2007 Valencian regional election

A regional election was held in the Valencian Community on Sunday, 27 May 2007, to elect the 7th Corts of the autonomous community. All 99 seats in the Corts were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.

2007 Valencian regional election

← 2003 27 May 2007 2011 →
All 99 seats in the Corts Valencianes 50 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	3,491,365 2.0%
Turnout	2,448,830 (70.1%) 1.4 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Francisco Camps Joan Ignasi Pla Glòria Marcos Party PP PSPV–PSOE Compromís PV Leader since 10 July 2002 24 September 2000 26 January 2007 Leader's seat Valencia Valencia Valencia Last election 48 seats, 47.2% 35 seats, 36.0% 6 seats, 11.0%[a] Seats won 54 38 7 Seat change 6 3 1 Popular vote 1,277,458 838,987 195,116 Percentage 52.5% 34.5% 8.0% Swing 5.3 pp 1.5 pp 3.0 pp
Vote winner strength by constituency Election results by constituency
President before election Francisco Camps PP Elected President Francisco Camps PP

As in the three previous elections, the People's Party (PP) with an increased absolute majority of seats, as well as winning an absolute majority of votes, the first and only time to date the party has reached this threshold, and only the second time since 1983 that any party has achieved this feat. The PP increased its vote share by more than 5% and gained six of the additional ten seats in the parliament, enlarged as a result of 2006 amendments to the regional Statute of Autonomy, all but ensuring incumbent president Francisco Camps's re-election for a second term in office. The Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV–PSOE) gained three seats despite seeing its vote share decrease by one point. This came as a result of the enlarged parliament, but the new election defeat and the below-expectations result for the party led to PSPV leader Joan Ignasi Pla to announce that he would step down as party secretary-general in the next congress.

The Valencian Nationalist Bloc (Bloc), whose performance in the previous election brought it within 0.3% of reaching the five percent threshold, had formed an electoral alliance with United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV) under the name Commitment for the Valencian Country (CPV). This combined list, which also included smaller Green and left-wing groups, saw the Bloc gain its first seat representation in the Corts, though the combined vote for both EUPV and Bloc was considerably lesser than what both had polled separately in 2003.

Overview

Electoral system

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

Voting for the Corts was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Valencian Community and in full enjoyment of their political rights. The 99 members of the Corts Valencianes were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Alicante, Castellón and Valencia, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 20 seats and the remaining 39 being distributed in proportion to their populations (provided that the seat-to-population ratio in any given province did not exceed three times that of any other).^[1][2]

Election date

The term of the Corts Valencianes expired four years after the date of their previous election, with elections to the Corts being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The previous election was held on 25 May 2003, setting the election date for the Corts on Sunday, 27 May 2007.^[1][2][3]

The Corts Valencianes could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Corts were to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.^[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.^[2][3]

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
	PP	List People's Party (PP)		Francisco Camps	Conservatism Christian democracy	47.2%	48
	PSPV–PSOE	List Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV–PSOE)		Joan Ignasi Pla	Social democracy	36.0%	35
	Compromís PV	List United Left of the Valencian Country (EUPV) Valencian Nationalist Bloc (Bloc) The Greens of the Valencian Country (EVPV) The Greens–Ecologist Left of the Valencian Country (EV–EE) Republican Left (IR)		Glòria Marcos	Valencian nationalism Eco-socialism Green politics	11.0% [a]	6

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.

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; 50 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Corts Valencianes (45 until 11 April 2006).

Color key:

