2003 Catalan regional election

The 2003 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday, 16 November 2003, to elect the 7th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

2003 Catalan regional election

16 November 2003
All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia 68 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	5,307,837 0.3%
Turnout	3,319,276 (62.5%) 3.3 pp
Leader Artur Mas Pasqual Maragall Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira Party CiU PSC–CpC ERC Leader since 7 January 2002 6 March 1999 25 November 1996 Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Last election 56 seats, 37.7% 52 seats, 37.9% 12 seats, 8.7% Seats won 46 42 23 Seat change 10 10 11 Popular vote 1,024,425 1,031,454 544,324 Percentage 30.9% 31.2% 16.4% Swing 6.8 pp 6.7 pp 7.7 pp   Leader Josep Piqué Joan Saura Party PP ICV–EA Leader since 4 September 2003 26 November 2000 Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Last election 12 seats, 9.5% 3 seats, 3.9%[lower-alpha 1] Seats won 15 9 Seat change 3 6 Popular vote 393,499 241,163 Percentage 11.9% 7.3% Swing 2.4 pp 3.4 pp
Constituency results map for the Parliament of Catalonia
President before election Jordi Pujol CiU Elected President Pasqual Maragall PSC

This election marked a change for all Catalan political parties due to Catalan President Jordi Pujol's decision not to seek a seventh term in office and to retire from active politics. The election results were a great disappointment for Pasqual Maragall's Socialists' Party of Catalonia, which again saw Convergence and Union winning a plurality of seats despite them winning the most votes by a margin of just 0.3%. Opinion polls earlier in the year had predicted a much larger victory for Maragall, but his lead over CiU had begun to narrow as the election grew nearer. ERC was the perceived true victor of the election, doubling its 1999 figures and scoring the best results in its recent history, both in terms of seats (23 of 135) and votes (16.4%), up from 11 seats and 8.7%.

As Pujol's successor Artur Mas did not won a majority large enough to renew his party pact with the People's Party of Catalonia, which had kept Pujol in power since 1995, an alliance between the Socialists' Party of Catalonia, Republican Left of Catalonia and ICV–EUiA resulted in the Catalan "tripartite" government. Ironically, despite losing 10 seats and 150,000 votes respect to the 1999 election, Maragall became the first center-left President of Catalonia, ending with 23 years of Convergence and Union government.

Overview

Electoral system

The Parliament of Catalonia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution of 1978 and the regional Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.[1]

Transitory Provision Fourth of the Statute established a specific electoral procedure for elections to the Parliament of Catalonia, of application for as long as a specific law regulating the procedures for regional elections was not approved, to be supplemented by the provisions within the Organic Law of General Electoral Regime. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Catalonia and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The 135 members of the Parliament of Catalonia 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 Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, with each being allocated a fixed number of seats: 85 for Barcelona, 17 for Girona, 15 for Lleida and 18 for Tarragona.[1]

The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.[2]

Election date

The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The regional president was required to call an election fifteen days prior to the date of expiry of parliament, with election day taking place within sixty days after the call. The previous election was held on 17 October 1999, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 17 October 2003. The election was required to be called no later than 2 October 2003, with it taking place on the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 1 December 2003.[1]

The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since a previous one under this procedure. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional President within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.[3][4]

Background

In the 1999 election, and as a result of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC)'s growth, the Catalan nationalist Convergence and Union (CiU) had lost the vote share in a regional election for the first time ever, but clung on to retain the largest amount of seats due to the disproportionate allocation of seats in Girona, Lleida and Tarragona compared to Barcelona. Through to the support of the People's Party (PP), Jordi Pujol had been able to be re-elected to a sixth term in office with a slim majority of 68 to the 67 seats commanded by the left-from-centre opposition.

