# 1979 Spanish local elections

The 1979 Spanish local elections were held on Tuesday, 3 April 1979, to elect all 67,505 councillors in the 7,870 municipalities of Spain and all 1,152 seats in 43 provincial deputations. The elections were held simultaneously with local elections in the four foral deputations of the Basque Country and Navarre and the ten island councils in the Balearic and Canary Islands.
While the national ruling Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) emerged as the largest party overall, an alliance between the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) saw municipal control over the main urban areas switching to left-wing parties.

## Electoral system
### Municipal elections

Municipalities in Spain were local corporations with independent legal personality. They had a governing body, the municipal council or corporation, composed of a mayor, deputy mayors and a plenary assembly of councillors. Voting for the local assemblies was on the basis of universal suffrage, with all nationals over eighteen, registered in the corresponding municipality and in full enjoyment of all political rights entitled to vote. The mayor was in turn elected by the plenary assembly, with a legal clause providing for the candidate of the most-voted party to be automatically elected to the post in the event no other candidate was to gather an absolute majority of votes.
Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each local council. Councillors were allocated to municipal councils based on the following scale:
| Population | Councillors |
| <250 | 5 |
| 251–1,000 | 7 |
| 1,001–2,000 | 9 |
| 2,001–5,000 | 11 |
| 5,001–10,000 | 13 |
| 10,001–20,000 | 17 |
| 20,001–50,000 | 21 |
| 50,001–100,000 | 25 |
| >100,001 | +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction +1 if total is an even number |
Additionally, municipalities below 25 inhabitants, as well as those having traditionally adopted it, were to be organized through the open council system (Spanish: régimen de concejo abierto), in which electors would directly vote for the local major.
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election—needing to secure, in any case, the signature of 500 electors—. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election being called.

### Deputations and island councils

Provincial deputations were the governing bodies of provinces in Spain, having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary. Basque provinces and Navarre had foral deputations instead—called Juntas Generales in the Basque Country—. For insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, deputations were replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Majorca, Menorca and Ibiza–Formentera this figure was referred to in Spanish as consejo insular (Catalan: consell insular), whereas for Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma its name was cabildo insular.
Most deputations were indirectly elected by local councillors from municipalities in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale:
| Population | Seats |
| <500,000 | 24 |
| 500,001–1,000,000 | 27 |
| >1,000,001 | 30 |
| Madrid and Barcelona | 51 |
Island councils and the foral deputations of Biscay, Gipuzkoa and Navarre were elected directly by electors under their own, specific electoral regulations.

