Chamber:
	Senado
Dates of elections / renewal (from/to):
	6 June 1993
Purpose of elections:
	Elections were held for all the elective seats in Parliament following premature dissolution of this body on 12 April 1993. General elections had previously been held in October 1989.
Background and outcome of elections:
	On 12 April 1993, Prime Minister Felipe Gonzalez (Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party – PSOE) announced the dissolution of the Cortes and the date of the general elections, which were not normally due until November 1993. In doing so, he cited the prevailing tense political climate and the need to have a government with a new popular mandate to carry out the required economic reforms. As was the case at the previous elections in 1989, the main challenge to the ruling PSOE came from the centre-right People’s Party (PP), whose candidate for Prime Minister was Mr. José Maria Aznar. The official two-week election campaign opened on 21 May and was dominated by the holding, for the first time in Spain’s history, of two television debates between the two main contenders, Prime Minister Gonzalez and Mr. Aznar. The main campaign issues were the economic crisis characterised by slower growth of the gross domestic product, rising unemployment and the weakness of the Spanish peseta currency, as well as corruption scandals surrounding the PSOE. The Socialists, for their part, stressed their experience in government; Mr. Gonzalez’s charisma and personal popularity after 11 years of office were also seen as major assets. The campaign, which moreover focused on the need to strengthen democratic institutions and the treat to the construction of Europe, was the most heated and intensive in the past 10 years. There were altogether some 1,600 candidates. Voter turnout was high, reaching 77.13%, up to the 69.9% recorded during the previous general elections in 1989. While exit polls indicated a closer contest, polling results left the PSOE with a relative majority in the Congress of Deputies. Although its share of the popular vote increased, it lost 16 seats in the Lower House while its main challenger, the PP, increased its strength by 34 seats. Other highlights of the polling were the disappearance from Spain’s parliamentary landscape of the centrist Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), which in the previous elections had won 14 seats, the decline of the Basque nationalist Herri Batasuna and the rise of a new coalition of regional parties from the Canary Island, which won four seats. The newly elected Parliament convened on 29 June. On 9 July, the Congress of Deputies confirmed Mr. Gonzalez by vote to a fourth consecutive term as Prime Minister. Four days later, he named the Cabinet. The Socialists will rule for the first time with a minority Government, after failed attempts to form a coalition with CiU and PNV.

STATISTICS

Round no 1 (6 June 1993): Elections results
Number of registered electors	30,748,763
Voters	23,718,051 (77.13%)
Invalid ballot papers	126,952
Blank ballot papers*	188,679
Valid votes	23,590,801
Comments:

* Blank ballot papers are considered valid.

Round no 1: Distribution of seats
Political Group	Total
Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE)	116
People’s Party (PP)	102
United Left (IU)	2
Convergence and Union (CiU)	15
National Basque Party (PNV)	5
Canaries Coalition	6
Herri Batasuna	1
Aragonese Regional Party	1
Basque Solidarity	1
Navarian People’s Union	3
Valencian Nationalist Party	1
Rioja Party	1

Distribution of seats according to sex:
Men:	222
Women:	32

Distribution of seats according to age:
18 – 30 years	4
31 – 45 years	99
46 – 60 years	123
Over 60 years	28
Distribution of seats according to profession:
Teachers	56
Lawyers	50
Civil servants	15
Administrators	29
Businessmen	23
Medical Practitioners/Pharmacists	19
Architects/Engineers	19
Industrial technicians	8
Farmers	6
Journalists	5
Miners	1
Others	23