Despite Pujol's personal approval ratings remaining high until the end of his term, speculation on his possible retirement (which he confirmed on 1 April 2001),[5] internal disputes between Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) and Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) over the future of the alliance[6]—which resulted in CiU being turned into a full-fledged party federation in order to ensure its continuity in the post-Pujol era[7]—and a desire for change after 23 years in power had resulted in CiU trailing the PSC in opinion polls for the entire legislature, with a lead that was nearly into the double digits by mid-to-late 2002. From mid-2003, however, the Socialist lead had begun to narrow to the point that chances for a possible reenactment of the 1999 tight race remained high. The retirement of Pujol as CiU candidate paved the way for Artur Mas, the then chief minister (Catalan: Conseller en cap), to replace him as the culmination of a long successory process.[8]

Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) had been in an almost continuous growth since the 1988 election, becoming a political force able to pierce through the dominant two-party system in Catalonia. Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) and United and Alternative Left (EUiA) had run separately in the previous election, but ahead of the 2003 election joined within the ICV–EA coalition.

Parliamentary status

The Parliament of Catalonia was officially dissolved on 23 September 2003, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia.[9] The table below shows the status of the different parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of dissolution.[10][11][12]

Parliamentary composition in September 2003[13][14]

Groups		Parties		Legislators
				Seats	Total
	Convergence and Union's Parliamentary Group		CDC	41	56
			UDC	15
	Socialists–Citizens for Change Parliamentary Group		PSC	35	50
			CpC	15
	People's Parliamentary Group		PP	12	12
	Republican Left of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group		ERC	12	12
	Initiative for Catalonia–Greens's Parliamentary Group		ICV	5	5

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.[15]

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 (%)	Seats
	PSC–CpC	List Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) Citizens for Change (CpC)		Pasqual Maragall	Social democracy	37.85%	52		[16]
	CiU	List Convergence and Union (CiU) – Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) – Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)		Artur Mas	Catalan nationalism Centrism	37.70%	56		[5] [7] [17]
	PP	List People's Party (PP)		Josep Piqué	Conservatism Christian democracy	9.51%	12		[18] [19] [20]
	ERC	List Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)		Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira	Catalan independence Social democracy	8.67%	12
	ICV–EA	List Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) United and Alternative Left (EUiA)		Joan Saura	Regionalism Eco-socialism Green politics	3.93%[lower-alpha 1]	3		[21]