  Exit poll

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout						CV		Lead
2007 regional election	27 May 2007	—	70.1	52.5 54	34.5 38	[b]	[b]	0.9 0	0.7 0	8.0 7	18.0
Ipsos/RTVE[p 1]	27 May 2007	?	?	? 50/53	? 37/40	[b]	[b]	–	–	? 7/9	?
UV/FSP[p 2][p 3]	18 May 2007	?	?	? 45/49	? 41/45	[b]	[b]	–	–	? 8/10	?
Opina/El País[p 4][p 5]	14–17 May 2007	?	?	50.0 51/52	38.0 39	[b]	[b]	–	–	9.5 8/9	12.0
Grup Marest/Levante-EMV[p 6][p 7]	10–16 May 2007	2,000	73.3	44.5 48	37.6 40	[b]	[b]	2.2 0	2.6 0	11.5 11	6.9
Celeste-Tel/Terra[p 8][p 9]	9–15 May 2007	?	?	48.8 52/53	37.1 38/39	[b]	[b]	–	–	8.4 8/9	11.7
Opina/Cadena SER[p 10][p 11][p 12]	13 May 2007	1,000	?	51.6 54	37.5 38	[b]	[b]	–	0.6 0	8.6 7	14.1
TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3[p 13]	10 May 2007	?	?	? 50/52	? 37/39	[b]	[b]	–	–	? 9/10	?
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 14][p 15][p 16]	27 Apr–8 May 2007	900	?	49.4 50/53	36.8 38/41	[b]	[b]	–	–	8.9 8	12.6
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 17]	2–7 May 2007	800	?	50.5 52/54	35.1 35/37	[b]	[b]	2.2 0	–	10.4 9/11	15.4
CIS[p 18][p 19]	9 Apr–6 May 2007	1,797	?	49.8 53	36.0 38	[b]	[b]	3.3 0	–	8.2 8	13.8
PP[p 20]	8 Apr 2007	1,200	?	? 55/57	? 35/36	[b]	[b]	–	–	? 7/8	?
Grup Marest/Levante-EMV[p 21]	28 Mar–5 Apr 2007	2,000	73.3	45.2 49	37.4 39	[b]	[b]	2.0 0	2.0 0	12.2 11	7.8
Metroscopia/ABC[p 22]	12 Feb 2007	?	70	51.4 55	34.7 36	[b]	[b]	–	–	8.4 8	16.7
PP[p 23][p 24]	12–20 Jan 2007	1,200	?	50.2 55	34.9 36	[b]	[b]	–	–	10.6 8	15.3
Grup Marest/Levante-EMV[p 25][p 26]	2–17 Jan 2007	2,000	72.0	44.7 46 42	38.2 41 37	[b]	[b]	1.5 0 0	–	12.6 12 10	6.5
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 27][p 28][p 29]	16–24 Nov 2006	?	?	49.1 53/56 48/50	35.3 37/40 34/36	6.6 6 5	4.1 0 0	–	–	–	13.8
PP[p 30]	23 Nov 2006	?	?	50.0	35.0	–	–	–	–	–	15.0
Opina/El País[p 31][p 32]	2–3 Oct 2006	1,200	?	49.3	36.4	7.0	4.5	1.5	–	–	12.9
PSPV[p 33][p 34]	18–25 Sep 2006	2,000	75	46.6 47/48	40.5 42/44	[b]	[b]	–	–	8.6 8/9	6.1
			75	46.1 49/50	39.4 44/45	5.9 5	4.8 0	–	–	–	6.7
Astel/PP[p 35][p 36]	8–13 Sep 2006	1,014	73	49.8 55	35.4 38	6.9 6	4.5 0	2.1 0	–	–	14.4
PSPV[p 37][p 38]	13 Jul 2006	?	?	47.0	36.0	–	–	–	–	–	11.0
Grup Marest/Levante-EMV[p 39]	23 May–1 Jun 2006	2,000	?	45.4 48	38.9 41	[b]	[b]	1.4 0	–	11.3 10	6.5
			?	45.4 50	38.9 43	6.4 6	4.9 0	1.4 0	–	–	6.5
Opimarco/PSPV[p 40]	24 Apr–10 May 2006	750	?	46.6 49	39.6 41	[b]	[b]	1.6 0	–	10.1 9	7.0
			?	46.6 51	39.6 43	5.5 5	4.6 0	1.6 0	–	–	7.0
Betaconsulting/PP[p 41][p 42]	28 Mar–8 Apr 2006	1,000	73	49.6 55	36.0 38	6.6 6	3.7 0	–	–	–	13.6
KMC/El Boletín[p 43]	6 Mar 2006	?	?	49.2	36.5	5.5	3.3	1.3	1.7	–	12.7
Opimarco/PSPV[p 44]	1–15 Dec 2005	750	?	46.7 48/49	38.3 41/43	[b]	[b]	2.2	–	10.0 9/10	8.4
			?	46.7 49/50	38.3 43/44	5.6 6	4.4 0	2.2 0	–	–	8.4
KMC/El Boletín[p 45]	21 Nov 2005	?	?	49.4	35.0	6.9	2.9	3.6	2.2	–	14.4
PP[p 46]	17 Nov 2005	?	?	? 51	? 32	? 6	–	–	–	–	?
Opina/El País[p 32][p 47]	9 Oct 2005	?	?	48.0	36.6	6.5	3.2	1.5	–	–	11.4
PP[p 48][p 49]	12 Mar 2005	?	?	? 49	? 36	? 4	–	–	–	–	?
2004 EP election	13 Jun 2004	—	50.5	49.7 (48)	42.2 (41)	3.3 (0)	1.1 (0)	0.5 (0)	–	–	7.5
2004 general election	14 Mar 2004	—	77.7	46.8 (47)	42.4 (42)	4.7 (0)	1.5 (0)	–	–	–	4.4
2003 regional election	25 May 2003	—	71.5	47.2 48	36.0 35	6.4 6	4.7 0	3.0 0	–	–	11.2

