The 1983 Valencian regional election was held in the Valencian Community, Spain, on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect the 1st Corts Valencianes, the unicameral legislature of the autonomous community. All 89 seats in the Corts were up for election. The vote was held concurrently with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and with local elections across Spain.
Background
Under the 1982 Statute of Autonomy, the Corts Valencianes held legislative power over devolved matters and the authority to grant or withdraw confidence from a regional president. The Council of the Valencian Country, in agreement with the Government of Spain and with the prior favourable vote of the Corts during their transitional period, was required to call elections between 1 February and 31 May 1983. The Corts were officially dissolved on 10 March 1983, with election day set for 8 May and the chamber scheduled to reconvene on 7 June.
Electoral system
Voting was based on universal suffrage for Spanish nationals over eighteen years of age registered in the Valencian Community and in full possession of their political rights. The 89 members were elected in three multi-member constituencies corresponding to the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia, each assigned a fixed number of seats:
- Valencia: 35 seats
- Alicante: 29 seats
- Castellón: 25 seats
Seats were allocated using the D'Hondt method with closed-list proportional representation and a five per cent electoral threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) applied regionally.
Parties and candidates
The main contenders were:
- Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), led by Joan Lerma (social democracy).
- People's Coalition–Valencian Union (AP–PDP–UL–UV), an alliance of the People's Alliance, the People's Democratic Party, the Liberal Union and the Valencian Union, led by Manuel Giner (conservatism and Christian democracy).
- Communist Party of the Valencian Country (PCE–PCPV), led by José Galán (Eurocommunism).
The election took place amid the virtual disintegration of the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) following its poor result in the October 1982 general election. UCD had dissolved as a political party on 18 February 1983, and its former voters and members largely dispersed among other formations, notably the AP–PDP coalition.
Results
Turnout was 72.7 per cent, with 1,931,142 votes cast from an electorate of 2,654,967.
| Party or alliance | Votes | % | Seats |
|---|---|---|---|
| Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 982,567 | 51.41 | 51 |
| People's Coalition–Valencian Union (AP–PDP–UL–UV) | 609,519 | 31.89 | 32 |
| Communist Party of the Valencian Country (PCE–PCPV) | 142,570 | 7.46 | 6 |
| Valencian People's Union (UPV) | 58,712 | 3.07 | 0 |
| Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | 36,015 | 1.88 | 0 |
| Liberal Democratic Party (PDL) | 29,788 | 1.56 | 0 |
| Valencian Independent Organization (OIV) | 12,585 | 0.66 | 0 |
| Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 10,156 | 0.53 | 0 |
| Valencian Nationalist Left (ENV–URV) | 7,623 | 0.40 | 0 |
| Spanish Communist Workers' Party (PCOE) | 5,945 | 0.31 | 0 |
| Popular Struggle Coalition (CLP) | 2,586 | 0.14 | 0 |
| Blank ballots | 13,180 | 0.69 | — |
| Total | 1,911,246 | 89 |
The PSOE won an absolute majority of 51 of the 89 seats with 51.4 per cent of the vote. The People's Coalition became the second political force and the main opposition group with 32 seats. The PCE–PCPV surpassed the five per cent regional threshold and entered the Corts with 6 seats, a slight recovery from its result in the October 1982 general election.
Aftermath
Following the election, regional PSOE leader Joan Lerma became the first democratically elected President of the Valencian Government. In the investiture ballot of 6 June 1983, Lerma received the affirmative votes of the 51 PSOE deputies against the 32 votes of the People's Coalition and the abstention of the 6 PCE–PCPV deputies, exceeding the required majority of 45 out of 89. An alternative candidacy by José Galán of the PCE–PCPV obtained only the support of his own 6 deputies.
See also
- Corts Valencianes
- 1987 Valencian regional election