Opinion polls

The table below lists voting intention estimates in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font. 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout							Lead
2003 regional election	16 Nov 2003	N/A	62.5	31.2 42	30.9 46	11.9 15	16.4 23	7.3 9	[lower-alpha 2]	0.3
Ipsos–Eco/CCRTV[lower-alpha 3][p 1]	16 Nov 2003	73,696	?	30.9 42	31.7 47	11.2 14	16.8 24	7.2 8	[lower-alpha 2]	0.8
Eco Consulting/CCRTV[p 2]	16 Nov 2003	?	?	32.3 44/46	29.4 43/45	10.3 12/14	17.6 24/26	7.6 8/9	[lower-alpha 2]	2.9
Gallup/RTVE[p 2]	16 Nov 2003	?	?	35.1 47/49	29.4 43/45	9.6 12	15.7 22/23	8.0 7/9	[lower-alpha 2]	5.7
Sigma Dos/Antena 3[p 2]	16 Nov 2003	?	?	34.3 46/47	30.6 45/46	11.3 14/15	15.2 22	6.7 6	[lower-alpha 2]	3.7
Celeste-Tel/La Razón[p 2]	10 Nov 2003	601	?	36.3 48/51	34.3 48/49	10.7 13/15	11.9 17/18	5.3 5/6	[lower-alpha 2]	2.0
DEP/Dossier Econòmic[p 2]	8 Nov 2003	1,200	?	34.7 45/48	35.8 50/54	9.7 11/12	13.8 18/21	4.6 3/5	[lower-alpha 2]	1.1
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 3]	3–6 Nov 2003	1,200	?	36.2 49/50	33.1 48/49	9.5 12	13.0 18/19	6.9 6/7	[lower-alpha 2]	3.1
Celeste-Tel/La Razón[p 2]	5 Nov 2003	601	?	37.1 49/50	31.5 45/47	11.1 14/15	13.1 18/19	5.5 6/7	[lower-alpha 2]	5.6
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 2][p 4]	3–5 Nov 2003	1,600	?	35.0 46/49	32.2 46/49	12.4 15/16	12.8 18/20	5.9 5/6	[lower-alpha 2]	2.8
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 5]	1–5 Nov 2003	2,025	?	36.5 50/51	30.9 45/47	10.0 12/13	13.7 19/20	6.9 7/8	[lower-alpha 2]	5.6
Opina/El País[p 6][p 7]	31 Oct–2 Nov 2003	2,100	?	34.5 48/50	32.5 47/49	10.5 13	12.5 17/19	6.5 7	[lower-alpha 2]	2.0
Line Staff/CiU[p 2][p 8]	31 Oct 2003	2,100	?	34.5 47	34.0 49/50	10.0 12	12.5 22/23	6.5 7/9	[lower-alpha 2]	0.5
Infortécnica[p 9]	7–31 Oct 2003	2,012	59.0	32.1 47/49	39.4 50/53	7.5 13/14	14.6 15/18	6.5 6/7	[lower-alpha 2]	7.3
TNS Demoscopia/ABC[p 10]	20–27 Oct 2003	2,000	?	36.1 48/49	33.2 49	10.5 13	12.0 18/19	7.5 6	[lower-alpha 2]	2.9
Opina/Cadena SER[p 11][p 12][p 13]	26 Oct 2003	1,800	?	35.5 49	30.0 44/46	12.0 16	13.0 17/18	7.0 7/8	[lower-alpha 2]	5.5
CIS[p 14][p 15][p 16]	13–26 Oct 2003	3,571	71.8	34.4 47	32.4 48	11.1 14	12.6 18	7.4 8	[lower-alpha 2]	2.0
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 17]	29 Sep–1 Oct 2003	803	?	37.0 50/53	33.0 45/49	8.9 11/12	13.3 18/19	5.7 5	[lower-alpha 2]	4.0
Feedback/CiU[p 18][p 19][p 20]	15–24 Sep 2003	2,507	?	35.4 47	34.0 49	9.9 14	13.0 19	6.1 6	[lower-alpha 2]	1.4
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 21]	10–11 Sep 2003	812	?	36.4 49/52	33.7 46/49	7.8 9/10	15.1 22/23	5.9 5	[lower-alpha 2]	2.7
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 22]	7–10 Jul 2003	1,000	?	36.3 49/52	33.7 48/51	7.8 9/10	14.5 20/21	5.9 5	[lower-alpha 2]	2.6
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 23]	25–27 Jun 2003	?	?	38.8 54/55	31.6 44/45	9.5 12/13	14.0 20/21	4.2 4	[lower-alpha 2]	7.2
La Vanguardia[p 24]	22 Jun 2003	?	61.3	35.9 49	31.1 47	9.5 13	10.2 22	4.8 4	–	4.8
2003 local elections	25 May 2003	N/A	61.5	34.1	24.4	11.1	12.8	10.5	[lower-alpha 2]	9.7
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 25]	31 Mar–1 Apr 2003	?	?	41.0 56/57	32.1 46/48	7.0 7/8	13.4 19/20	4.4 4/5	[lower-alpha 2]	8.9
