MADRID, 16 Feb. (EUROPA PRESS) –
This Sunday, Galicians go to the polls to decide who will be their representatives in the Galician parliament. Although in general terms the elections in Spain work the same at the local, regional and national levels, there are small differences. For example, the minimum number of votes necessary to enter each parliament.
The Spanish electoral system works based on the D’Hondt Law, a proportional calculation system that divides the number of votes cast for each party by the number of elected officials each constituency has. We explain how it works HERE.
To even enter this distribution, it is necessary to obtain a certain number of votes in each constituency. If not, you cannot hope to win any seats. At the national level, the minimums are: 3% for general elections and 5% for regional elections. Each autonomous community regulates its own minimums in its electoral laws.
Galicia is one of the autonomies where it is necessary to obtain more than 5% of the votes per constituency to secure at least one seat in parliament. That is, if a party obtains 5% of the votes, but that 5% is distributed among its four provinces, this party would not obtain representation.
The same happens with Cantabria, Balearic Islands, La Rioja, Valencian Community, Extremadura, Madrid Community,
The minimum to access the Andalusian Parliament is 3% of the votes.
The same happens with Navarra, Basque Country, Aragon, Castilla – La Mancha, Castilla y León, Murcia, Asturias
Catalonia does not have its own electoral law. Their elections are regulated by the Statute of Autonomy and by the Organic Law of the Central Electoral Regime (LOREG), that is, the minimum to enter the Parliament is 3% of the votes in a constituency.
For its part, the Canary Islands elect their regional parliament from one regional constituency (which has nine seats) and seven island constituencies (which has 61 seats). In total, the Canarians elect 70 regional parliamentarians.
The minimum in the autonomous constituency is 4% of votes in the entire autonomous community. The minimum in the island constituencies is 15% of votes in their constituency or at least 4% adding the votes of all the island constituencies.
Finally, Ceuta and Melilla are electorally governed by state regulations regarding municipal elections, which places the barrier to entering their respective assemblies at 5% of the votes.
The Spanish rules regarding the European elections (the next ones that, in the absence of surprise, will take place) have a change pending: the European Parliament agreed that all countries should set a minimum threshold of between 2% and 5%, something that Spain has not yet ratified. The PNV agreed with the PSOE in November “not to promote any modification of the LOREG” and to do so “with prior agreement” of the Basque nationalists “in case of extraordinary need.”
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