2006 Catalan regional election

The 2006 Catalan regional election was held on Wednesday, 1 November 2006, to elect the 8th Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.

2006 Catalan regional election

← 2003 1 November 2006 2010 →
All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia 68 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	5,321,274 0.3%
Turnout	2,982,108 (56.0%) 6.5 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Artur Mas José Montilla Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira Party CiU PSC–CpC ERC Leader since 7 January 2002 15 July 2006 25 November 1996 Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Last election 46 seats, 30.9% 42 seats, 31.2% 23 seats, 16.4% Seats won 48 37 21 Seat change 2 5 2 Popular vote 935,756 796,173 416,355 Percentage 31.5% 26.8% 14.0% Swing 0.6 pp 4.4 pp 2.4 pp   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Josep Piqué Joan Saura Albert Rivera Party PP ICV–EUiA C's Leader since 4 September 2003 26 November 2000 9 July 2006 Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona Last election 15 seats, 11.9% 9 seats, 7.3% Did not contest Seats won 14 12 3 Seat change 1 3 3 Popular vote 316,222 282,693 89,840 Percentage 10.7% 9.5% 3.0% Swing 1.2 pp 2.2 pp New party
Vote winner strength by constituency Election results by constituency
President before election Pasqual Maragall PSC Elected President José Montilla PSC

This was a snap election, called roughly one year before the scheduled end of the legislature as a result of the uneasy and controversial drafting of the 2006 Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia, which further expanded the authority of the Catalan Government. The statutory amendment had been ratified in a referendum on 18 June 2006 after being approved in the Cortes Generales, with roughly 74% of voters in favour of the new Statute and 21% against. The referendum was noted for its low turnout, as only 48.9% of all registered voters had cast a vote.^[1][2]

Since the 2003 election a left-of-centre coalition of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Initiative for Catalonia Greens–United and Alternative Left (ICV–EUiA) had been in power, with Pasqual Maragall as Catalan president. In May 2006, ERC had left the coalition after internal tensions due to its disagreement on the final draft of the Statute of Autonomy approved by the Spanish parliament, thus leaving Maragall without a majority and precipitating the early election call. On 21 June 2006 Maragall announced his will not to seek re-election, arguably due to the political erosion his government had suffered after their uneasy relationship with ERC, as well as his political differences with Spanish Prime Minister and PSOE Secretary-General José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero.^[3]

Unlike the previous elections in 1999 and 2003, when Convergence and Union (CiU) had achieved a plurality of seats in the autonomous Parliament despite narrowly losing it out in the popular vote to the PSC, in the 2006 election CiU emerged as the most popular party both in votes and seats, but fell far short of an absolute majority. After coalition negotiations, the PSC, ERC and ICV–EUiA agreed to renew the three-party coalition that had been in power in the 2003–2006 period, this time under the leadership of the new PSC leader, José Montilla. The election also saw a new party, Citizens (C's) entering the autonomous parliament, resulting in six political parties achieving parliamentary representation in the Catalan parliament for the first time since 1988.

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 and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.^[4] As a result of no regional electoral law having been approved since the re-establishment of Catalan autonomy, the electoral procedure came regulated under Transitory Provision Fourth of the 1979 Statute, supplemented by the provisions within the national electoral law.^[a] Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, 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 an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, with each being allocated a fixed number of seats:^[4][5]

Seats	Constituencies
85	Barcelona
18	Tarragona
17	Girona
15	Lleida

In smaller constituencies, the use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.^[6]

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 from forty to sixty days after the call. The previous election was held on 16 November 2003, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 16 November 2007. The election was required to be called no later than 1 November 2007, with it taking place up to the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Monday, 31 December 2007.^[4]

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.^[4]

Parliamentary composition

The Parliament of Catalonia was officially dissolved on 8 September 2006, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Journal of the Government of Catalonia.^[7] The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of dissolution.^[8][9][10]

Parliamentary composition in September 2006^[11]