Opina/ERC[p 26][p 27]	5–7 Mar 2003	1,800	?	38.0 50/51	33.0 48/51	9.0 11/12	14.0 18/21	5.0 4	[lower-alpha 2]	5.0
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 28]	13–15 Jan 2003	?	?	40.5 55/57	32.6 48/50	8.3 9/10	12.4 17/18	4.0 4	[lower-alpha 2]	7.9
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 29]	7–11 Jan 2003	1,500	?	43.0 57	34.7 51	7.8 10	10.7 15	2.2 2	[lower-alpha 2]	8.3
CES/CiU[p 30][p 31][p 32]	7–10 Jan 2003	2,500	?	37.3 52/53	35.7 51/52	9.8 12	11.9 16/17	2.4 2	1.1 0	1.6
Vox Pública/PSC[p 33][p 34][p 35]	16–18 Dec 2002	805	?	39.5– 40.5	31.0– 32.0	8.5– 9.5	12.0– 13.0	5.0– 6.0	[lower-alpha 2]	8.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 36]	7–9 Oct 2002	?	?	40.5 55/57	32.4 47/49	8.8 10/12	12.4 16/18	2.9 3/4	1.0 0	8.1
CIS[p 37][p 38][p 39][p 40]	9 Sep–9 Oct 2002	922	72.6	33.6	35.2	9.6	11.3	6.5	–	1.6
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 41]	25–27 Jun 2002	?	?	40.5	33.0	8.0	12.0	3.3	1.0	7.5
Vox Pública/PSC[p 42][p 43]	10–12 Jun 2002	605	?	40.0– 41.0	32.5– 33.5	7.0– 8.0	12.5– 13.5	2.5– 3.5	1.0– 2.0	7.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 44]	15–17 Apr 2002	800	?	40.2	34.1	8.0	10.3	3.2	1.4	6.1
Opina/CDC[p 45][p 46]	11–16 Apr 2002	2,400	?	35.0	36.0	10.2	11.5	3.0	–	1.0
La Vanguardia[p 47]	8 Apr 2002	?	?	40.5 55/57	33.0 48/50	9.5 12/13	11.0 15/16	2.5 0/2	–	7.5
Vox Pública/PSC[p 48]	11–14 Mar 2002	?	?	39.5– 40.5	32.5– 33.5	9.0– 10.0	10.5– 11.5	2.5– 3.5	1.0– 2.0	7.0
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 49]	4–5 Feb 2002	?	?	39.4	35.6	8.7	10.3	2.6	1.2	3.8
UDC[p 50]	28 Dec 2001	1,200	?	37.3	37.2	–	–	–	–	0.1
Vox Pública/PSC[p 51]	20–22 Nov 2001	602	?	38.5– 39.5	34.5– 35.5	8.5– 9.5	9.0– 10.0	2.0– 3.0	1.0– 2.0	4.0
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 52]	23–25 Oct 2001	?	?	36.8	36.1	8.4	12.3	2.8	1.4	0.7
Vox Pública/PSC[p 53][p 54][p 55]	22 Oct 2001	?	?	39.0– 40.0	35.5– 36.5	7.0– 8.0	10.0– 11.0	2.0– 3.0	1.0– 2.0	3.5
La Vanguardia[p 56][p 57][p 58][p 59][p 60]	13–17 Aug 2001	?	?	40.0 54/56	32.8 48/50	10.0 12/13	11.0 15/16	2.5 2/3	–	7.2
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 61]	28–30 Jun 2001	?	?	37.2	36.8	8.3	11.0	3.3	1.5	0.4
Vox Pública/PSC[p 62][p 63]	12–14 Jun 2001	600	?	38.5– 39.5	35.0– 36.0	8.0– 8.5	10.0– 11.0	2.5– 3.5	1.0– 1.5	3.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 64]	19–20 Apr 2001	?	?	39.2	35.2	9.5	9.6	2.6	1.0	4.0
CIS[p 65][p 66][p 67][p 68]	3–26 Mar 2001	2,778	85.2	37.7 51/52	34.6 51/52	10.3 13/14	10.8 15/6	3.9 3	1.1 0	3.1
Vox Pública/PSC[p 69][p 70][p 71]	28 Feb–2 Mar 2001	600	?	39.0– 40.0	36.5– 37.5	9.0– 9.5	7.5– 8.5	2.5– 3.5	–	2.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 72]	1–2 Feb 2001	804	?	37.5	36.6	9.5	10.5	2.8	0.8	0.9
Opina/La Vanguardia[p 73][p 74]	6 Nov 2000	800	?	37.0 51	36.0 54	10.5 14	9.5 13	2.5 3	–	1.0
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 75]	1–2 Nov 2000	800	?	37.6	37.7	9.0	9.5	1.6	1.4	0.1
2000 general election	12 Mar 2000	N/A	64.0	34.1 48	28.8 45	22.8 32	5.6 7	3.5 3	2.2 0	5.3
1999 regional election	17 Oct 1999	N/A	59.2	37.9 52	37.7 56	9.5 12	8.7 12	2.5 3	1.4 0	0.2