## Municipal elections
### Overall

Councillor share for different parties in the elections.
Summary of the 3 April 1979 municipal election results in Spain → :
| Parties and coalitions | Parties and coalitions | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote | Councillors | Councillors |
| Parties and coalitions | Parties and coalitions | Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− |
| | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) | 5,067,634 | 30.87 | n/a | 29,288 | n/a |
| | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 4,621,672 | 28.15 | n/a | 12,069 | n/a |
| | Communist Party of Spain (PCE) | 2,142,049 | 13.05 | n/a | 3,725 | n/a |
| | Convergence and Union (CiU) | 509,128 | 3.10 | n/a | 1,782 | n/a |
| | Democratic Coalition (CD) | 504,780 | 3.07 | n/a | 2,383 | n/a |
| | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 361,160 | 2.20 | n/a | 1,093 | n/a |
| | Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) | 245,507 | 1.50 | n/a | 259 | n/a |
| | Popular Unity (HB) | 164,516 | 1.00 | n/a | 267 | n/a |
| | Party of Labour of Spain (PTE) | 148,083 | 0.90 | n/a | 229 | n/a |
| | Workers' Revolutionary Organization (ORT) | 114,539 | 0.70 | n/a | 107 | n/a |
| | Republican Left of Catalonia–National Front of Catalonia (ERC–FNC) | 103,547 | 0.63 | n/a | 210 | n/a |
| | Communist Movement–Organization of Communist Left (MC–OIC) | 86,792 | 0.53 | n/a | 59 | n/a |
| | Galician National-Popular Bloc (BNPG) | 78,216 | 0.48 | n/a | 258 | n/a |
| | Galician Unity (PG–POG–PSG) | 69,060 | 0.42 | n/a | 141 | n/a |
| | National Union (UN) | 61,889 | 0.38 | n/a | 122 | n/a |
| | Basque Country Left (EE) | 59,332 | 0.36 | n/a | 84 | n/a |
| | Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) | 58,661 | 0.36 | n/a | 276 | n/a |
| | Canarian People's Union (UPC) | 55,779 | 0.34 | n/a | 30 | n/a |
| | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (historical) (PSOEh) | 26,585 | 0.16 | n/a | 45 | n/a |
| | Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) | 23,870 | 0.15 | n/a | 81 | n/a |
| | Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) | 18,390 | 0.11 | n/a | 7 | n/a |
| | Valencian Regional Union (URV) | 18,015 | 0.11 | n/a | 2 | n/a |
| | Cantonal Party (PCAN) | 14,753 | 0.09 | n/a | 7 | n/a |
| | Communists of Catalonia (ComC) | 14,529 | 0.09 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Independent Councillors for La Rioja (CIR) | 13,580 | 0.08 | n/a | 147 | n/a |
| | Navarrese People's Union (UPN) | 12,305 | 0.07 | n/a | 10 | n/a |
| | Socialist Party of National Liberation (PSAN) | 10,907 | 0.07 | n/a | 5 | n/a |
| | Nationalist Party of the Valencian Country (PNPV) | 10,773 | 0.07 | n/a | 12 | n/a |
| | Communist Unification of Spain (UCE) | 9,908 | 0.06 | n/a | 4 | n/a |
| | Candidates for Democracy (CPLD) | 9,778 | 0.06 | n/a | 77 | n/a |
| | Carlist Party (PC) | 9,548 | 0.06 | n/a | 9 | n/a |
| | Electoral Group of Ceuta–Democratic Local Council (AECAD) | 8,855 | 0.05 | n/a | 12 | n/a |
| | Free Electoral Group of Tenerife (ALET) | 8,815 | 0.05 | n/a | 4 | n/a |
| | Socialist Party of Majorca (PSM) | 8,123 | 0.05 | n/a | 11 | n/a |
| | Republican Left (IR) | 7,661 | 0.05 | n/a | 5 | n/a |
| | Leonese Peasants Electoral Group (AECL) | 7,496 | 0.05 | n/a | 112 | n/a |
| | Spanish Communist Workers' Party (PCOE) | 7,400 | 0.05 | n/a | 1 | n/a |
| | Others | 1,702,022 | 10.37 | n/a | 14,572 | n/a |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 20,038 | 0.12 | n/a | | |
| Total | Total | 16,415,695 | 100.00 | | 67,505 | n/a |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 16,415,695 | 98.76 | n/a | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 206,173 | 1.24 | n/a | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 16,621,868 | 62.51 | n/a | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 9,969,145 | 37.49 | n/a | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 26,591,013 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
Popular vote
UCD
30.87%
PSOE
28.15%
PCE
13.05%
CiU
3.10%
CD
3.07%
EAJ/PNV
2.20%
PSA–PA
1.50%
HB
1.00%
PTE
0.90%
ORT
0.70%
ERC–FNC
0.63%
MC–OIC
0.53%
Others
14.17%
Blank ballots
0.12% :