Groups		Parties		Legislators
				Seats	Total
	Convergence and Union's Parliamentary Group		CDC	33	46
			UDC	13
	Socialists–Citizens for Change Parliamentary Group		PSC	32	42
			CpC	10
	Republican Left of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group		ERC	23	23
	People's Party of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group		PP	15	15
	Initiative for Catalonia Greens–Alternative Left's Parliamentary Group		ICV	8	9
			EUiA	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.^[12]

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.
						Vote %	Seats
	CiU	List Convergence and Union (CiU) – Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) – Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC)		Artur Mas	Catalan nationalism Centrism	30.9%	46		[13]
	PSC–CpC	List Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) Citizens for Change (CpC)		José Montilla	Social democracy	31.2%	42		[14]
	ERC	List Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)		Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira	Catalan independence Left-wing nationalism Social democracy	16.4%	23		[15] [16]
	PP	List People's Party (PP)		Josep Piqué	Conservatism Christian democracy	11.9%	15		[17]
	ICV–EUiA	List Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) United and Alternative Left (EUiA)		Joan Saura	Regionalism Eco-socialism Green politics	7.3%	9
	C's	List Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's)		Albert Rivera	Social liberalism	—			[18]

Opinion polls

The tables below list opinion polling results 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 poll.

Graphical summary

Local regression trend line of poll results from 16 November 2003 to 1 November 2006, with each line corresponding to a political party.