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 16 November 2003 Parliament of Catalonia election results →

Parties and coalitions		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Socialists' Party of Catalonia–Citizens for Change (PSC–CpC)	1,031,454	31.16	–6.69	42	–10
	Convergence and Union (CiU)	1,024,425	30.94	–6.76	46	–10
	Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)	544,324	16.44	+7.77	23	+11
	People's Party (PP)	393,499	11.89	+2.38	15	+3
	Initiative for Catalonia Greens–Alternative Left (ICV–EA)^1	241,163	7.28	+3.35	9	+6
	The Greens–The Ecologist Alternative (EV–AE)	18,470	0.56	New	0	±0
	Platform for Catalonia (PxC)	4,892	0.15	New	0	±0
	Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI)	4,226	0.13	+0.04	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Catalan People (PCPC)	2,580	0.08	New	0	±0
	Unsubmissive Seats (Ei)	2,220	0.07	New	0	±0
	Catalan State (EC)	1,890	0.06	±0.00	0	±0
	The Greens–Green Alternative (EV–AV)	1,886	0.06	–0.20	0	±0
	Republican Left–Left Republican Party (IR–PRE)	1,714	0.05	New	0	±0
	Humanist Party of Catalonia (PHC)	1,647	0.05	+0.01	0	±0
	Another Democracy is Possible (UADeP)	1,386	0.04	New	0	±0
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	1,073	0.03	–0.01	0	±0
	Caló Nationalist Party (PNCA)	812	0.02	New	0	±0
	Republican Social Movement (MSR)	804	0.02	New	0	±0
	Internationalist Struggle (LI (LIT–CI))	802	0.02	±0.00	0	±0
	Spaniards Under Separatism (EBS)	603	0.02	New	0	±0
	Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB)	401	0.01	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		30,212	0.91	–0.02
Total		3,310,483			135	±0
Valid votes		3,310,483	99.74	–0.01
Invalid votes		8,793	0.26	+0.01
Votes cast / turnout		3,319,276	62.54	+3.34
Abstentions		1,988,561	37.46	–3.34
Registered voters		5,307,837
Sources[10][22]

Popular vote PSC–CpC   31.16% CiU   30.94% ERC   16.44% PP   11.89% ICV–EA   7.28% Others   1.37% Blank ballots   0.91%

Seats CiU   34.07% PSC–CpC   31.11% ERC   17.04% PP   11.11% ICV–EA   6.67%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	PSC–CpC		CiU		ERC		PP		ICV–EA
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
Barcelona	33.2	29	28.8	25	15.2	13	12.6	11	8.0	7
Girona	23.7	4	38.7	7	21.9	4	8.1	1	5.3	1
Lleida	22.5	4	41.4	7	19.9	3	9.7	1	4.4	–
Tarragona	28.2	5	33.8	7	19.0	3	11.8	2	5.2	1
Total	31.2	42	30.9	46	16.4	23	11.9	15	7.3	9
Sources[10]

Aftermath

Investiture Pasqual Maragall (PSC)
Ballot →		16 December 2003
Required majority →		68 out of 135
	Yes • PSC–CpC (42) • ERC (23) • ICV–EA (9)	74 / 135
	No • CiU (46) • PP (15)	61 / 135
	Abstentions	0 / 135
	Absentees	0 / 135
Sources[10]

