2015 Spanish General Election Sunday Dec 20,2015

 

The 2015 Spanish general election is scheduled to be held on Sunday, 20 December 2015, to elect the 11th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain

 At stake will be all 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies (Lower House of Parliament)and 208 of 266 seats in the Senate(Upper House of Parliament)

The Ruling People's Party (PP), led by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy will seek re-election for a second term in office, while the Spanish Socialist Worker's Party(PSOE) will attempt to return to power after 4 years in opposition

Mariano Rajoy became the Spanish Prime Minister on December 20,2011, after his People's Party (PP) landslide victory in the 2011 General Election
The People's Party (PP) overall majority of 186 seats gave Mariano Rajoy a free hand to handle the country's political and economic situation for the next four years, attaining a parliamentary stability that his predecessor, Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, did not enjoy.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party is seeking a second consecutive four-year term. It currently holds a majority of 186 seats in the 350-seat lower house of Parliament. The Socialists hold 110 seats. Newcomer parties Ciudadanos and Podemos don't have any because it's their first time fielding national candidates.

L to R) Podemos leader Pablo Iglesias, Ciudadanos leader, Albert Rivera, Spanish Socialist Party leader, Pedro Sanchez and Spanish Prime Minister and Popular Party leader, Mariano Rajoy speak during their electoral campaign.

Spain's 36.5 million registered voters will elect representatives to the lower house and to the Senate, a separate chamber without less legislative power.

Polling stations open at 0800 GMT and close at 1900 GMT.

Since Spain’s transition to democracy at the end of the 1970s, general elections have been dominated by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ party (PSOE) or the centre-right People’s party (PP) and its earlier incarnations.
The only exceptions were the first two votes held after Francisco Franco’s death, in 1977 and 1979. Both saw the now-defunct Union of the Democratic Centre win minority administrations


2015 Spanish General Election Results

 

The PP took 28.72% of the vote in Sunday's election, the PSOE 22.01%, Podemos 20.66% and Ciudadanos 13.93%.

In the 350-seat parliament this translates to: PP (123); PSOE (90); Podemos (69); Ciudadanos (40).

Mariano Rajoy's immediate reaction was to insist his party was "still the number one force" and he would attempt to form an administration.

Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez was equally adamant that Spain wanted "a move to the left".

Although he acknowledged Mr Rajoy had won the right to have the first attempt at forming a government, the Socialists made it clear they would not back a Rajoy-led government

This is the beginning of a new, multi-party era in Spain.

The unrivalled dominance of the PP and the Socialists, who alternated in power for 32 years, always with parliamentary majorities, is over

From L to R: Pablo Iglesias of Podemos, Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez, Albert Rivera of Ciudadanos (Citizens) and PP leader Mariano Rajoy