–BAI)
    – Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR)
    – Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRT)
  • United and Alternative Left (EUiA)
    – Living Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUCviu)
    – Party of the Communists of Catalonia (PCC)
Alonso Puerta Socialism
Communism
11.9%
 9
CiU
List
  • Convergence and Union (CiU)
    – Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC)
    – Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)
  • Valencian Nationalist Bloc (BNV)
  • PSM–Nationalist Agreement (PSM–EN)
Pere Esteve Catalan nationalism
Centrism 		4.7% 3
CN–EP
List
  • Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV)
  • Basque Solidarity (EA)
  • Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)
  • Majorcan Union (UM)
  • The Greens–Ecologist Confederation of Catalonia (EV–CEC)
Josu Ortuondo Peripheral nationalism
2.8%
 2
CE
List
  • Canarian Coalition (CC)
  • Andalusian Party (PA)
  • Valencian Union (UV)
  • Aragonese Party (PAR)
Isidoro Sánchez Regionalism
2.2%
 0
LV–IP
List
  • Initiative for Catalonia–Greens (IC–V)
  • The Greens (LV)
  • Aragonese Union (CHA)
  • Left of Galicia (EdeG)
  • Andalusian Left (IA)
Antoni Gutiérrez Green politics
Eco-socialism
Left-wing nationalism
1.5%
 0
EH
List
  • Popular Unity (HB)
    – Basque Nationalist Action (EAE/ANV)
  • Assembly (Batzarre)
  • Stand Up (Zutik)
Koldo Gorostiaga Basque independence
Left-wing nationalism
Revolutionary socialism
1.0%
 0
BNG
List
  • Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)
    – Galician People's Union (UPG)
    – Socialist Collective (CS)
    – Galician Nationalist Party–Galicianist Party (PNG–PG)
    – Nationalist Left (EN)
    – Inzar (Inzar)
    – Galician Unity (UG)
Camilo Nogueira Galician nationalism
Left-wing nationalism
Socialism 		0.7% 0

Opinion polls

The table below lists voting intention estimates 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 given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font.

