1996 Spanish general election

The 1996 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 3 March 1996, to elect the 6th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 257 seats in the Senate.

1996 Spanish general election

3 March 1996
All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 208 (of 257) seats in the Senate 176 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies
Opinion polls
Registered	32,531,833 4.8%
Turnout	25,172,058 (77.4%) 1.0 pp
Leader José María Aznar Felipe González Julio Anguita Party PP PSOE IU Leader since 4 September 1989 28 September 1979 12 February 1989 Leader's seat Madrid Madrid Madrid Last election 142 seats, 35.4%[lower-alpha 1] 159 seats, 38.8% 18 seats, 9.6% Seats won 156 141 21 Seat change 14 18 3 Popular vote 9,716,006 9,425,678 2,639,774 Percentage 38.8% 37.6% 10.5% Swing 3.4 pp 1.2 pp 0.9 pp   Leader Joaquim Molins Iñaki Anasagasti José Carlos Mauricio Party CiU EAJ/PNV CC Leader since 1 February 1995 1986 1996 Leader's seat Barcelona Biscay Las Palmas Last election 17 seats, 4.9% 5 seats, 1.2% 4 seats, 0.9% Seats won 16 5 4 Seat change 1 0 0 Popular vote 1,151,633 318,951 220,418 Percentage 4.6% 1.3% 0.9% Swing 0.3 pp 0.1 pp ±0.0 pp
Prime Minister before election Felipe González PSOE Elected Prime Minister José María Aznar PP

Ever since forming a minority government after its victory in the 1993 election, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) had been rocked by the unveiling of a string of corruption scandals, including the party's illegal financing, misuse of public funds to pay for undeclared bonuses to party officials and allegations of state terrorism. After Convergence and Union (CiU) withdrew their confidence and supply support to the PSOE in June 1995,[1][2][3] materializing in the 1996 General State Budget being voted down in October 1995,[4][5] Prime Minister Felipe González was forced to precipitate the Cortes' dissolution for a snap election to be held in early 1996, fifteen months ahead of schedule.[6][7]

The election resulted in the first PSOE defeat in a general election since 1982, the scope of which was, however, overestimated by opinion polls. Opposition José María Aznar's People's Party (PP) was widely expected to make gains after resounding wins in the 1994 European Parliament election and 1995 local and regional elections. Opinion polls and commentators had predicted the outcome would be a PP landslide, with Aznar either winning an outright overall majority or coming short of it by few seats. Instead, the election turned into the closest result between the two major parties in the Spanish democratic period to date; a shocking PSOE comeback, fueled by a strong voter turnout of 77.4%, left the PP leading by just 1.1 percentage points and 300,000 votes, falling 20 seats short of an absolute majority. Julio Anguita's United Left (IU) also failed to meet expectations, despite scoring their best overall result in a general election since the PCE in 1979.

At 156 seats, this would be the worst performance for a winning party in the democratic period until Mariano Rajoy's result in the 2015 election. As a consequence of the election result, Aznar was forced to tone down his attacks to Catalan and Basque nationalists in order to garner their support for his investiture. After two months of negotiations, agreements were reached with CiU, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) and Canarian Coalition (CC), enabling for José María Aznar to become Prime Minister of a centre-right minority cabinet, marking the end of 13 years of Socialist government.

Overview

Electoral system

The Spanish Cortes Generales were envisaged as an imperfect bicameral system. The Congress of Deputies had greater legislative power than the Senate, having the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a prime minister and to override Senate vetoes by an absolute majority of votes. Nonetheless, the Senate possessed a few exclusive, yet limited in number functions—such as its role in constitutional amendment—which were not subject to the Congress' override.[8][9] Voting for the Cortes Generales was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen and in full enjoyment of their political rights.[10]

For the Congress of Deputies, 348 seats were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Spain, with each being allocated an initial minimum of two seats and the remaining 248 being distributed in proportion to their populations. Ceuta and Melilla were allocated the two remaining seats, which were elected using plurality voting.[8][11] The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[12]

For the Senate, 208 seats were elected using an open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors could vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of the 47 peninsular provinces was allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, districts were the islands themselves, with the larger—Majorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife—being allocated three seats each, and the smaller—Menorca, Ibiza–Formentera, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma—one each. Ceuta and Melilla elected two seats each. Additionally, autonomous communities could appoint at least one senator each and were entitled to one additional senator per each million inhabitants.[8][11]