Notes

1. Results for Initiative for Catalonia–Greens (2.51%) and United and Alternative Left (1.42%) in the 1999 election.
2. Within ICV.
3. Quick count.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "CiU guanyaria amb 47 diputats enfront dels 42 del PSC, segons una mostra de l'escrutini". CCMA (in Catalan). 16 November 2003.
2. "Sondejos". Generalitat de Catalunya (in Catalan). Archived from the original on 3 January 2015. Retrieved 12 December 2017.
3. "Empatados ante la semana final". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 9 November 2003.
4. "Encuestas preelectorales publicadas. Cataluña 2003". www.bcn.cat (in Spanish). 10 November 2003.
5. "Los socialistas amplían a 5,6 puntos la ventaja sobre CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 8 November 2003.
6. "PSC y CiU, en situación de empate técnico". El País (in Spanish). 9 November 2003.
7. "Informe estudio El País. Cataluña. Noviembre 2003" (PDF). Instituto Opina (in Spanish). 9 November 2003. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2005.
8. "El PSC aventaja en 5,5 puntos a CiU, según un sondeo de Opina para la SER". El País (in Spanish). 1 November 2003.
9. "Elecciones autonómicas "Catalunya"". Infortécnica (in Spanish). 31 October 2003.
10. "ERC tendrá la llave del Gobierno catalán ya que puede dar la mayoría a CiU o al PSC". ABC (in Spanish). 2 November 2003.
11. "Maragall es el favorito para gobernar Cataluña". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 31 October 2003.
12. "Pulsómetro Elecciones en Cataluña". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 31 October 2003. Archived from the original on 7 February 2004.
13. "El PSC aventaja en 5,5 puntos a CiU, según una encuesta de Opina para la SER". El País (in Spanish). 1 November 2003.
14. "Preelectoral de Cataluña, elecciones autonómicas, 2003 (Estudio nº 2543. Octubre 2003)". CIS (in Spanish). 7 November 2003.
15. "Estudio CIS nº 2543. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 7 November 2003.
16. "CiU aventaja al PSC en un escaño, según el CIS, pero no logra mayoría ni con ERC ni con el PP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 November 2003.
17. "La ventaja del PSC sobre CiU se recorta de 7 a 4 puntos desde junio". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 5 October 2003.
18. "Encuesta de CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 7 October 2003.
19. "Un sondeo recorta la ventaja del PSC sobre CiU, que es de cuatro puntos". El País (in Spanish). 6 October 2003.
20. "Una encuesta de CiU le da dos escaños más que al PSC". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 6 October 2003.
21. "Ligera ventaja de Maragall sobre Mas al iniciarse la carrera electoral catalana". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 14 September 2003.
22. "Mínima ventaja de Maragall sobre Mas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 13 July 2003.
23. "El PSC saca 7,2 puntos a CiU pero Mas sigue avanzando en imagen". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 6 July 2003.
24. "Cuestión de ejes". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 22 June 2003.
25. "El PSC le saca 9 puntos a CiU pero Mas recorta terreno en imagen". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 6 April 2003.
26. "Una encuesta sitúa al PSC y CiU muy igualados". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 2 April 2003.
27. "CiU ha perdido seis puntos frente al PSC en un año, según el Instituto Opina". El País (in Spanish). 3 April 2003.
28. "El PSC conserva desde octubre una ventaja de 8 puntos sobre CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 22 January 2003.
29. "Maragall parte con una sólida ventaja". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 19 January 2003.
30. "Una encuesta de CiU dice que el PSC ganaría por un escaño". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
31. "El PSC ganaría las elecciones autonómicas, según una encuesta de CiU". El País (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
32. "Una encuesta de CiU da ganador a Maragall en las autonómicas". El País (in Spanish). 18 January 2003.
33. "El PSC aventaja a CiU en 8,5 puntos, según una encuesta de los socialistas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 31 December 2002.
34. "Un sondeo del PSC indica que mantiene sobre CiU una ventaja de 8 puntos para las autonómicas". El País (in Spanish). 31 December 2002.
35. "Un sondeo del PSC lo sitúa ocho puntos por encima de CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 31 December 2002.
36. "El PSC se consolida como seguro ganador y ERC sube a costa de CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 16 October 2002.
37. "Instituciones y autonomías, II. CA de Cataluña (Estudio nº 2455. Septiembre-Octubre 2002)". CIS (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
