# 2015 Navarrese regional election

The 2015 Navarrese regional election was held on Sunday, 24 May 2015, to elect the 9th Parliament of the Chartered Community of Navarre. All 50 seats in the Parliament were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
Regional president Yolanda Barcina, who had only came to power in 2011 after the establishment of a coalition government between the Navarrese People's Union (UPN) and the Socialist Party of Navarre (PSN–PSOE)—which proved to be short-lived, as Barcina herself expelled the PSN from the cabinet in 2012 over disagreements with then-PSN leader Roberto Jiménez—announced on 10 November 2014 that she would not seek re-election for a second term in office. This came after a term that proved to become the most unstable since the Spanish transition to democracy, with Barcina's minority government being unable to pass any budget following 2012, with one failed motion of no confidence in 2013 and the scare of a new one in 2014 over a number of alleged corruption scandals besieging UPN.
After a spell of 19 years in power since 1996, the election saw UPN's support plummet to a low in popular support unseen since 1987, whereas the PSN scored its worst result in history after falling to fifth place. Both parties, together with the support obtained by the then-ruling party in Spain, the People's Party (PP), commanded just 24 seats, two short of a majority, allowing an alliance of Geroa Bai (GBai), EH Bildu and Izquierda-Ezkerra (I–E) with external support from Podemos to access the regional government and have GBai's Uxue Barkos elected as new president.

## Overview
### Electoral system

The Parliament of Navarre was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the Chartered Community of Navarre, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Reintegration and Enhancement of the Foral Regime of Navarre Law, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president. Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Navarre and in full enjoyment of their political rights. Additionally, Navarrese people abroad were required to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado).
The 50 members of the Parliament of Navarre were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied regionally.

### Election date

The term of the Parliament of Navarre expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in the Official Gazette of Navarre (BON), with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election was held on 22 May 2011, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 22 May 2015. The election decree was required to be published no later than 28 April 2015, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 21 June 2015.
The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Navarre and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no nationwide election was due and some time requirements were met: namely, that dissolution did not occur either during the first legislative session or within the legislature's last year ahead of its scheduled expiry, nor before one year had elapsed since a previous dissolution under this procedure. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a three-month period from the election date, the Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.

## Background

The 2011 regional election had resulted in a coalition agreement between Navarrese People's Union (UPN) and the Socialist Party of Navarre (PSN), with UPN leader Yolanda Barcina being elected as President. However, tensions remained frequent between both coalition partners, and in June 2012, PSN-PSOE leader and then-Vice President of Navarre Roberto Jiménez' questioning of a UPN's decision to pass an additional budget cut of 132 billion euros resulted in his expulsion from Barcina's cabinet. The PSOE withdrew from the regional government, leaving UPN in minority. As a consequence, with the left-wing opposition commanding a majority in Parliament, political instability marked the remainder of the legislature, with the government being unable to pass its bills into law or to approve further budgets.
The eruption of the Caja Navarra scandal in early 2013, involving President Barcina and other UPN high-ranking members, resulted in an ill-fated attempt by Bildu and Aralar–Nafarroa Bai to bring forward a censure motion against Yolanda Barcina, which had no realistic prospect of succeeding because of PSN's abstention. Additionally, dissent within Barcina's party materialized with party Vice President Alberto Catalán forcing a leadership election in March 2013 which Barcina was only narrowly able to win. In February 2014, regional minister of Finance, Lourdes Goicoechea, was accused of influence peddling within the regional Treasury, prompting Roberto Jiménez to threaten Barcina with a censure motion if she did not voluntarily call for a snap regional election. The PSOE national leadership, however, explicitly forbade its regional branch from reaching any kind of agreement that needed Bildu's support, and Jiménez backed down on his threat as a consequence.
The PSN-PSOE was severely mauled in the same year European Parliament election, winning just 14.5% compared to the 31.5% it had won in 2009, and losing over half of its 2009 votes (31,629 compared to 63,848 in 2009). Roberto Jiménez resigned as PSN leader, being succeeded by María Chivite. The abertzale left represented under EH Bildu's flag, on the other hand, became the second political force of the community for the first time ever, with 20.2% of the vote.
Podemos' emergence in opinion polls marked the end of the legislature into 2015. Yolanda Barcina, who had initially expressed her willingness to stand for re-election as late as August 2014, announced on 10 November 2014 that she would not stand for a second term. A primary election was held on 29 November, in which incumbent Local Administration minister Javier Esparza defeated Alberto Catalán and became UPN candidate for the 2015 regional election.