Election date

The term of each chamber of the Cortes Generales—the Congress and the Senate—expired four years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of the Cortes in the event that the prime minister did not make use of his prerogative of early dissolution. The decree was to be published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE), with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election was held on 6 June 1993, which meant that the legislature's term would expire on 6 June 1997. The election decree was required to be published in the BOE no later than 13 May 1997, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Cortes Generales on Sunday, 6 July 1997.[11]

The prime minister had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no state of emergency was in force and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since the previous one. Additionally, both chambers were to be dissolved and a new election called if an investiture process failed to elect a prime minister within a two-month period from the first ballot.[8] Barred this exception, there was no constitutional requirement for simultaneous elections for the Congress and the Senate, there being no precedent of separate elections and with governments having long preferred that elections for the two chambers of the Cortes take place simultaneously.

Background

Economy

The legislature was marked by the international economic crisis of 1992-1993. While the economic situation in Spain since 1985 (coinciding with the accession of Spain into the European Communities) was very favorable and the evolutionary profile of per capita GDP was resembling that of the EU countries, from 1989 the GDP started to decrease markedly and the economy entered a cycle of recession. The five-year period 1985-1989 was characterized by a phase of expansive growth and massive inflow of foreign capital, attracted by high interest rates. Post-1989, however, saw unfavorable economic indicators, and recession and global economic crisis deeply affected unemployment rates.

From 1994, a remarkable recovery phase began, from a recession of 1.1% of GDP in 1993 to a growth rate of 2%. Although the economic situation was difficult, unemployment rate began a gradual decline, reaching the end of the legislature in 22% after reaching 24% in 1994. On the other hand, the inflation rate fell to 5.5% between 1994 and 1996, public debt stood at 68% and the deficit at 7.1%.

Corruption scandals

The 1993–96 legislature was marked by the unveiling of numerous corruption scandals involving the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party. The eruption of corruption scandals had not been uncommon since the early 1990s, but was in this period when those seemed to affect directly to the incumbent PSOE leadership. These scandals would plague González's government throughout Felipe González's fourth tenure as Prime Minister of Spain.

Roldán scandal

On 23 November 1993, Spanish daily Diario 16 unveiled that Civil Guard Chief Director Luis Roldán had amassed a large patrimony, worth 400 million Pta and a large real estate assets, since assuming office in 1986, which contrasted with his net annual income of 400,000 Pta. Roldán then denounces a media campaign against him and defends the money is of legal origin, but proves unable to show evidence supporting his claims. The accusations lead to his dismissal by the government on 3 December. On 9 March 1994, El Mundo reveals that officers from the Ministry of the Interior had used money from the fondos reservados (Spanish for "reserved funds"), public funds destined to finance the fight against terrorism and drug trafficking and not subject to publicity, justification or external oversight,[13] to make bonus payments to high-ranking officers from the Ministry; Roldán name appeared among those accused of having received such payments. In April, Diario 16 and El Mundo revealed that former President of Navarre Gabriel Urralburu had collected millionary commissions from construction companies in the awarding of public works during his government, with Roldán having also benefitted from it. Evidence now pointed to Roldán having used his office to amass a fortune through fraudulent means, which led to Roldán fleeing the country and in incumbent Interior Minister Antoni Asunción, responsible for monitoring Roldán, resigning as a consequence.[14]

During his time missing, Roldán sent letters admitting the illegalities he had done and accusing other Interior Ministry high-ranking members of also having benefited from the reserved funds and warning that he was willing to "pull the rug out". In a handwritten letter sent to González himself and revealed by El Mundo daily on 17 June 1994, Roldán acknowledged having received a monthly payment of 10 million Pta from Rafael Vera, State Security Director until early 1994. Among those he accused was former Interior Minister José Luis Corcuera (1988–93), but also Prime Minister González, whom he pointed was "aware of everything". In the end, after ten months on the run, Luis Roldán was arrested on 27 February 1995 in Laos amidst claims that he and the Socialist government had reached an agreement in which Roldán would surrender himself in exchange of him being charged with just two crimes out of the seven attributable to him: bribery and embezzlement. This scandal came to be known as the "Laos papers", because the initial governmental version of his capture—that it had been done cooperatively with the Laotian government—was disproved by Laotian authorities. The PSOE government refused to recognize the veracity of these claims, but acknowledged that their initial version was "wrong".[14][15] Roldán would later be convicted for the crimes of bribery, embezzlement, fraud, forgery and tax evasion.[16]