### City control

The following table lists party control in provincial capitals, as well as in municipalities above or around 75,000.
| Municipality | Population | New control |
| A Coruña | 224,289 | Galician Unity (PG–POG–PSG) (UCD in 1979) |
| Albacete | 105,408 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Alcalá de Henares | 110,102 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Alcorcón | 119,300 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Algeciras | 92,273 | Communist Party of Spain (PCE) |
| Alicante | 232,019 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Almería | 133,844 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Ávila | 37,302 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Avilés | 89,285 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Badajoz | 110,290 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Badalona | 229,780 | Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) |
| Barakaldo | 122,540 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) |
| Barcelona | 1,754,579 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Bilbao | 450,661 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) |
| Burgos | 145,473 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Cáceres | 63,181 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Cádiz | 153,327 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Cartagena | 162,630 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Castellón de la Plana | 115,522 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Ciudad Real | 48,075 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Córdoba | 269,998 | Communist Party of Spain (PCE) |
| Cornellà de Llobregat | 91,563 | Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) |
| Cuenca | 38,601 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Elche | 160,071 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Ferrol | 88,161 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Getafe | 124,601 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Gijón | 253,294 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Girona | 83,929 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Granada | 225,034 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Guadalajara | 47,758 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Huelva | 122,494 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Huesca | 38,095 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Jaén | 88,968 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Jerez de la Frontera | 180,098 | Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) |
| L'Hospitalet de Llobregat | 289,747 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Las Palmas | 345,925 | Canarian People's Union (UPC) (PSOE in 1980; UCD in 1982) |
| Leganés | 151,235 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| León | 120,761 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) (UCD in 1979) |
| Lleida | 106,190 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Logroño | 103,097 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Lugo | 71,574 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Madrid | 3,355,720 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Málaga | 454,882 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Mataró | 96,942 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Móstoles | 101,266 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Murcia | 283,552 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Ourense | 88,029 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Oviedo | 179,866 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Palencia | 65,896 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Palma | 283,113 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Pamplona | 173,255 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Pontevedra | 63,863 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Reus | 82,407 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Sabadell | 187,247 | Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) |
| Salamanca | 141,474 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| San Cristóbal de La Laguna | 112,472 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| San Sebastián | 174,818 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) |
| Santa Coloma de Gramenet | 140,613 | Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) |
| Santa Cruz de Tenerife | 183,583 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Santander | 174,809 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Santiago de Compostela | 81,536 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) (PDL in 1982) |
| Segovia | 48,623 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Seville | 622,532 | Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) |
| Soria | 28,845 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Tarragona | 108,131 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Terrassa | 157,442 | Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC–PSOE) |
| Teruel | 24,590 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Toledo | 54,999 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Valencia | 737,129 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Valladolid | 308,523 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Vigo | 254,051 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Vitoria-Gasteiz | 181,216 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) |
| Zamora | 54,819 | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Zaragoza | 555,424 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |

## Provincial deputations
### Summary

Provincial deputy share for different parties in the elections.
Summary of the 3 April 1979 provincial deputations election results → :
| Parties and coalitions | Parties and coalitions | Seats | Seats |
| Parties and coalitions | Parties and coalitions | Total | +/− |
| | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) | 717 | n/a |
| | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 279 | n/a |
| | Communist Party of Spain (PCE) | 62 | n/a |
| | Convergence and Union (CiU) | 45 | n/a |
| | Democratic Coalition (CD) | 29 | n/a |
| | Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) | 4 | n/a |
| | Galician National-Popular Bloc (BNPG) | 3 | n/a |
| | Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) | 2 | n/a |
| | Galician Unity (PG–POG–PSG) | 2 | n/a |
| | Party of Labour of Spain (PTE) | 1 | n/a |
| | Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) | 1 | n/a |
| | Spanish Ruralist Party (PRE) | 1 | n/a |
| | Others | 6 | n/a |
| Total | Total | 1,152 | n/a |
| Sources ||||

### Deputation control

The following table lists party control in provincial deputations.
| Province | New control |
| A Coruña | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Albacete | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Alicante | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Almería | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Ávila | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Badajoz | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Barcelona | Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) (PSC–PSOE in 1980) |
| Burgos | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Cáceres | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Cádiz | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Castellón | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Ciudad Real | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Córdoba | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Cuenca | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Girona | Convergence and Union (CiU) |
| Granada | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Guadalajara | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Huelva | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Huesca | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Jaén | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| León | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Lleida | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Logroño | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Lugo | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Málaga | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Madrid | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Murcia | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Ourense | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Oviedo | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Palencia | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Pontevedra | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Salamanca | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Santander | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Segovia | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Seville | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Soria | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Tarragona | Convergence and Union (CiU) |
| Teruel | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Toledo | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Valencia | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) |
| Valladolid | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Zamora | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |
| Zaragoza | Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) |