1934 Catalan local elections

The 1934 Catalan local elections were held on 14 January to elect the municipal councils in all the 1,029 municipalities of Catalonia. These elections were only held in Catalonia, as the 1932 Statute of Autonomy devolved the competences on local elections to the Generalitat de Catalunya. These were the first and only election to be organised by the Catalan Government, since this administration was suppressed by the Dictatorship of Francisco Franco in 1939, after winning the Spanish Civil War. The following free local elections weren't held until 1979, during the transition to democracy.

1934 Catalan local elections
14 January 1934
1,029 municipal councils
Registered1,666,000
Turnout996,000 (59.8%)
  Majority party Minority party
 
Leader Lluís Companys Francesc Cambó
Party ERC Catalan League
Popular vote 520,000 412,000
Percentage 52.4 41.4
Judicial district capitals results map for municipal elections

Electoral system

The electoral system was determined by the Municipal Law, which was approved by the Parliament of Catalonia in August 1933. The elections were scheduled to be held in November 1933, but they were delayed to January in order not to interfere with the 1933 general election. The municipal council seats of all the 1,029 municipalities of Catalonia were up for election. The population-seat relationship on each municipality was to be established on the following scale:[1]

Population Seats
<500 5
501–1,000 6
1,001–1,500 7
1,501–2,000 8
2,001–2,500 9
2,501–3,000 10
3,001–5,000 12
5,001–10,000 16
10,001–20,000 18
>20,000 24
Barcelona 40

All the councillors were elected in single multi-member districts, consisting of the municipality's territory, using closed lists. The allocation of seats depended on the population:[1]

  • In municipalities under 10,000 inhabitants: the winning list obtained two-thirds to four-fifths of the seats in the council, the second party obtained the remaining seats.
  • In municipalities over 10,000 inhabitants: the winning list obtained 65% of the seats in the council, the second party obtained the 65% of the remaining seats, the third party obtained the 65% of the remaining seats and so on. If at the end there were still unfilled seats, these would be won by the last party having received a seat.

The mayors were elected on the first plenary session by the councillors. Candidates obtaining an absolute majority on a first or second round were elected. If none of the candidates had achieved an absolute majority, a third round would have been held, where the candidate with plurality would be elected.[1]

Results

Overall
← Summary of 14 January 1934 local election results →
Parties and coalitions Votes %
Left-wing coalitions 311,00031.2
Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) 182,00018.3
Other left-wing lists 29,0002.9
Republican left 520,00052.4
Catalan League (LC) 244,00024.5
Right-wing coalitions 147,00014.8
Other right-wing lists 21,0002.1
Right-wing parties 412,00041.4
Radical Republican Party (PRR) 31,0003.1
Workers and Peasants' Bloc (BOC) 11,0001.1
Catalan Republican Action (ACR) 10,0001.0
Other 9,0000.9
Blank votes 1,0000.1
Total 996,000100.0
Votes cast / turnout 996,00059.8
Abstentions 670,00040.2
Registered voters 1,666,000
Source:[2]

Turnout was 59.8%, lower than the 1931 elections, but similar to the 1933 general election. The highest abstention rates were found in towns across the Pyrenees. The left-wing parties got a majority of votes, specially in Penedès and in the metropolitan area of Barcelona. The right-wing parties made their best results in Solsonès, Segarra and Alt Urgell, and they won in cities like Girona, Vic, Olot or El Vendrell.[2]

Juditial district capitals
See also: Barcelona City Council election, 1934

Vote share

In the following table, background-coloured rows indicate the winning list in a municipality.

Municipality BOC ERC Left
coal.		 Other
left		 ACR PRR LC Right
coal.		 Other
right
Arenys de Mar 12.0 8.0 27.0 53.0
Badalona 3.1 52.6 44.3
Balaguer 10.7 45.6 43.8
Barcelona 1.1 50.3 0.2 6.5 41.3 0.6
Berga 52.8 47.2
Cervera 40.6 59.4
El Vendrell 30.5 30.6 38.9
Falset 33.4 66.6
Figueres 1.7 60.1 1.8 8.5 27.5
Gandesa 46.2 53.8
Girona 2.0 44.6 4.5 2.0 45.1 1.8
Granollers 24.3 35.4 26.3 14.0
Igualada 51.6 2.8 45.6
La Bisbal d'Empordà 54.6 45.4
La Seu d'Urgell 42.7 57.3
Les Borges Blanques 6.7 58.3 35.0
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 0.6 50.3 9.7 5.3 34.1
Lleida 5.1 55.0 39.9
Manresa 0.3 53.5 46.1
Mataró 53.3 46.7
Montblanc 58.0 42.0
Olot 41.5 16.3 42.2
Puigcerdà 46.3 53.7
Reus 1.6 43.7 32.0 22.7
Sabadell 55.4 0.7 3.9 37.0
Sant Feliu de Llobregat 53.1 3.2 19.5 24.2
Santa Coloma de Farners 46.1 8.1 45.8
Solsona 25.4 74.6
Sort 49.1 50.9
Tarragona 53.3 7.2 36.4
Terrassa 2.3 52.5 45.2 3.0
Tortosa 59.9 40.1
Tremp 51.4 48.6
Valls 52.3 47.7
Vic 1.1 33.3 7.1 1.1 57.4
Vielha ? ?
Vilafranca del Penedès 51.2 48.8
Vilanova i la Geltrú 4.5 63.4 32.1
Source:[3]

Elected councillors by political party

In the following table, background-coloured rows indicate the ruling parties in a municipality.

Municipality Total BOC PSOE USC ERC Other
left		 ACR PRDF PRR LC CT Other
right
Arenys de Mar 16 5 11
Badalona 24 3 10 2 1 2 4 2
Balaguer 16 11 5
Barcelona 40 3 17 2 4 4 10
Berga 16 9 2 5
Cervera 12 4 8
El Vendrell 12 2 2 8
Falset 10 3 7
Figueres 18 12 6
Gandesa 12 4 8
Girona 24 6 1 10 6 1
Granollers 18 2 12 4
Igualada 18 10 2 6
La Bisbal d'Empordà 12 8 4
La Seu d'Urgell 12 4 8
Les Borges Blanques 12 8 4
L'Hospitalet de Llobregat 24 13 2 1 8
Lleida 24 1 12 2 1 2 3 3
Manresa 24 2 10 2 2 2 4 2
Mataró 24 1 4 9 2 1 6 1
Montblanc 12 4 4 4
Olot 18 1 3 2 9 3
Puigcerdà 10 3 2 5
Reus 24 6 3 7 6 2
Sabadell 24 1 5 10 8
Sant Feliu de Llobregat 16 11 2 2 1
Santa Coloma de Farners 12 8 4
Solsona 12 4 8
Sort 6 2 4
Tarragona 24 4 4 4 4 1 1 6
Terrassa 24 12 2 2 1 3 1 3
Tortosa 24 2 1 12 1 3 5
Tremp 10 7 3
Valls 18 1 3 7 1 3 2 1
Vic 18 1 1 4 8 4
Vielha 6 2 4
Vilafranca del Penedès 16 6 1 4 2 1 2
Vilanova i la Geltrú 18 2 6 4 6
Source:[2][3]

See also

References
  1. Llei Municipal. DOGC 15 d'agost de 1933
  2. Les eleccions municipals de 1934 a Catalunya. Capítol 4. Les eleccions municipals del 14 de gener de 1934: una visió de conjunt» Raimon Soler Becerro
  3. Les eleccions municipals de 1934 a Catalunya. Apèndix 2. Eleccions municipals de 1934. Participació i resultats per municipi». Raimon Soler Becerro
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