Ibercorp case

Concurrently with the Roldán scandal, it is revealed on 5 April 1994 that former Governor of the Bank of Spain, Mariano Rubio, had a secret bank account in Ibercorp worth 130 million Ptas of undeclared money. Ibercorp had been an investment bank which had been intervened by the Bank of Spain in 1992 due to its involvement in obscure financial operations. Already in February 1992, it had been revealed that Rubio—then Governor of the Bank of Spain—and former Economy Minister Miguel Boyer had concealed from the National Securities Market Commission (CNMV) that both of them possessed stock shares in Ibercorp and used them to amass a fortune. Rubio had denied the accusations in 1992, which nonetheless cost him his post. However, the new revelations in 1994, which resulted in his criminal prosecution, put Felipe González and former Economy Minister Carlos Solchaga—who had backed Rubio in 1992, believing his claims of innocence, and were also ultimately responsible for his naming to the post—in a delicate political situation. Agriculture Minister Vicente Albero was also forced to resign his office in May 1994 after it was unveiled he had also possessed a secret account with undeclared money related to the scandal.[17][18][19]

GAL case

In 1991, two policemen, José Amedo and Michel Domínguez, had been convicted for participating in the Liberation Antiterrorist Groups (GAL), death squads involved in a 'dirty war' against ETA in the 1983–87 period and thought to be secretly financed by the Socialist government. Initially thought to be acting independently, they confessed on 16 December 1994 to judge Baltasar Garzón that a number of former police and Interior Ministry officers were also involved in the GAL, showing evidence supporting their claims. Among those were former Interior Minister José Barrionuevo (1982–88), State Security Directors Julián Sancristóbal (1984–86) and Rafael Vera (1986–94), as well as former Secretary-General of the PSOE in Biscay Ricardo García Damborenea and a number of police officers accused of murder and embezzlement of public funds. Throughout early 1995, those accused except for Barrionuevo were arrested and court-questioned, leading to the 'GAL case' being re-opened by the Spanish National Court on 20 February in order to clarify whether the GAL were financed with money from the reserved funds. Barrionuevo accused Garzón, then instructing the case and who had contested the 1993 general election within the PSOE electoral lists, to be acting motivated by personal revenge against the party after political differences leading to his resignation as deputy in May 1994.[20]

In May to July 1995 some of the defendants accused PM Felipe González of "knowing and allowing such activities", even pointing out that he could have been the person creating and financing the GAL. By 1996, however, the Spanish Supreme Court concluded that there was not proof of González's involvement and that the accusations were based on mere suspicions. Still, former Interior Minister José Barrionuevo and State Security Directors Rafael Vera and Julián Sancristóbal were convicted for the scandal.[20]

Parliamentary status

The Cortes Generales were officially dissolved on 9 January 1996, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official State Gazette.[21] The tables below show the status of the different parliamentary groups in both chambers at the time of dissolution.[22][23]

Parliamentary composition in January 1996[24] Congress of Deputies Groups Parties Deputies Seats Total Socialist Group of the Congress PSOE 141 159 PSC 18 People's Parliamentary Group in the Congress PP 138 141 UPN 3 United Left–Initiative for Catalonia Federal Parliamentary Group IU 15 18 IC 3 Catalan Parliamentary Group (Convergence and Union) CDC 12 17 UDC 5 Basque Group (PNV) EAJ/PNV 5 5 Canarian Coalition's Parliamentary Group AIC 2 4 ICAN 1 CCN 1 Mixed Parliamentary Group HB 2 6 ERC 1 EA 1 UV 1 PAR 1