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages 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
2006 regional election	1 Nov 2006	—	56.0	26.8 37	31.5 48	14.0 21	10.7 14	9.5 12	3.0 3	4.7
Ipsos–Eco/CCRTV[p 1][p 2]	1 Nov 2006	30,000	57.7	26.7 37/40	31.5 45/48	15.2 21/24	10.0 13/15	9.0 10/12	2.7 0/2	4.8
CiU[p 3]	1 Nov 2006	?	?	? 37/39	? 46/48	? 23/24	? 11/12	? 12/13	? 0/3	?
TNS Demoscopia/ADN[p 4]	25 Oct 2006	?	?	? 39/40	? 48/49	? 20/21	? 14/15	? 12	–	?
Opina/Cadena SER[p 5][p 6]	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	?	30.0 42/43	30.5 43/47	13.0 19/22	10.0 13/14	10.0 13/14	–	0.5
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 7]	19–23 Oct 2006	1,000	?	28.4 38/40	34.0 50/52	12.5 17/19	10.2 13	10.9 13/15	–	5.6
Infortécnica[p 8]	22 Oct 2006	2,000	?	? 39/40	? 56/58	? 16/17	? 13/14	? 8/10	–	?
Opina/El País[p 8][p 9]	22 Oct 2006	1,500	?	30.0 42/43	30.0 45	13.0 20	10.5 14	10.5 13/14	–	Tie
GESOP/El Periódico[p 10]	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000	?	29.0 39/41	32.0 47/49	13.2 19/20	11.3 14/15	10.5 12/13	–	3.0
Feedback/RAC 1[p 11]	18–20 Oct 2006	1,000	52.7	25.9 35/37	35.5 52/54	14.9 20/21	11.9 14/15	9.8 10/13	–	9.6
Iberconsulta/La Razón[p 8][p 12]	17–19 Oct 2006	1,200	61.6	29.9 40/41	33.5 47/49	14.8 20/22	12.1 14/15	8.4 10/11	–	5.6
Opina/Cadena SER[p 8][p 13][p 14]	16 Oct 2006	1,000	?	31.5 43	29.3 43	15.5 23/24	10.7 13/14	9.0 12	–	2.2
DEP/Actual[p 8][p 15]	5–16 Oct 2006	1,237	?	29.3 38/39	31.8 49/50	14.6 20/21	12.1 15	8.7 10/11	–	2.5
CIS[p 16][p 17][p 18]	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	?	27.8 39	33.7 50/52	14.8 21	10.2 13/14	8.9 10/11	–	5.9
Feedback/RAC 1[p 19]	10–13 Oct 2006	1,000	54.4	27.4 37	35.9 53/54	15.0 20	10.1 13/14	9.1 11	–	8.5
Celeste-Tel/Terra[p 20]	10 Oct 2006	?	61.9	30.5 41/42	34.0 47/49	13.8 19/20	11.6 15	8.1 11	–	3.5
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 21][p 22]	6–9 Oct 2006	800	?	30.5 42/43	32.8 49/52	13.7 19/21	11.0 14/15	6.9 8	2.3 0	2.3
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 23]	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	?	29.0 38/40	35.5 52/54	12.1 16/18	10.5 13	10.4 12/13	–	6.5
GESOP/El Periódico[p 24]	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	?	29.9 40/41	34.9 52/53	12.4 18/19	10.1 12/13	9.1 10/11	–	5.0
Feedback/RAC 1[p 25][p 26]	3–6 Oct 2006	1,000	55.7	27.0 37	35.4 52	15.0 20/21	10.4 13/14	9.5 12/13	–	8.4
TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3[p 27]	2–3 Oct 2006	1,200	59.2	29.1 40/41	32.1 47/48	14.9 20/22	11.6 14/15	8.8 10/12	–	3.0
Feedback/RAC 1[p 28][p 29]	2 Oct 2006	?	?	27.8 38	35.9 52	14.7 20	9.6 12	9.6 13	–	8.1
Feedback/RAC 1[p 30]	20–22 Sep 2006	1,000	53.9	27.7 37	36.4 53	14.6 20	9.5 12	9.6 13	–	8.7
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 31]	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000	?	29.3 40	33.4 50/51	13.8 19/20	10.4 13	9.5 12	–	4.1
GESOP/El Periódico[p 32]	14–16 Sep 2006	800	?	29.5 40/41	34.5 51/52	13.3 19/20	10.5 13/14	9.0 10/11	–	5.0
Feedback/RAC 1[p 33]	12–15 Sep 2006	1,000	54.1	27.6 37	36.6 53	14.8 21	9.3 12	9.5 12	–	9.0
Feedback/RAC 1[p 34]	13 Sep 2006	?	?	27.7 37	36.4 52	14.8 21	9.2 12	9.6 13	–	8.7
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 35]	17–19 Jul 2006	800	?	32.4 44	34.2 51	12.3 17	10.2 13	8.3 10	–	1.8
Opina/El País[p 36][p 37]	7–8 Jun 2006	1,000	?	33.5 46	30.5 45	15.0 22	10.5 12	7.5 10	–	3.0
GESOP/El Periódico[p 38]	6–7 Jun 2006	600	?	31.0	35.0	13.0	10.5	7.0	–	4.0
Opina/Cadena SER[p 39][p 40]	30 May 2006	1,000	?	33.8 48	31.2 46	13.1 20	9.8 12	8.9 9	–	2.6
GESOP/El Periódico[p 41]	15–16 May 2006	600	?	32.0	32.0	15.0	10.0	8.0	–	Tie
GESOP/El Periódico[p 42]	17–19 Apr 2006	800	?	31.0 42	32.0 48/49	16.0 22/23	10.3 13	7.4 8/9	–	1.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 43]	27–30 Mar 2006	850	?	35.0 47/48	31.1 45/46	16.5 22/23	8.4 10/11	6.6 8/9	–	3.9
GESOP/El Periódico[p 44]	2–4 Feb 2006	800	?	30.7	31.5	14.8	12.9	7.5	–	0.8
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 45]	12–15 Dec 2005	850	?	31.7 42/44	32.8 47/48	16.3 23/24	9.6 11/13	8.9 10	–	1.1
CiU[p 46]	3 Dec 2005	?	?	? 40	? 48	? 22	? 15	? 10	–	?
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 47]	7–11 Nov 2005	400	?	33.2 46	27.3 39/40	16.7 23/24	13.7 17/18	7.1 8/9	–	5.9
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 48]	3–6 Oct 2005	1,000	?	32.5 44	29.2 43	16.0 23	12.7 15	8.9 10	–	3.3
GESOP/El Periódico[p 49]	3–5 Oct 2005	800	?	32.0	32.0	15.3	10.8	7.5	–	Tie
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 50]	18–21 Jul 2005	1,000	?	33.5 46	28.9 41	16.3 22	12.9 18	7.2 8	–	4.6
GESOP/El Periódico[p 51]	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800	?	31.5	31.5	15.5	11.3	7.5	–	Tie
GESOP/El Periódico[p 52]	20–22 Apr 2005	805	?	30.3	30.3	16.2	12.6	7.8	–	Tie
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 53]	7–10 Mar 2005	850	?	34.2 45/47	29.2 43/44	15.0 21/22	10.8 14	9.3 10/11	–	5.0
GESOP/El Periódico[p 54]	16–18 Jan 2005	800	?	34.7	31.6	13.9	10.4	7.0	–	3.1
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 55]	10–12 Nov 2004	850	?	32.4 44	28.9 43	16.8 23	10.8 14	9.6 11	–	3.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 56]	28–29 Sep 2004	802	?	33.5	30.7	15.2	11.5	6.7	–	2.8
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 57]	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800	?	34.0	30.5	15.7	9.8	7.5	–	3.5
2004 EP election	13 Jun 2004	—	39.8	42.9 (60)	17.4 (25)	11.8 (17)	17.8 (24)	7.2 (9)	–	25.1
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 58]	14–15 Apr 2004	801	?	33.0	32.0	16.4	9.9	6.1	–	1.0
2004 general election	14 Mar 2004	—	76.0	39.5 (55)	20.8 (31)	15.9 (23)	15.6 (21)	5.8 (5)	–	18.7
2003 regional election	16 Nov 2003	—	62.5	31.2 42	30.9 46	16.4 23	11.9 15	7.3 9	–	0.3

