The 1983 Murcian regional election was held on Sunday, 8 May 1983, to elect the 1st Regional Assembly of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia. All 43 seats in the Regional Assembly were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) won the election with a landslide victory, securing an absolute majority in both seats and votes. The People's Coalition, an electoral alliance led by the right-wing People's Alliance (AP) and including the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and the Liberal Union (UL), became the second political force, whereas the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) entered the Assembly with 1 seat. Despite initial expectations and high opinion poll results, as well as a strong performance in the Campo de Cartagena area with over 12%, the Cantonal Party (PCAN) remained an extra-parliamentary political force due to it failing to reach the 5% regional threshold. The former ruling party of Spain, the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD), had chosen to dissolve itself in February 1983 and did not contest the election as a result.
As a result of the election, PSOE candidate Andrés Hernández Ros, who had led the pre-autonomic regional government since 1979, renewed his post as president of the Region of Murcia. His hold in power weakened over political disagreements with his own party throughout the ensuing months, he would resign in March 1984 after a scandal erupted amid accusations of attempted bribery of two journalists from the La Verdad newspaper, being succeeded as president by Carlos Collado.
Overview
Electoral system
The Regional Assembly of Murcia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Murcia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Murcian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.
Transitory Provision First of the Statute established a specific electoral procedure for the first election to the Regional Assembly of Murcia, to be supplemented by the provisions within Royal Decree-Law 20/1977, of 18 March, and its related regulations. Voting for the Regional Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Region of Murcia and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The 43 members of the Regional Assembly of Murcia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Seats were allocated to constituencies, which were established by law as follows:
District One
District Two
District Three
District Four
District Five
Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of seats: 7 for District One, 10 for District Two, 19 for District Three, 4 for District Four and 3 for District Five.
Election date
The Council of Government of the Region, in agreement with the Government of Spain, was required to call an election to the Regional Assembly of Murcia within from 1 February to 31 May 1983. On 7 March 1983, it was confirmed that the first election to the Regional Assembly of Murcia would be held on Sunday, 8 May, together with regional elections for twelve other autonomous communities as well as nationwide local elections, with the election decree being published in the Official Gazette of the Region of Murcia (BORM) on 10 March.
Background
Autonomy for the Region of Murcia had its groots in the "Floridablanca Pact" of 29 January 1978, when both the Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) had agreed for the establishment of a "Working Body" made up of 18 members from the political parties in the region with representation in the Cortes Generales to draft a pre-autonomy statute; within days, a plenary of parliamentarians was established. Negotiations with the Spanish government ensued, resulting in a pre-autonomic regime for the region being granted in October 1978. The first regional government was formed by members from both the UCD and PSOE, with UCD's Antonio Pérez Crespo at its helm. The election victories of the PSOE at the 1979 general and local elections brought about a change in the parliamentary composition of the regional council, with Socialist Andrés Hernández Ros becoming new regional president on 5 May 1979.