Parliamentary composition in January 1996[25] Senate Groups Parties Senators Seats Total People's Parliamentary Group in the Senate PP 111 114 UPN 3 Socialist Parliamentary Group PSOE 103 111 PSC 8 Convergence and Union's Catalan Parliamentary Group in the Senate CDC 9 13 UDC 4 Basque Nationalist Senators' Parliamentary Group EAJ/PNV 5 5 Canarian Coalition's Parliamentary Group in the Senate AIC 2 4 ICAN 1 AM 1 AHI 1 Mixed Parliamentary Group IU 2 8 HB 1 EA 1 ERC 1 UV 1 CDN 1 PIL 1

Parties and candidates

The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.[11]

Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:

Candidacy		Parties and alliances	Leading candidate		Ideology	Previous result			Gov.	Ref.
						Votes (%)	Con.	Sen.
	PSOE	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC)		Felipe González	Social democracy	38.78%	159	96		[26] [27]
	PP	List People's Party (PP) Navarrese People's Union (UPN) Aragonese Party (PAR)		José María Aznar	Conservatism Christian democracy	35.37%[lower-alpha 1]	142	93		[28] [29]
	IU	List United Left (IU) – Communist Party of Spain (PCE) – Socialist Action Party (PASOC) – Republican Left (IR) – Collectives for the Unity of Workers (CUT) – Alternative Space (Espacio Alternativo) Initiative for Catalonia–The Greens (IC–EV) – Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) – Party of the Communists of Catalonia (PCC) – The Greens–Ecologist Confederation of Catalonia (EV–CEC) The Greens (LV)[lower-alpha 2]		Julio Anguita	Socialism Communism	9.55%	18	0
	CiU	List Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)		Joaquim Molins	Catalan nationalism Centrism	4.94%	17	10
	EAJ/PNV	List Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV)		Iñaki Anasagasti	Basque nationalism Christian democracy Conservative liberalism	1.24%	5	3
	CC	List Canarian Independent Groups (AIC) Nationalist Canarian Initiative (ICAN) Nationalist Canarian Centre (CCN) Canarian Nationalist Party (PNC) Independent Herrenian Group (AHI) Majorera Assembly (AM)		José Carlos Mauricio	Regionalism Canarian nationalism Centrism	0.88%	4	5
	HB	List Popular Unity (HB) – Basque Nationalist Action (EAE/ANV)		—	Basque independence Left-wing nationalism	0.88%	2	1
	ERC	List Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)		Pilar Rahola	Catalan independence Social democracy	0.80%	1	0
	EA	List Basque Solidarity (EA)		Begoña Lasagabaster	Basque nationalism Social democracy	0.55%	1	0
	BNG	List Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) – Galician People's Union (UPG) – Socialist Collective (CS) – Galician Nationalist Party–Galicianist Party (PNG–PG) – Nationalist Left (EN) – Inzar (Inzar) – Galician Unity (UG)		Francisco Rodríguez	Galician nationalism Left-wing nationalism	0.54%	0	0
	UV	List Valencian Union (UV)		José María Chiquillo	Blaverism Conservatism	0.48%	1	0

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), United Left (IU), The Greens (LV), Nationalist and Ecologist Agreement (ENE) and Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) formed the Ibiza and Formentera in the Senate alliance for the Senate election.[30]

Campaign period

Party slogans

Party or alliance		Original slogan	English translation	Ref.
	PSOE	« España en positivo »	"Spain in positive"	[31][32]
	PP	« Con la nueva mayoría »	"With the new majority"	[31][33][34]
	IU	« IU decide »	"IU decides"	[31][35]

Opinion polls

10-point average trend line of poll results from 6 June 1993 to 3 March 1996, with each line corresponding to a political party.