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						?	N	Lead
2006 regional election	1 Nov 2006	—	15.2	17.8	7.9	6.0	5.4	—	43.2	2.6
GESOP/El Periódico[p 10]	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000	24.7	23.6	11.4	4.1	8.2	17.7	4.4	1.1
CIS[p 16]	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	21.9	21.6	11.4	4.6	5.0	18.0	12.6	0.3
GESOP/El Periódico[p 24]	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	25.0	26.5	11.9	4.1	7.2	15.3	4.7	1.5
GESOP/El Periódico[p 32]	14–16 Sep 2006	800	27.8	25.3	12.4	4.6	7.3	22.7		2.5
GESOP/El Periódico[p 38]	6–7 Jun 2006	600	27.2	21.0	11.8	4.5	5.8	28.6		6.2
GESOP/El Periódico[p 41]	15–16 May 2006	600	31.0	21.8	12.2	5.5	7.2	21.9		9.2
GESOP/El Periódico[p 42]	17–19 Apr 2006	800	28.6	25.5	15.5	4.9	6.1	18.6		3.1
GESOP/El Periódico[p 44]	2–4 Feb 2006	800	28.8	23.9	13.5	7.4	6.0	20.3		4.9
GESOP/El Periódico[p 49]	3–5 Oct 2005	800	31.5	22.3	15.0	6.1	5.7	19.2		9.2
GESOP/El Periódico[p 51]	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800	29.3	21.8	15.8	6.4	5.9	20.4		7.5
GESOP/El Periódico[p 52]	20–22 Apr 2005	805	29.2	22.0	15.5	7.2	6.8	13.9	7.0	7.2
GESOP/El Periódico[p 54]	16–18 Jan 2005	800	34.4	20.3	11.9	6.1	6.8	13.3	6.1	14.1
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 56]	28–29 Sep 2004	802	34.7	18.6	14.1	7.5	6.1	10.8	6.1	16.1
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 57]	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800	35.5	17.0	14.0	4.8	6.0	11.2	4.9	18.5
2004 EP election	13 Jun 2004	—	17.2	7.0	4.7	7.2	2.9	—	59.7	10.0
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 58]	14–15 Apr 2004	801	32.1	24.5	15.5	4.7	6.0	11.2	4.9	7.6
2004 general election	14 Mar 2004	—	30.3	15.9	12.2	11.9	4.5	—	23.0	14.4
2003 regional election	16 Nov 2003	—	19.7	19.6	10.4	7.5	4.6	—	36.6	0.1