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 13 June 1999 European Parliament election results in Spain →
Parties and alliances Popular vote Seats
Votes % ±pp Total +/−
People's Party (PP) 8,410,993 39.74 −0.38 27 −1
Spanish Socialist Workers' Party–Progressives (PSOE–p) 7,477,823 35.33 +4.54 24 +2
United Left–United and Alternative Left (IU–EUiA)1 1,221,566 5.77 −6.15 4 −5
Convergence and Union (CiU) 937,687 4.43 −0.23 3 ±0
European Coalition (CE)2 677,094 3.20 +1.03 2 +2
Nationalist Coalition–Europe of the Peoples (CN–EP)3 613,968 2.90 +0.06 2 ±0
Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) 349,079 1.65 +0.90 1 +1
Basque Citizens (EH)4 306,923 1.45 +0.48 1 +1
The Greens–Left of the Peoples (LV–IP)5 300,874 1.42 −0.11 0 ±0
The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV) 138,835 0.66 +0.07 0 ±0
Centrist Union–Democratic and Social Centre (UC–CDS) 38,911 0.18 −0.81 0 ±0
Leonese People's Union (UPL) 33,604 0.16 New 0 ±0
Confederation of Feminist Organizations (COFEM/FEMEK) 28,901 0.14 New 0 ±0
Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) 26,189 0.12 −0.04 0 ±0
Asturian Renewal Union (URAS) 22,400 0.11 New 0 ±0
Party for Independence (PI) 17,544 0.08 New 0 ±0
Spanish Democratic Party (PADE) 16,001 0.08 New 0 ±0
United Extremadura (EU) 15,716 0.07 ±0.00 0 ±0
Asturianist Party (PAS) 15,299 0.07 −0.01 0 ±0
Independent Spanish Phalanx (FEI) 13,940 0.07 +0.04 0 ±0
Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC)6 13,267 0.06 +0.04 0 ±0
Alliance for National Unity (AUN) 12,486 0.06 New 0 ±0
Humanist Party (PH) 12,415 0.06 +0.02 0 ±0
The Phalanx (FE) 10,792 0.05 New 0 ±0
Independent Socialists of Extremadura (SIEx) 10,040 0.05 New 0 ±0
Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL) 9,950 0.05 ±0.00 0 ±0
Andalusia Assembly (A) 8,750 0.04 New 0 ±0
Natural Law Party (PLN) 8,671 0.04 New 0 ±0
Party of Self-employed of Spain and Spanish Independent Groups (PAE–I) 8,394 0.04 New 0 ±0
Valencian Community Alternative (ACV) 8,073 0.04 New 0 ±0
National Democracy (DN) 8,053 0.04 New 0 ±0
Andecha Astur (AA) 7,321 0.03 New 0 ±0
Union of Regions (UDR) 7,251 0.03 New 0 ±0
Extremaduran Coalition (PREx–CREx)7 7,230 0.03 ±0.00 0 ±0
Regionalist Party of the Leonese Country (PREPAL) 6,977 0.03 ±0.00 0 ±0
Coalition for the Repeal of the Maastricht Treaty (DM)8 5,664 0.03 −0.01 0 ±0
Blank ballots 357,583 1.69 +0.54
Total 21,166,264 64 ±0
Valid votes 21,166,264 99.21 −0.33
Invalid votes 168,684 0.79 +0.33
Votes cast / turnout 21,334,948 63.05 +3.91
Abstentions 12,505,484 36.95 −3.91
Registered voters 33,840,432
Sources
Footnotes:
  • 1 United Left–United and Alternative Left results are compared to United Left totals in the 1994 election, not including Catalonia.
  • 2 European Coalition results are compared to the combined totals of Nationalist Coalition in Aragon, the Canary Islands and the Valencian Community and Andalusian Coalition–Andalusian Power in the 1994 election.
  • 3 Nationalist Coalition–Europe of the Peoples results are compared to the combined totals of Nationalist Coalition—not including results in Aragon, the Canary Islands, Galicia and the Valencian Community—, For the Europe of the Peoples—not including results in Cantabria, Castile and León, Castilla–La Mancha, La Rioja and Madrid—and The Greens–Ecologist Confederation of Catalonia in the 1994 election.
  • 4 Basque Citizens results are compared to Popular Unity totals in the 1994 election.
  • 5 The Greens–Left of the Peoples results are compared to United Left totals in Catalonia in the 1994 election.
  • 6 Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party results are compared to For the Europe of the Peoples totals in Cantabria, Castile and León, Castilla–La Mancha, La Rioja and Madrid in the 1994 election.
  • 7 Extremaduran Coalition results are compared to Extremaduran Regionalist Party totals in the 1994 election.
  • 8 Coalition for the Repeal of the Maastricht Treaty results are compared to Coalition for a New Socialist Party totals in the 1994 election.
Popular vote
PP
 
 39.74%
PSOE–p
 
 35.33%
IU–EUiA
 
 5.77%
CiU
 
 4.43%
CE
 
 3.20%
CN–EP
 
 2.90%
BNG
 
 1.65%
EH
 
 1.45%
LV–IP
 
 1.42%
Others
 
 2.42%
Blank ballots
 
 1.69%
Seats
PP
 
 42.19%
PSOE–p
 
 37.50%
IU–EUiA
 
 6.25%
CiU
 
 4.69%
CE
 
 3.13%
CN–EP
 
 3.13%
BNG
 
 1.56%
EH
 
 1.56%

Maps

Distribution by European group

Summary of political group distribution in the 5th European Parliament (1999–2004)
Groups Parties Seats Total %
European People's Party–European Democrats (EPP–ED)
  • People's Party (PP)
  • Navarrese People's Union (UPN)
  • Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)
 26
1
1 		28 43.75
Party of European Socialists (PES) 22
2 		24 37.50
Greens–European Free Alliance (Greens/EFA)
  • Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV)
  • Basque Solidarity (EA)
  • Andalusian Party (PA)
  • Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)
 1
1
1
1 		4 6.25
European United Left–Nordic Green Left (GUE/NGL)
  • United Left (IU)
 4 4 6.25
European Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (ELDR)
  • Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC)
  • Canarian Coalition (CC)
 2
1 		3 4.69
Non-Inscrits (NI)
  • Basque Citizens (EH)
 1 1 1.56
Total 64 64 100.00

Elected legislators

The following table lists the elected legislators:

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