38. "El CIS sitúa a CiU por delante del PSC". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 20 November 2002.
39. "El PP, partido más votado en diez Comunidades Autónomas" (PDF). El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 November 2002.
40. "El PP ganaría las autonómicas en diez Comunidades y el PSOE en cuatro, según el CIS". ABC (in Spanish). 20 November 2002.
41. "Los socialistas aumentan hasta 7,5 puntos su ventaja sobre CiU". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 3 July 2002.
42. "El PSC recurre a su último sondeo para pronosticar la "caída libre" de CiU y de Mas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 June 2002.
43. "El PSC superaría a CiU en 7,5 puntos, según una encuesta electoral". El País (in Spanish). 4 July 2002.
44. "El Periódico 28/04/2002". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 28 April 2002.
45. "Un macrosondeo del Instituto Opina da por primera vez la victoria a Mas sobre Maragall". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 23 April 2002.
46. "Una encuesta encargada por CiU le da un punto de ventaja sobre los socialistas". El País (in Spanish). 23 April 2002.
47. "La fusión fría". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 8 April 2002.
48. "Un sondeo del PSC amplía a siete puntos su ventaja sobre CiU en unas autonómicas". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 March 2002.
49. "El PSC se despega de CiU y le saca ahora 3,8 puntos de ventaja". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 17 February 2002.
50. "Los votantes de Cir valoran más a Maragall que a Artur Mas". ABC (in Spanish). 28 December 2001.
51. "Un sondeo del PSC le da entre tres y cinco puntos de ventaja sobre CiU". El País (in Spanish). 18 December 2001.
52. "El PSC y CiU siguen prácticamente empatados en estimación de voto". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 4 November 2001.
53. "Carod advierte a CiU de que se le acaba el tiempo para cambiar de aliado". El País (in Spanish). 23 October 2001.
54. "El PSC pide a Maragall que proyecte imagen de president ante el inicio de retirada de Pujol". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 23 October 2001.
55. "Un sondeo del Gobierno sitúa a Mas como el vencedor del debate de la censura". El País (in Spanish). 24 October 2001.
56. "El voto melancólico". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 13 August 2001.
57. "El voto frío". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 14 August 2001.
58. "El voto selecto". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 15 August 2001.
59. "El voto emocional". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 16 August 2001.
60. "El voto sigiloso". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 17 August 2001.
61. "CiU recupera terreno y empata con el PSC en estimación de voto". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 10 July 2001.
62. "El PSC moderniza su imagen para resaltar su definición como partido catalanista". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 14 July 2001.
63. "Mas recorta 4 puntos la ventaja de Maragall, que todavía le lleva 14, según un sondeo del PSC". El País (in Spanish). 14 July 2001.
64. "El PSC sacaría cuatro puntos a CiU en unas elecciones autonómicas". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 30 April 2001.
65. "Situación social y política de Cataluña, XVI (Estudio nº 2410. Marzo 2001)". CIS (in Spanish). 23 May 2001.
66. "Estudio CIS nº 2410. Ficha técnica" (PDF). CIS (in Spanish). 23 May 2001.
67. "CiU y PSC van empatados, según el CIS". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 24 May 2001.
68. "El PSC aventaja en tres puntos a CiU, aunque empatan en número de escaños". ABC (in Spanish). 24 May 2001.
69. "El PSC cree que la candidatura de Mas dispara las opciones de victoria de Maragall". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 10 April 2001.
70. "Maragall consolida su ventaja sobre Mas y le supera en 20 puntos, según una encuesta del PSC". El País (in Spanish). 10 April 2001.
71. "Maragall superaría a Mas en más de 20 puntos, según una encuesta encargada por el PSC". El País (in Spanish). 10 April 2001.
72. "El PSC superaría en un punto a CiU de celebrarse ahora los comicios al Parlament". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 12 February 2001.
73. "Sólo Pujol puede frenar a Maragall". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 12 November 2000.
74. "Ligero avance del PSC en las generales". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 12 November 2000.
75. "CiU y PSC empatarían de nuevo si se celebrasen elecciones ahora". El Periódico de Catalunya (in Spanish). 11 November 2000.