Victory preferences

The table below lists opinion polling on the victory preferences for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None	?	Lead
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	28.3	26.6	11.2	6.0	6.2	6.7	15.0	1.7
Opina/El País[p 59]	22 Oct 2006	1,500	29.6	30.1	–	–	–	40.3		0.5
CIS[p 16]	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	27.6	27.1	13.2	4.5	6.2	1.3	20.1	0.5
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	11 Oct 2006	?	28.4	30.7	11.5	4.8	6.3	7.2	11.3	2.3
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 60]	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	29.0	33.0	11.0	6.0	8.0	13.0		4.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 61]	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000	34.0	27.0	13.0	6.0	7.0	13.0		7.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 61]	17–19 Jul 2006	800	41.0	27.0	12.0	6.0	6.0	8.0		14.0
Opina/El País[p 37]	7–8 Jun 2006	1,000	32.8	25.2	10.8	5.2	4.7	1.9	19.5	7.6
Opina/Cadena SER[p 40]	30 May 2006	1,000	29.3	26.2	9.6	7.1	4.9	1.2	21.7	3.1

Victory likelihood

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood of victory for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None	?	Lead
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	23.5	51.4	1.8	0.7	0.1	–	22.6	11.5
CIS[p 16]	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	30.1	41.6	1.6	0.9	0.2	0.1	25.5	11.5
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	11 Oct 2006	?	26.6	48.8	2.7	1.5	0.4	–	20.1	22.2
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 60]	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	32.0	46.0	2.0	2.0	–	18.0		14.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 61]	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000	35.0	38.0	1.0	3.0	–	23.0		3.0
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 61]	17–19 Jul 2006	800	41.0	37.0	1.0	2.0	1.0	18.0		4.0
Opina/El País[p 37]	7–8 Jun 2006	1,000	36.6	33.2	2.0	1.5	1.5	0.4	24.7	3.4
Opina/Cadena SER[p 40]	30 May 2006	1,000	30.6	35.9	2.1	3.3	0.3	0.3	27.7	5.3

Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Government of Catalonia.

All candidates

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size							Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Maragall PSC	Montilla PSC	Mas CiU	Carod ERC	Piqué PP	Saura ICV–EUiA
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	–	27.2	27.4	10.8	5.9	5.2	8.5	15.0	0.2
Opina/El País[p 59]	22 Oct 2006	1,500	–	28.6	30.8	–	–	–	40.6		2.2
GESOP/El Periódico[p 62]	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000	–	23.8	25.1	9.1	0.9	5.6	10.1	25.4	1.3
Opina/Cadena SER[p 13][p 14]	16 Oct 2006	1,000	–	26.9	31.2	–	–	–	41.9		4.3
CIS[p 16]	2–15 Oct 2006	1,986	–	20.2	28.3	12.5	4.9	6.8	5.5	21.7	8.1
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	11 Oct 2006	?	–	26.9	31.2	9.0	5.3	4.6	9.0	14.0	4.3
Celeste-Tel/Terra[p 20]	10 Oct 2006	?	–	26.7	27.5	8.2	7.2	3.4	27.0		0.8
GESOP/El Periódico[p 63]	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	–	22.6	29.7	8.4	0.4	5.6	12.8	20.5	7.1
GESOP/El Periódico[p 63]	14–16 Sep 2006	800	–	19.9	29.6	8.9	1.3	6.3	10.4	23.6	9.7
GESOP/El Periódico[p 64]	15–16 May 2006	600	31.7	–	24.8	10.5	6.2	6.2	20.6		6.9
GESOP/El Periódico[p 64]	17–19 Apr 2006	800	29.8	–	25.6	12.8	7.8	7.5	16.5		4.2
GESOP/El Periódico[p 65]	2–4 Feb 2006	800	32.4	–	27.1	10.1	7.3	6.0	17.1		5.3
GESOP/El Periódico[p 65]	3–5 Oct 2005	800	35.0	–	24.2	12.4	7.0	6.6	14.8		10.8
GESOP/El Periódico[p 66]	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800	32.3	–	22.5	10.9	7.8	8.5	18.0		9.8
GESOP/El Periódico[p 67]	20–22 Apr 2005	805	32.8	–	20.4	14.5	7.6	6.7	18.0		12.4
GESOP/El Periódico[p 68]	16–18 Jan 2005	800	41.5	–	19.6	10.8	7.4	6.6	8.5	5.8	21.9
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 69]	28–29 Sep 2004	802	39.0	–	19.8	14.0	7.5	6.2	12.4	1.0	19.2
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 70]	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800	39.8	–	15.9	13.0	6.3	5.5	17.2	2.5	23.9
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 70]	14–15 Apr 2004	801	40.2	–	20.7	13.6	6.2	4.2	15.1		19.5

