1983 Riojan regional election

1983 Riojan regional election
8 May 1983 1987 →
All 35 seats in the General Deputation of La Rioja
18 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered194,994
Turnout136,964 (70.2%)
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader José María de Miguel Joaquín Espert Luis J. Rodríguez Moroy
Party PSOE AP–PDP–PL PR+
Leader since 5 March 1983 1983 6 December 1982
Seats won 18 15 2
Popular vote 63,848 54,121 10,102
Percentage 47.2% 40.0% 7.5%
President before election

Antonio Rodríguez Basulto
PSOE

Elected President

José María de Miguel
PSOE

The 1983 Riojan regional election was held on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect the 1st General Deputation of the autonomous community of La Rioja. All 35 seats in the General Deputation were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

La Rioja became an autonomous community in July 1982 after the coming into force of its Statute of Autonomy.[1] Previous to the 1982 Spanish general election the new regional government was controlled by the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) after most of its members had split up from the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD).[2] After losing their parliamentary seats as a result of the general election, many members including the regional president Luis Javier Rodríguez Moroy were forced to stand down over compatibility issues.[3] Failure in negotiations for electing Rodríguez Moroy's successor until the 1983 local and regional elections delayed a new appointment until January 1983,[4][5][6] when an agreement between the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and Rodríguez Moroy's newly created Progressive Riojan Party (PRP) resulted in PSOE's Antonio Rodríguez Basulto being provisionally elected to the post.[7][8]

The PSOE secured an absolute majority of seats in the regional election, allowing their candidate José María de Miguel to be elected as president of a majority government,[9][10] the only time to date in which the party has achieved this in a Riojan regional election.[11] The People's Coalition, an electoral alliance led by the People's Alliance (AP) and including the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Liberal Union (UL) emerged as the second largest grouping in the General Deputation, while the PRP came third by securing 7.5% of the share and two seats. Neither the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) nor the Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), the only other parties standing in the election, were able to meet the electoral threshold for securing parliamentary representation.[12]

  1. ^ "Valencia, La Rioja y Murcia estrenaron ayer autonomía". El País (in Spanish). 11 July 1982. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  2. ^ "El CDS controla totalmente el Gobierno autónomo de la Rioja". El País (in Spanish). 3 September 1982. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  3. ^ "El presidente autonómico dimitirá después de las elecciones". El País (in Spanish). 28 October 1982. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  4. ^ "Negociaciones entre los partidos mayoritarios para elegir nuevo presidente regional". El País (in Spanish). 10 November 1982. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Enfrentamiento entre los partidos de la Rioja sobre la sucesión de Rodríguez Moroy". El País (in Spanish). 4 December 1982. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  6. ^ "Rodríguez Moroy no dimite por falta de acuerdo sobre su sustituto". El País (in Spanish). 13 December 1982. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  7. ^ "El PSOE de la Rioja, dispuesto a ocupar la presidencia del Gobierno y parlamento autónomos". El País (in Spanish). 27 December 1982. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  8. ^ "Rodríguez Basulto, nuevo presidente de la Rioja". El País (in Spanish). 25 January 1983. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  9. ^ "José María de Miguel, investido presidente autónomo de la Rioja". El País (in Spanish). 30 May 1983. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  10. ^ "Seis socialistas y cuatro independientes forman el nuevo Gobierno de la Rioja". El País (in Spanish). 8 June 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.
  11. ^ ""La disciplina y la lealtad han sustituido en la política al mérito y la capacidad"". Rioja2 (in Spanish). 14 July 2010. Retrieved 9 December 2019.
  12. ^ "Superada la etapa de inestabilidad". El País (in Spanish). 10 May 1983. Retrieved 11 December 2019.