2011 Spanish local elections

Local elections were held in Spain on 22 May 2011^[c] to elect all 68,230 councillors in the 8,116 Spanish municipalities (including 50 seats in the assemblies of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla),^[1] all 1,193 provincial seats in 41 provinces (including 38 indirectly-elected provincial deputations and the three foral deputations in the Basque Country) and 229 seats in ten island councils (seven Canarian and four Balearic ones). They were held concurrently with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities.

The days before the elections were marked by the 2011 Spanish protests which had been held in different cities across Spain since 15 May. The elections resulted in a landslide victory for the opposition People's Party (PP) and other centre-right parties, which won control of all of Spain's largest cities. In Barcelona, held by PSOE-sister party, the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), since the first local elections in 1979, was won for the first time by the nationalist Convergence and Union (CiU), which also won in Girona. The PSOE only won only in 5 out of Spain's 50 provincial capitals. In the popular vote, it scored its worst result in nationwide-held local elections, with a mere 27.8%, 10 points behind the PP, which obtained 37.5%.

Following the election, the PSOE named Deputy Prime Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba as prime ministerial candidate for the next general election, initially scheduled for March 2012, and finally held in November 2011.^[2]

Overview

Local government

Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain was centered on the figure of city councils (Spanish: ayuntamientos), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly.^[3] The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly, requiring an absolute majority; otherwise, the candidate from the most-voted party automatically became mayor (ties were resolved by drawing lots).^[4] The concejo abierto system (English: open council), under which voters directly elected the local mayor by plurality voting, was reserved for some minor local entities.^[5]

Provincial deputations were the governing bodies of provinces in Spain—except for single-province autonomous communities—having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary.^[6] For insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, deputations were replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma, this figure was referred to in Spanish as cabildo insular, whereas for Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, its name was consejo insular (Catalan: consell insular).^[7] The three Basque provinces had foral deputations instead (called General Assemblies, or Juntas Generales).^[8]

Date

The term of local assemblies in Spain expired four years after the date of their previous election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The election decree was required to be issued no later than 54 days before the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE).^[9] The previous local elections were held on 27 May 2007, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 22 May 2011.

Local assemblies could not be dissolved before the expiration of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harmed the public interest and implied a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers could—optionally—decide to call a by-election.^[10]

Elections to the assemblies of local entities were officially called on 29 March 2011 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOE, setting election day for 22 May.^[11] Subsequent by-elections were called on 27 September, for 20 November.^[12]

Electoral system

Voting for local assemblies and island councils was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality or council and with full political rights (provided that they had not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence, nor were legally incapacitated), as well as resident non-national European citizens, and those whose country of origin allowed reciprocal voting by virtue of a treaty.^[13]

Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each constituency.^[14] Each municipality or council was a multi-member constituency, with a number of seats based on the following scale:^[15]

Councillors in municipalities below 250 inhabitants were elected using open-list partial block voting, with voters in constituencies between 101 and 250 inhabitants choosing up to four candidates; and in those below 100, up to two.^[16]

Most provincial deputations were indirectly elected by applying the D'Hondt method and a three percent-threshold of valid votes to municipal results—excluding candidacies not electing any councillor—in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale (with each judicial district being assigned an initial minimum of one seat and a maximum of three-fifths of the total number of provincial seats, with the remaining ones distributed in proportion to population):^[17]

The General Assemblies of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa were directly elected by voters under their own, specific electoral regulations.^[18]

The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacant seats; instead, any vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term were filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes.^[19]

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 were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list:^[20]

• At least one percent of the electors in municipalities with a population 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 with a population between 5,001 and 10,000.
• At least 500 signatures in municipalities with a population between 10,001 and 50,000.
• At least 1,500 signatures in municipalities with a population between 50,001 and 150,000.
• At least 3,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 150,001 and 300,000.
• At least 5,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 300,001 and 1,000,000.
• At least 8,000 signatures in municipalities with a population over 1,000,001.

Additionally, a balanced composition of men and women was required in the electoral lists, so that candidates of either sex made up at least 40 percent of the total composition.^[21]

Opinion polls

Results

Municipal

Overall

City control

The following table lists party control in provincial capitals (highlighted in bold), as well as in municipalities above 75,000.^[24] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.

Autonomous cities

The following table lists party control in the autonomous cities. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.

Provincial and island

Summary

Indirectly-elected

The following table lists party control in the indirectly-elected provincial deputations.^[25] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.

Island councils

The following table lists party control in the island councils.^[26][27] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.

Foral deputations

The following table lists party control in the foral deputations.^[29] Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.

