25 May 2003 2007 → Turnout 348,377 (73.0%)
4.2 pp 16 December 2000 1983 | Registered 476,924 2.5% 1995 16 December 2000 19 seats, 42.5% 14 seats, 33.1% | |
 | ||
The 2003 Cantabrian parliamentary election was held on Sunday, 25 May 2003, to elect the 6th Parliament of Cantabria, the regional legislature of the Spanish autonomous community of Cantabria. All 39 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in 12 other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
Contents
Both the People's Party (PP) and the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) lost 1 seat each to the Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC), which won 8 seats. As neither had won an absolute majority, the PRC reinforced its position as parliamentary kingmaker, able to give the government to either of the two parties. The PRC, in a coalition with the PP since 1995, announced that it was not renewing the pact a third time due to "deteriorating relations" between both parties after 8 years of government, and that it would instead seek an alliance with the PSOE.
As a result of the election, PSOE and PRC reached a coalition agreement in which Miguel Ángel Revilla from the PRC was to be elected as regional President.
Electoral system
The number of seats in the Parliament of Cantabria was set to a fixed-number of 39. All Parliament members were elected in a single multi-member district, consisting of the Community's territory (the province of Cantabria), using the D'Hondt method and a closed-list proportional representation system.
Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. Only lists polling above 5% of valid votes in all of the community (which include blank ballots—for none of the above) were entitled to enter the seat distribution.
Vote
Poll results are listed in the table below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. The lead column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the two parties with the highest figures. Poll results use the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. However, if such date is unknown, the date of publication will be given instead.
Seat projections
Opinion polls showing seat projections are displayed in the table below. The highest seat figures in each polling survey have their background shaded in the leading party's colour. In the instance that there is a tie, then no figure is shaded. 20 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Cantabria.