  PSOE

  PP

  IU

  CiU

  CDS

  PNV

Results

Congress of Deputies

← Summary of the 3 March 1996 Congress of Deputies election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)^1	9,716,006	38.79	+3.42	156	+14
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	9,425,678	37.63	–1.15	141	–18
	United Left (IU)	2,639,774	10.54	+0.99	21	+3
	Convergence and Union (CiU)	1,151,633	4.60	–0.34	16	–1
	Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV)	318,951	1.27	+0.03	5	±0
	Canarian Coalition (CC)	220,418	0.88	±0.00	4	±0
	Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)	220,147	0.88	+0.34	2	+2
	Popular Unity (HB)	181,304	0.72	–0.16	2	±0
	Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)	167,641	0.67	–0.13	1	±0
	Andalusian Party (PA)^2	134,800	0.54	–0.05	0	±0
	Basque Solidarity (EA)	115,861	0.46	–0.09	1	±0
	Valencian Union (UV)	91,575	0.37	–0.11	1	±0
	The European Greens (LVE)	61,689	0.25	–0.54	0	±0
	Aragonese Union (CHA)	49,739	0.20	+0.17	0	±0
	Centrist Union (UC)	44,771	0.18	–1.58	0	±0
	Valencian People's Union–Nationalist Bloc (UPV–BN)	26,777	0.11	–0.06	0	±0
	Nationalists of the Balearic Islands (PSM–ENE)	24,644	0.10	+0.01	0	±0
	The Greens–Green Group (LV–GV)	17,177	0.07	New	0	±0
	Convergence of Democrats of Navarre (CDN)	17,020	0.07	New	0	±0
	Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRT)^3	14,854	0.06	–0.07	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)	14,513	0.06	+0.02	0	±0
	Humanist Party (PH)	13,482	0.05	+0.01	0	±0
	Asturianist Party (PAS)	12,213	0.05	±0.00	0	±0
	Authentic Spanish Phalanx (FEA)	12,114	0.05	+0.05	0	±0
	Leonese People's Union (UPL)	12,049	0.05	–0.01	0	±0
	Basque Citizen Initiative (ICV–Gorordo)	11,833	0.05	New	0	±0
	The Greens of Madrid (LVM)	8,483	0.03	New	0	±0
	Extremaduran Coalition (CEx)^4	7,312	0.03	+0.02	0	±0
	Majorcan Union (UM)	6,943	0.03	–0.01	0	±0
	Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC)	6,206	0.02	±0.00	0	±0
	Riojan Party (PR)	6,065	0.02	–0.01	0	±0
	Ecologist Party of Catalonia (PEC)	4,305	0.02	–0.02	0	±0
	Regionalist Unity of Castile and León (URCL)	4,061	0.02	+0.01	0	±0
	Andalusian Nation (NA)	3,505	0.01	New	0	±0
	Alliance for National Unity (AUN)	3,397	0.01	New	0	±0
	Salamanca–Zamora–León–PREPAL (PREPAL)	2,762	0.01	±0.00	0	±0
	SOS Nature (SOS)	2,753	0.01	New	0	±0
	Republican Coalition (CR)^5	2,744	0.01	–0.02	0	±0
	Popular Front of the Canary Islands (FREPIC)	2,567	0.01	New	0	±0
	Socialist Party of the People of Ceuta (PSPC)	2,365	0.01	+0.01	0	±0
	Regionalist Party of Castilla-La Mancha (PRCM)	2,279	0.01	New	0	±0
	Galician People's Front (FPG)	2,065	0.01	New	0	±0
	Independent Socialists of Extremadura (SIEx)	1,678	0.01	New	0	±0
	Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM)	1,671	0.01	±0.00	0	±0
	Red–Green Party (PRV)	1,656	0.01	New	0	±0
	Independent Spanish Phalanx (FEI)	1,550	0.01	±0.00	0	±0
	New Region (NR)	1,452	0.01	New	0	±0
	Republican Action (AR)	1,237	0.00	–0.01	0	±0
	Citizen Independent Platform of Catalonia (PICC)	1,229	0.00	New	0	±0
	Valencian Nationalist Left (ENV)	1,023	0.00	–0.01	0	±0
	Party of El Bierzo (PB)	1,000	0.00	–0.01	0	±0
	Nationalist Canarian Party (PCN)	722	0.00	New	0	±0
	Alicantine Provincial Union (UPRA)	651	0.00	±0.00	0	±0
	Democratic Andalusian Unity (UAD)	627	0.00	New	0	±0
	Citizen Democratic Action (ADEC)	598	0.00	New	0	±0
	Voice of the Andalusian People (VDPA)	529	0.00	New	0	±0
	European Nation State (N)	495	0.00	New	0	±0
	Social and Autonomist Liberal Group (ALAS)	402	0.00	New	0	±0
	Balearic Alliance (ABA)	379	0.00	New	0	±0
	Regionalist Party of Guadalajara (PRGU)	338	0.00	±0.00	0	±0
	Spanish Autonomous League (LAE)	296	0.00	New	0	±0
	Aragonese Social Dynamic (DSA)	265	0.00	New	0	±0
	Party of The People (LG)	243	0.00	±0.00	0	±0
	Inter-Zamoran Party (PIZ)	215	0.00	New	0	±0
	Nationalist Party of Melilla (PNM)	200	0.00	New	0	±0
	Centrists of the Valencian Community (CCV)	0	0.00	New	0	±0
	Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR)	0	0.00	–0.03	0	±0
	Party of Self-employed of Spain (PAE)	0	0.00	New	0	±0
	Tenerife Independent Familiar Groups (AFIT)	0	0.00	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		243,345	0.97	+0.17
Total		25,046,276			350	±0
Valid votes		25,046,276	99.50	+0.04
Invalid votes		125,782	0.50	–0.04
Votes cast / turnout		25,172,058	77.38	+0.94
Abstentions		7,359,775	22.62	–0.94
Registered voters		32,531,833
Sources[36][37]