## Parliamentary composition

The Parliament of Navarre was officially dissolved on 31 March 2015, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official Gazette of Navarre. The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the Parliament at the time of dissolution.
Parliamentary composition in March 2015 :
| Groups | Groups | Parties | Parties | Legislators | Legislators |
| Groups | Groups | Parties | Parties | Seats | Total |
| | Navarrese People's Union Parliamentary Group | | UPN | 19 | 19 |
| | Socialists of Navarre Parliamentary Group | | PSN–PSOE | 9 | 9 |
| | Bildu–Navarre Parliamentary Group | | Bildu | 7 | 7 |
| | Aralar–Navarre Yes Parliamentary Group | | Aralar | 6 | 6 |
| | People's Parliamentary Group of Navarre | | PP | 4 | 4 |
| | Left Parliamentary Group | | IU | 2 | 3 |
| | Left Parliamentary Group | | Batzarre | 1 | 3 |
| | Mixed Group | | EAJ/PNV | 1 | 2 |
| | Mixed Group | | Zabaltzen | 1 | 2 |

## 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 Navarre, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.
Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:
| Candidacy | Candidacy | Parties and alliances | Leading candidate | Leading candidate | Ideology | Previous result | Previous result | Gov. | Ref. |
| Candidacy | Candidacy | Parties and alliances | Leading candidate | Leading candidate | Ideology | Votes (%) | Seats | Gov. | Ref. |
| | UPN | List Navarrese People's Union (UPN) | | Javier Esparza | Conservatism Christian democracy Regionalism | 34.48% | 19 | Y | [24] [25] |
| | PSN–PSOE | List Socialist Party of Navarre (PSN–PSOE) | | María Chivite | Social democracy | 15.85% | 9 | N | [28] [29] |
| | GBai | List Expanding (ZBN) Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) Villava Group (AT) | | Uxue Barkos | Basque nationalism Social democracy | 15.41% | 8 | N | [30] [31] |
| | EH Bildu | List Create (Sortu) Basque Solidarity (EA) Aralar (Aralar) Alternative (Alternatiba) | | Adolfo Araiz | Basque independence Abertzale left Socialism | 13.28% | 7 | N | |
| | PP | List People's Party (PP) | | Ana Beltrán | Conservatism Christian democracy | 7.29% | 4 | N | |
| | I–E (n) | List United Left of Navarre (IUN/NEB) – Communist Party of the Basque Country (PCE/EPK) – The Dawn. Marxist Organization OM (La Aurora (om)) – Republican Left (IR) – Feminist Party of Spain (PFE) Assembly (Batzarre) | | José Miguel Nuin | Socialism Communism | 5.71% | 3 | N | |
| | Podemos/ Ahal Dugu | List We Can (Podemos) | | Laura Pérez | Left-wing populism Direct democracy Democratic socialism | New party | New party | N | |
| | C's | List Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's) | | Diego Paños | Liberalism | New party | New party | N | |

## 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; 26 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Navarre.

