Autonomous community Castilla-La Mancha Electorate 400,552 (2016) | Population 513,713 (2016) Created 1977 | |
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Province Province of Ciudad Real Major settlements Ciudad Real, Puertollano, Alcázar de San Juan | ||
Ciudad Real is one of the 52 electoral districts (Spanish: circunscripciones) used for the Congress of Deputies—the lower chamber of the Spanish Parliament, the Cortes Generales. The electoral system uses the D'Hondt method and a closed-list proportional representation, with a minimum threshold of 3%.
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It is one of the five electoral districts that correspond to the provinces of Castilla La Mancha. With nearly 55,000 voters out of the total electorate of 398,000 Ciudad Real is the largest municipality. The second-largest is Puertollano with just over 40,000 voters. Alcázar de San Juan (22,000 voters) was the only other municipality with more than 20,000 voters.
The district has been notable for close contests in recent years, with the final seat changing hands at each of the last three elections. The 2008 election saw the People's Party (PP) lead the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) by just 1.0%, the second-smallest difference between the two parties after Melilla meaning that the seat is again likely to be closely contested in the 2012 general election.
Boundaries and electoral system
Under Article 68 of the Spanish constitution the boundaries must be the same as the province of Ciudad Real and under Article 140 this can only be altered with the approval of congress. Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage in a secret ballot. The electoral system used is closed list proportional representation with seats allocated using the D'Hondt method. Only lists which poll 3% or more of all valid votes cast, including votes "en blanco" (i.e., for "none of the above") can be considered for seats. Under article 12 of the constitution, the minimum voting age is 18.
Eligibility
Article 67.3 of the Spanish Constitution prohibits dual membership of the Cortes and regional assemblies, meaning that candidates must resign from Regional Assemblies if elected. Article 70 also makes active judges, magistrates, public defenders, serving military personnel, active police officers and members of constitutional and electoral tribunals ineligible.
Number of members
From the 1977 General Election onwards Ciudad Real has returned five members.
Under Spanish electoral law, all provinces are entitled to a minimum of 2 seats with a remaining 248 seats apportioned according to population. These laws are laid out in detail in the 1985 electoral law. (Ley Orgánica del Régimen Electoral General) The practical effect of this has been to overrepreseent smaller provinces at the expense of larger provinces. Ciudad Real had a ratio of 79,669 voters per deputy in 2008, a figure below the Spanish average of 100,209 voters per deputy.