Montilla vs. Mas

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Montilla PSC	Mas CiU
GESOP/El Periódico[p 62]	19–21 Oct 2006	1,000	37.6	44.1	18.3		6.5
Feedback/RAC 1[p 11]	18–20 Oct 2006	1,000	33.5	46.3	13.4	6.8	12.8
Feedback/RAC 1[p 19]	10–13 Oct 2006	1,000	36.0	45.6	11.6	6.8	9.6
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 60]	5–9 Oct 2006	1,000	34.0	50.0	10.0	6.0	16.0
GESOP/El Periódico[p 62]	5–7 Oct 2006	1,000	36.1	45.6	18.3		9.5
Feedback/RAC 1[p 25]	3–6 Oct 2006	1,000	38.8	44.7	9.9	6.5	5.9
Feedback/RAC 1[p 30]	20–22 Sep 2006	1,000	35.7	44.9	10.5	8.8	9.2
GESOP/El Periódico[p 71]	14–16 Sep 2006	800	33.6	48.3	18.1		14.7
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 61]	18–21 Sep 2006	1,000	36.0	43.0	12.0	9.0	7.0
Feedback/RAC 1[p 33]	12–15 Sep 2006	1,000	33.6	47.7	10.9	7.8	14.1
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 72]	17–19 Jul 2006	800	36.0	39.0	16.0	9.0	3.0

Maragall vs. Mas

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Maragall PSC	Mas CiU
GESOP/El Periódico[p 65]	2–4 Feb 2006	800	49.9	39.1	11.0		10.8
GESOP/El Periódico[p 65]	3–5 Oct 2005	800	53.8	34.5	11.7		19.3
GESOP/El Periódico[p 66]	30 Jun–3 Jul 2005	800	52.9	35.4	11.7		17.5
GESOP/El Periódico[p 67]	20–22 Apr 2005	805	53.5	33.0	13.5		20.5
GESOP/El Periódico[p 68]	16–18 Jan 2005	800	59.4	31.1	9.5		28.3
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 69]	28–29 Sep 2004	802	59.6	28.7	11.7		30.9
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 70]	30 Jun–1 Jul 2004	800	59.9	26.4	13.7		33.5
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 70]	14–15 Apr 2004	801	58.3	32.0	9.7		26.3
Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 70]	Jan 2004	?	52.7	34.2	13.1		18.5

Predicted President

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood for each leader to become president of the Government of Catalonia.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size						Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Montilla PSC	Mas CiU	Carod ERC	Piqué PP	Saura ICV–EUiA
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	23–24 Oct 2006	1,200	21.6	49.4	0.7	1.0	0.0	2.1	25.0	27.8
Opina/El País[p 59]	22 Oct 2006	1,500	23.7	48.9	–	–	–	27.4		25.2
Opina/Cadena SER[p 13][p 14]	16 Oct 2006	1,000	23.3	48.8	–	–	–	27.9		25.5
Opina/Cadena SER[p 6]	11 Oct 2006	?	23.3	48.5	1.6	1.0	0.4	3.2	22.1	25.2
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 72]	17–19 Jul 2006	800	35.0	53.0	–	–	–	1.0	11.0	18.0