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size							?	N	Lead
2007 regional election	27 May 2007	—	37.1	24.4	[b]	[b]	0.7	5.7	—	29.1	12.7
CIS[p 18]	9 Apr–6 May 2007	1,797	35.9	24.0	[b]	[b]	0.7	5.3	25.3	6.1	11.9
2003 regional election	25 May 2003	—	33.9	25.8	4.6	3.4	2.1	–	—	27.7	8.1

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 11]	13 May 2007	1,000	42.8	33.4	0.2	2.1	7.7	13.8	9.4
CIS[p 18]	9 Apr–6 May 2007	1,797	42.4	29.5	0.9	5.4	7.5	14.4	12.9

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 11]	13 May 2007	1,000	73.0	7.6	–	–	0.1	19.3	65.4
CIS[p 18]	9 Apr–6 May 2007	1,797	67.1	11.3	0.0	0.2	0.5	20.8	55.8

Preferred President

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

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size					Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Camps PP	Pla PSPV	Marcos EUPV	Miralles UV
Opina/Cadena SER[p 11]	13 May 2007	1,000	45.6	29.0	2.5	0.7	7.0	15.2	16.6
Noxa/La Vanguardia[p 50]	2–7 May 2007	800	51.0	17.0	2.0	2.0	18.0	10.0	34.0
CIS[p 18]	9 Apr–6 May 2007	1,797	46.7	24.6	3.2	0.8	2.5	22.2	22.1

Predicted President

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

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size				Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Camps PP	Pla PSPV	Marcos EUPV
Opina/Cadena SER[p 11]	13 May 2007	1,000	76.8	7.7	0.5	0.3	14.7	69.1

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 27 May 2007 Corts Valencianes election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	People's Party (PP)	1,277,458	52.52	+5.35	54	+6
	Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV–PSOE)	838,987	34.49	−1.47	38	+3
	Commitment for the Valencian Country (Compromís PV)1	195,116	8.02	−3.02	7	+1
	Valencian Union–The Eco-pacifist Greens (UV–LVEP)	22,789	0.94	−2.04	0	±0
	Valencian Coalition (CVa)	17,331	0.71	New	0	±0
	Republican Left of the Valencian Country (ERPV)	11,686	0.48	+0.17	0	±0
	Social Democratic Party (PSD)	10,187	0.42	New	0	±0
	Spain 2000 (E–2000)	5,934	0.24	+0.13	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)	4,088	0.17	+0.01	0	±0
	United for Valencia (UxV)	2,559	0.11	New	0	±0
	Authentic Phalanx (FA)	2,493	0.10	±0.00	0	±0
	Humanist Party (PH)	2,039	0.08	−0.03	0	±0
	Movement for People's Unity–Republicans (MUP–R)	1,531	0.06	New	0	±0
	Liberal Centre (CL)	1,511	0.06	New	0	±0
	Renewal Liberal Centre (CLR)	1,461	0.06	New	0	±0
	Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)	1,018	0.04	New	0	±0
	Liberal Democratic Centre (CDL)	785	0.03	New	0	±0
	National Democracy (DN)	706	0.03	±0.00	0	±0
	Liberal Centrist Union (UCL)	427	0.02	New	0	±0
Blank ballots		34,348	1.41	−0.14
Total		2,432,454			99	+10
Valid votes		2,432,454	99.33	−0.02
Invalid votes		16,376	0.67	+0.02
Votes cast / turnout		2,448,830	70.14	−1.37
Abstentions		1,042,535	29.86	+1.37
Registered voters		3,491,365
Sources[4][5][6][7]
Footnotes: 1 Commitment for the Valencian Country results are compared to the combined totals of United Left–The Greens–Valencian Left: Agreement and Valencian Nationalist Bloc–Green Left in the 2003 election.

Popular vote PP   52.52% PSPV–PSOE   34.49% Compromís PV   8.02% Others   3.56% Blank ballots   1.41%

Seats PP   54.54% PSPV–PSOE   38.38% Compromís PV   7.07%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	PP		PSPV		CPV
	%	S	%	S	%	S
Alicante	51.8	19	36.6	14	6.8	2
Castellón	49.3	12	38.0	10	7.8	2
Valencia	53.6	23	32.5	14	8.8	3
Total	52.5	54	34.5	38	8.0	7
Sources[6][7]

Aftermath

Investiture Francisco Camps (PP)
Ballot →		25 June 2007
Required majority →		50 out of 99 Y
	Yes • PP (54)	54 / 99
	No • PSPV (37) • Compromís PV (7)	44 / 99
	Abstentions	0 / 99
	Absentees	0 / 99
Sources[7]

Notes

1. Results for Entesa (6.4%, 6 seats) and BNV–EV (4.7%, 0 seats) in the 2003 election.
2. Within CPV.