2007 Valencian regional election


The 2007 Valencian regional election was held on Sunday, 27 May 2007, to elect the 7th Corts of the Valencian Community. All 99 seats in the Corts were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
As in the three previous elections, the People's Party won with an increased absolute majority of seats, as well as winning an absolute majority of votes - the first time since 1983 that this had been achieved. The PP increased its vote share by more than 5% and gained 6 of the additional 10 seats.
The Valencian Nationalist Bloc which in the previous election had remained 0.3% short of the 5% threshold, formed an electoral alliance with United Left under the name Commitment for the Valencian Country. This combined list, which also included smaller Green and left-wing groups, saw BNV gain its first seat representation in the Courts, though the combined vote for both IU and BNV was considerably lesser than both had polled separately in 2003, with the coalition only gaining one seat overall. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party gained 3 seats despite decreasing its vote share by 1 point.

Overview

Electoral system

The Corts Valencianes were the devolved, unicameral legislature of the Valencian autonomous community, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Valencian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Government. Voting for the Corts was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in the Valencian Community and in full enjoyment of their political rights.
The 99 members of the Corts Valencianes were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 5 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia. Each constituency was entitled to an initial minimum of 20 seats, with the remaining 39 allocated among the constituencies in proportion to their populations on the condition that the seat to population ratio in any given province did not exceed three times that of any other.
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 at least 1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election. 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.

Election date

The term of the Corts Valencianes expired four years after the date of their previous election. Elections to the Corts were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 25 May 2003, setting the election date for the Corts on Sunday, 27 May 2007.
The Corts Valencianes could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Corts were to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.

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. 50 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Corts Valencianes.

Results

Overall

Distribution by constituency

Aftermath