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 1 November 2006 Parliament of Catalonia election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Convergence and Union (CiU)	935,756	31.52	+0.58	48	+2
	Socialists' Party of Catalonia–Citizens for Change (PSC–CpC)	796,173	26.82	–4.34	37	–5
	Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC)	416,355	14.03	–2.41	21	–2
	People's Party (PP)	316,222	10.65	–1.24	14	–1
	Initiative for Catalonia Greens–United and Alternative Left (ICV–EUiA)	282,693	9.52	+2.24	12	+3
	Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's)	89,840	3.03	New	3	+3
	The Greens–Ecologists and Greens of Catalonia (EV–EVC)	17,900	0.60	+0.04	0	±0
	Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA)	13,730	0.46	New	0	±0
	Unsubmissive Seats–Alternative of Discontented Democrats (Ei–ADD)	6,922	0.23	+0.16	0	±0
	Catalan Republican Party (RC)	6,024	0.20	New	0	±0
	Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI)	5,632	0.19	+0.06	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Catalan People (PCPC)	4,798	0.16	+0.08	0	±0
	The Greens–Green Alternative (EV–AV)	3,228	0.11	+0.05	0	±0
	Family and Life Party (PFiV)	2,776	0.09	New	0	±0
	Forward Catalonia Platform (AES–DN)	2,735	0.09	New	0	±0
	Humanist Party of Catalonia (PHC)	2,608	0.09	+0.04	0	±0
	Republican Social Movement (MSR)	1,096	0.04	+0.02	0	±0
	Carmel/Blue Party (PAzul)	1,039	0.04	New	0	±0
	For a Fairer World (PUM+J)	945	0.03	New	0	±0
	Catalonia Decides (Decideix.cat)	668	0.02	New	0	±0
	Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB)	626	0.02	+0.01	0	±0
	Republican Left–Left Republican Party (IR–PRE)	524	0.02	–0.03	0	±0
Blank ballots		60,244	2.03	+1.12
Total		2,968,534			135	±0
Valid votes		2,968,534	99.54	–0.20
Invalid votes		13,574	0.46	+0.20
Votes cast / turnout		2,982,108	56.04	–6.50
Abstentions		2,339,166	43.96	+6.50
Registered voters		5,321,274
Sources[8][19][20]

Popular vote CiU   31.52% PSC–CpC   26.82% ERC   14.03% PP   10.65% ICV–EUiA   9.52% C's   3.03% Others   2.40% Blank ballots   2.03%

Seats CiU   35.56% PSC–CpC   27.41% ERC   15.56% PP   10.37% ICV–EUiA   8.89% C's   2.22%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	CiU		PSC–CpC		ERC		PP		ICV–EUiA		C's
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
Barcelona	29.9	27	27.9	25	12.6	11	11.2	10	10.4	9	3.5	3
Girona	38.2	7	22.1	4	19.2	4	7.2	1	7.6	1	0.9	−
Lleida	40.0	7	22.0	3	17.7	3	9.1	1	6.6	1	1.0	−
Tarragona	32.4	7	26.0	5	17.6	3	11.0	2	6.5	1	2.4	−
Total	31.5	48	26.8	37	14.0	21	10.7	14	9.5	12	3.0	3
Sources[8][20]

Aftermath

Investiture José Montilla (PSC)
Ballot →		24 November 2006
Required majority →		68 out of 135 Y
	Yes • PSC–CpC (37) • ERC (21) • ICV–EUiA (12)	70 / 135
	No • CiU (48) • PP (14) • C's (3)	65 / 135
	Abstentions	0 / 135
	Absentees	0 / 135
Sources[8]

Notes

1. Transitory Provision Second of the 2006 Statute maintained the validity of the electoral regulations within the 1979 Statute, of application for as long as a specific law regulating the procedures for elections to the Parliament of Catalonia was not approved.