Popular vote PP   38.79% PSOE   37.63% IU   10.54% CiU   4.60% EAJ/PNV   1.27% CC   0.88% BNG   0.88% HB   0.72% ERC   0.67% EA   0.46% UV   0.37% Others   2.21% Blank ballots   0.97%

Seats PP   44.57% PSOE   40.29% IU   6.00% CiU   4.57% EAJ/PNV   1.43% CC   1.14% BNG   0.57% HB   0.57% ERC   0.29% EA   0.29% UV   0.29%

Senate

← Summary of the 3 March 1996 Senate of Spain election results →

Parties and coalitions		Directly elected		Reg. app.	Total
		Seats	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	112	+19	21	133
	People's Party (PP)	106	+16	21	127
	Navarrese People's Union (UPN)	3	±0	0	3
	Aragonese Party (PAR)	3	+3	0	3
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	81	–15	16	97
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	73	–17	14	87
	Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC)	8	+2	2	10
	Convergence and Union (CiU)	8	–2	3	11
	Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC)	6	–1	2	8
	Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)	2	–1	1	3
	Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV)	4	+1	2	6
	United Left (IU)	0	±0	2	2
	Canarian Coalition (CC)	1	–4	1	2
	Canarian Independent Groups (AIC)	0	–2	1	1
	Independent Herrenian Group (AHI)	1	±0	0	1
	Nationalist Canarian Initiative (ICAN)	0	–1	0	0
	Majorera Assembly (AM)	0	–1	0	0
	Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)	0	±0	1	1
	Basque Solidarity (EA)	0	±0	1	1
	Valencian Union (UV)	0	±0	1	1
	Ibiza and Formentera in the Senate (PSOE–EU–ENE–ERC–EV–Eiv)	1	+1	0	1
	Convergence of Democrats of Navarre (CDN)	0	±0	1	1
	Lanzarote Independents Party (PIL)	1	+1	0	1
	Popular Unity (HB)	0	–1	0	0
Total		208	±0	49	257
Sources[23][37][38][39]

Seats PP   51.75% PSOE   37.74% CiU   4.28% EAJ/PNV   2.33% CC   0.78% IU   0.78% ERC   0.39% EA   0.39% UV   0.39% EFS   0.39% CDN   0.39% PIL   0.39%

Aftermath

Investiture José María Aznar (PP)
Ballot →		4 May 1996
Required majority →		176 out of 350
	Yes • PP (156) • CiU (16) • PNV (5) • CC (4)	181 / 350
	No • PSOE (141) • IU–IC (21) • BNG (2) • ERC (1) • EA (1)	166 / 350
	Abstentions • UV (1)	1 / 350
	Absentees • HB (2)	2 / 350
Sources[40]

Notes

1. Results for People's Party (34.76%) and Aragonese Party (0.61%) in the 1993 election.
2. Only in Andalusia, Extremadura and Murcia.

References

1. "El Congreso devuelve los presupuestos al Gobierno por segunda vez en la historia". RTVE (in Spanish). 13 February 2019. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
2. "Cuando González y Aznar tuvieron que pactar sus investiduras". ABC (in Spanish). 20 July 2016. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
3. "Convèrgencia da por terminado su apoyo global al Gobierno socialista". El País (in Spanish). 22 June 1995. Retrieved 18 February 2019.
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Bibliography

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