Other

1. "Ley Orgánica 4/1979, de 18 de diciembre, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Cataluña". Organic Law No. 4 of 18 December 1979. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 1 September 2019.
2. Gallagher, Michael (30 July 2012). "Effective threshold in electoral systems". Trinity College, Dublin. Retrieved 22 July 2017.
3. "Ley 3/1982, de 25 de marzo, del Parlament, del Presidente y del Consell Executiu de la Generalitat". Law No. 3 of 25 March 1982. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2017.
4. "Ley 8/1985, de 24 de mayo, de modificación de la Ley 3/1982, de 25 de marzo, del Parlamento, del Presidente y del Consejo Ejecutivo de la Generalidad de Cataluña". Law No. 8 of 24 May 1985. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 14 March 2017.
5. "Jordi Pujol anuncia que no volverá a concurrir a las elecciones". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. 1 April 2001. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
6. Garriga, Josep (30 March 2001). "Duran reclama la secretaría general de CiU para aceptar a Mas como sucesor de Pujol". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
7. Quadrado, Susana (3 December 2001). "CDC y Unió firman la federación que sella la paz para ganar las próximas elecciones". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
8. "Pujol anuncia que Mas será el consejero jefe de la Generalitat". El Mundo (in Spanish). L'Hospitalet (Barcelona). EFE. 14 January 2001. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
9. "Decreto 208/2003, de 22 de septiembre, de convocatoria de elecciones al Parlamento de Cataluña y de su disolución" (PDF). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish) (228): 31963. 23 September 2003. ISSN 0212-033X.
10. "Eleccions al Parlament de Catalunya (1980 - 2017)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 September 2017.
11. "Parliament of Catalonia: parliamentary groups since 1980". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2017.
12. "Deputies of the Parliament of Catalonia since 1932". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 24 December 2017.
13. "6th Legislature". www.parlament.cat (in Spanish). Parliament of Catalonia. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
14. Matas Dalmases, Jordi; Reniu Vilamala, Josep Maria (October 2003). "La política de las coaliciones en Cataluña" (PDF). Revista Española de Ciencia Política (9): 89. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
15. "Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General". Organic Law No. 5 of 19 June 1985. Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 December 2016.
16. "Maragall: "A Zapatero le va a tocar cambiar más cosas de las que creía"". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Madrid. 30 June 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
17. Company, Enric (8 January 2002). "CiU hace oficial la candidatura de Mas para la presidencia de la Generalitat". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
18. "Piqué será proclamado candidato a la Generalitat el 7 de septiembre". El Mundo (in Spanish). Barcelona. Europa Press. 26 June 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
19. Rodríguez Aizpeolea, Luis (30 August 2003). "Piqué se despide de ministro para ser el candidato del PP en Cataluña". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
20. "Piqué, proclamado en Barcelona candidato del PP a la Generalitat". Cadena SER (in Spanish). Agencias. 7 September 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
21. "Joan Saura Laporta. El verde con escaño, discípulo de Ribó". Libertad Digital (in Spanish). 2003. Retrieved 14 July 2020.
22. "Electoral results. Parliament of Catalonia election 2003". resultats.dadeselectorals.gencat.cat (in Catalan). Government of Catalonia. Retrieved 24 September 2017.