Notes

1. ^ Including 50 seats in the assemblies of Ceuta and Melilla.
2. ^ Including: *1,040 seats in 38 provincial deputations; *157 seats in 7 Canarian island cabildos; *153 seats in 3 Basque foral deputations; *72 seats in 4 Balearic island councils.
3. ^ By-elections were held on 20 November 2011 in those constituencies where results were annulled by a final sentence following an electoral petition, or where elections were not held due to a lack of candidates.^[12]
4. ^ Results for PP in the 2007 elections, not including Formentera.
5. ^ Results for IU (6.6%, 2,450 c. and 29 p.) and totals within the EB–B–Aralar (0.4%, 112 c. and 8 p.) and Bloc (1 p.) alliances in the 2007 elections.
6. ^ Results for ANV (0.4%, 432 c. and 5 p.) and EA (0.3%, 255 c. and 10 p.) in the 2007 elections.
7. ^ For the Island Council of Formentera, councillors in the city council served as island councillors.^[30]
8. ^ Reached 75,000 in 1970–2007.^[31]
9. ^ Renamed from Palma de Mallorca in June 2008.^[32]

References

1. ^ "Elecciones Municipales en España 1979-2011" (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. December 2014. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
2. ^ Ross-Thomas, Emma (4 April 2011). "Spain's Deficit Fight Risks Setback as Zapatero Bows Out of 2012 Election". Bloomberg News. Retrieved 19 April 2026.
3. ^ (Constitution 1978, art. 140); (LBRL 1985, art. 19).
4. ^ (LBRL 1985, art. 19); (LOREG 1985, art. 196).
5. ^ (LBRL 1985, art. 29); (LOREG 1985, pp. arts. 179 & 199–200).
6. ^ (Constitution 1978, art. 141); (LBRL 1985, pp. arts. 31–32 & 40).
7. ^ (Constitution 1978, art. 141); (LBRL 1985, art. 41).
   * Canary Islands: (EAC 1982, arts. 8 & 23); (LRJAPC 1990, arts. 5 & 36). * Balearic Islands: (EAIB 2007, arts. 39 & 61); (LCI 2000, pp. arts. 2 & 23–26).
8. ^ (Constitution 1978, repeal. prov.); (Law 27/1983 1983, pp. arts. 1 & 6–8); (LBRL 1985, art. 39).
9. ^ (LOREG 1985, pp. arts. 42, 194 & 201); (EAIB 2007, art. 64).
10. ^ (LBRL 1985, art. 61).
11. ^ (Royal Decree 424/2011 2011, art. 1).
12. ^ (Royal Decree 1309/2011 2011, art. 1).
13. ^ (Constitution 1978, art. 13); (LBRL 1985, art. 19); (LOREG 1985, pp. arts. 2–3, 176 & 201); (EAIB 2007, art. 64); (LRECI 2009, art. 2).
14. ^ (LOREG 1985, pp. arts. 163, 180 & 201); (LRECI 2009, art. 1 & 7) (suppl. by (LEIB 1986, art. 12)).
15. ^ (LOREG 1985, pp. arts. 179–180 & 201).
16. ^ (LOREG 1985, art. 184).
17. ^ (LOREG 1985, pp. arts. 163 & 204–205).
18. ^ (Law 1/1987 1987, pp. arts. 1–4 & 7–9).
19. ^ (LOREG 1985, pp. arts. 46, 48, 182 & 208).
20. ^ (LOREG 1985, arts. 44 & 187).
21. ^ (LOREG 1985, art. 44 bis).
22. ^ Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones Municipales (1979-2011)" (in Spanish). Historia Electoral.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
23. ^ "Elecciones celebradas. Resultados electorales" (in Spanish). Ministry of the Interior. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
24. ^ Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones Municipales (alcaldes de ciudades por partido)" (in Spanish). Historia Electoral.com. Retrieved 10 April 2026.
25. ^ Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a Diputaciones Provinciales (desde 1979)" (in Spanish). Historia Electoral.com. Retrieved 9 April 2026.
26. ^ Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a Cabildos insulares (desde 1979)" (in Spanish). Historia Electoral.com. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
27. ^ Lozano, Carles. "Eleccions als Consells Insulars (des de 1979)" (in Catalan). Historia Electoral.com. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
28. ^ "Cifras oficiales de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal a 1 de enero. Resumen por Islas (2010)" (in Spanish). National Statistics Institute. Retrieved 18 April 2026.
29. ^ Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a las Juntas Generales (desde 1979)" (in Spanish). Historia Electoral.com. Retrieved 13 April 2026.
30. ^ (EAIB 2007, art. 63); (LRECI 2009, art. 1).
31. ^ "Demografia de Ferrol (La Coruña). Tabla año a año" (in Spanish). Foro-Ciudad.com. Retrieved 9 May 2026.
32. ^ (Law 8/2008 2008, art. 1).

Bibliography

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