#### Color key

Poll conducted after legal ban on opinion polls
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | | | | | | | | | | Lead |
| 2015 regional election | 24 May 2015 | — | 68.3 | 27.4 15 | 13.4 7 | 15.8 9 | 14.3 8 | 3.9 2 | 3.7 2 | 0.5 0 | 13.7 7 | 3.0 0 | 11.6 |
| GAD3/Antena 3 | 11–22 May 2015 | ? | ? | ? 15/16 | ? 6/7 | ? 8/9 | ? 7/8 | ? 3/4 | ? 0/1 | – | ? 6/7 | ? 1/2 | ? |
| GAD3/ABC | 17 May 2015 | ? | ? | ? 14/15 | ? 6 | ? 8/9 | ? 7 | ? 3 | ? 1 | – | ? 7/8 | ? 3 | ? |
| NC Report/La Razón | 17 May 2015 | 400 | ? | 22.3 12/13 | 11.9 6/7 | 11.0 6 | 15.2 8/9 | 8.3 4/5 | 5.2 2/3 | – | 10.8 6 | 8.5 4/5 | 7.1 |
| Gizaker/Grupo Noticias | 13 May 2015 | 800 | 76.2 | 24.3 13 | 11.5 6 | 17.9 10 | 16.1 8 | 4.4 2 | 3.1 1 | 1.4 0 | 14.3 8 | 4.2 2 | 6.4 |
| CIES/Diario de Navarra | 5–7 May 2015 | 1,228 | 71 | 28.5 15/16 | 9.6 5 | 15.1 8 | 13.1 6/7 | 5.6 2/3 | 3.6 1/2 | – | 13.8 7/8 | 8.2 4 | 13.4 |
| inPactos | 13–20 Apr 2015 | 508 | ? | 25.5 14 | 14.5 8 | 12.5 6 | 15.0 8 | 4.0 2 | 5.5 3 | – | 13.5 7 | 5.0 2 | 10.5 |
| CIS | 23 Mar–19 Apr 2015 | 789 | ? | 20.8 11/12 | 11.2 6 | 10.0 5 | 12.5 7 | 6.7 3 | 5.1 2 | 0.5 0 | 19.9 11 | 8.7 4/5 | 0.9 |
| CIES/Diario de Navarra | 14–17 Apr 2015 | 800 | 71 | 26.1 14/15 | 10.2 5 | 17.1 9 | 13.7 7 | 6.4 3 | 3.2 0/1 | – | 14.7 8 | 5.9 3 | 9.0 |
| Herkap | 16–23 Mar 2015 | 400 | 78 | 22.5 13 | 10.4 5 | 7.8 4 | 17.3 9 | 9.5 5 | 6.4 3 | – | 13.9 7 | 7.7 4 | 5.2 |
| Gizaker/Grupo Noticias | 9–11 Mar 2015 | 800 | 71.2 | 24.2 13 | 13.9 7 | 15.8 9 | 14.4 8 | 5.2 2 | 3.3 1 | – | 16.4 9 | 3.0 1 | 7.8 |
| NC Report/La Razón | 2–11 Mar 2015 | 400 | ? | 22.3 12/13 | 11.2 6/7 | 9.4 5/6 | 16.5 8/9 | 10.2 5/6 | 5.2 2/3 | – | 8.6 4/5 | 9.7 5/6 | 5.8 |
| CIES/Diario de Navarra | 28 Nov 2014 | ? | ? | ? 15/16 | ? 6 | ? 4/5 | ? 9 | ? 1/2 | ? 2 | – | ? 12 | – | ? |
| Orbere/Parliament of Navarre | 3–7 Nov 2014 | 1,500 | 64.5 | 15.3 8 | 9.7 5 | 8.6 4 | 20.8 11 | 3.2 1 | 4.2 2 | 2.8 1 | 35.5 18 | – | 14.7 |
| Llorente & Cuenca | 31 Oct 2014 | ? | ? | ? 15/17 | ? 7/8 | ? 7/9 | ? 7/10 | ? 3/4 | ? 2/4 | – | ? 0/1 | – | ? |
| Torrene Consulting/Gara | 13–31 Oct 2014 | 400 | 69.9 | 23.1 13 | 12.1 6 | 11.3 7 | 16.4 9 | 8.5 4 | 4.5 2 | – | 15.6 9 | – | 6.7 |
| 2014 EP election | 25 May 2014 | — | 44.5 | – | 14.5 (9) | 2.5 (0) | 20.2 (12) | 25.1 (16) | 9.5 (6) | 4.6 (2) | 9.3 (6) | 1.8 (0) | 4.9 |
| inPactos | 21–26 Feb 2014 | 500 | ? | 23.5 13 | 21.0 11 | 16.5 9 | 17.5 9 | 5.0 2 | 12.0 6 | – | – | – | 2.5 |
| NC Report/La Razón | 15 Oct–12 Nov 2013 | ? | ? | ? 16/17 | ? 9 | ? 10/11 | ? 10 | ? 3 | ? 3/4 | – | – | – | ? |
| inPactos | 30 Sep 2013 | 500 | ? | 28.0 15 | 19.5 11 | 16.0 9 | 14.0 7 | 5.0 2 | 11.5 6 | – | – | – | 8.5 |
| Gizaker/Grupo Noticias | 8–13 May 2013 | 800 | 66.9 | 26.8 15 | 16.1 8 | 19.1 10 | 20.0 11 | 5.2 2 | 7.3 4 | – | – | – | 6.8 |
| NC Report/La Razón | 15 Apr–10 May 2013 | 250 | ? | ? 18 | 16.2 9 | ? 8 | ? 8 | 8.3 4 | ? 3 | – | – | – | ? |
| Geroa Bai | 9 May 2013 | ? | ? | 27.3 13/15 | 10.7 5/6 | 21.3 10/12 | 19.0 10/12 | 5.5 2/3 | 9.5 4/6 | – | – | – | 6.0 |
| Gara | 23 Apr 2012 | 625 | 70 | 35.0 19 | 13.0 7 | 16.9 9 | 18.7 10 | 4.8 2 | 6.8 3 | – | – | – | 16.3 |
| 2011 general election | 20 Nov 2011 | — | 68.9 | | 22.0 (12) | 12.8 (7) | 14.9 (8) | 38.2 (20) | 5.5 (3) | 2.1 (0) | – | – | 16.2 |
| 2011 regional election | 22 May 2011 | — | 67.4 | 34.5 19 | 15.9 9 | 15.4 8 | 13.3 7 | 7.3 4 | 5.7 3 | 0.7 0 | – | – | 18.6 |

### Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | | | | | | | | | | ? | N | Lead |
| 2015 regional election | 24 May 2015 | — | 19.2 | 9.5 | 11.2 | 10.1 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 0.4 | 9.7 | 2.1 | — | 28.6 | 8.0 |
| CIS | 23 Mar–19 Apr 2015 | 789 | 7.2 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 10.7 | 3.3 | 3.3 | 0.3 | 15.3 | 4.7 | 31.5 | 9.2 | 4.6 |
| Gizaker/Grupo Noticias | 9–11 Mar 2015 | 800 | 10.5 | 6.9 | 11.0 | 9.5 | 2.3 | 3.1 | – | 16.0 | 2.3 | 20.1 | 13.8 | 5.0 |
| Orbere/Parliament of Navarre | 3–7 Nov 2014 | 1,500 | 8.4 | 5.7 | 5.1 | 12.6 | 1.8 | 2.4 | 1.4 | 19.4 | – | 27.2 | 11.6 | 6.8 |
| Torrene Consulting/Gara | 13–31 Oct 2014 | 400 | 10.9 | 5.7 | 3.6 | 8.9 | 3.9 | 2.6 | – | 10.4 | – | 14.1 | 38.5 | 0.5 |
| 2014 EP election | 25 May 2014 | — | – | 6.6 | 1.2 | 9.2 | 11.5 | 4.3 | 2.1 | 4.3 | 0.8 | — | 53.6 | 2.3 |
| inPactos | 21–26 Feb 2014 | 500 | 10.7 | 13.3 | 11.1 | 14.3 | 2.4 | 9.9 | 0.8 | – | – | 11.7 | 15.1 | 1.0 |
| 2011 general election | 20 Nov 2011 | — | | 15.4 | 9.0 | 10.4 | 26.8 | 3.9 | 1.4 | – | – | — | 28.7 | 11.4 |
| 2011 regional election | 22 May 2011 | — | 23.8 | 10.9 | 10.6 | 9.1 | 5.0 | 3.9 | 0.5 | – | – | — | 30.3 | 12.9 |

### 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 |
| CIS | 23 Mar–19 Apr 2015 | 789 | 10.0 | 9.0 | 6.9 | 11.3 | 3.5 | 3.2 | 0.3 | 17.3 | 4.7 | 9.0 | 24.9 | 6.0 |

### 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 |
| CIS | 23 Mar–19 Apr 2015 | 789 | 47.9 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 0.1 | 1.2 | 33.8 | 43.2 |

### Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Government of Navarre.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | | | | | | | | | Other/ None/ Not care | ? | Lead |
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Barcina UPN | Esparza UPN | Chivite PSN | Barkos GBai | Araiz EH Bildu | Beltrán PP | Nuin I–E (n) | Pérez Podemos | Other/ None/ Not care | ? | Lead |
| Gizaker/Grupo Noticias | 13 May 2015 | 800 | – | 8.8 | 5.8 | 22.5 | 7.8 | – | – | 5.1 | 4.9 | 41.8 | 13.7 |
| CIS | 23 Mar–19 Apr 2015 | 789 | – | 7.3 | 4.2 | 18.5 | 7.4 | 1.8 | 2.3 | 3.7 | 3.1 | 51.7 | 11.1 |
| Gizaker/Grupo Noticias | 9–11 Mar 2015 | 800 | 1.8 | 5.3 | 3.3 | 16.0 | 5.9 | – | – | 6.0 | 10.6 | 51.1 | 10.0 |

## Results

← Summary of the 24 May 2015 Parliament of Navarre election results → :
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote | Seats | Seats |
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− |
| | Navarrese People's Union (UPN) | 92,705 | 27.44 | –7.04 | 15 | –4 |
| | Yes to the Future (GBai)$^1$ | 53,497 | 15.83 | +0.42 | 9 | +1 |
| | Basque Country Gather (EH Bildu) | 48,166 | 14.25 | +0.97 | 8 | +1 |
| | We Can (Podemos/Ahal Dugu) | 46,207 | 13.67 | New | 7 | +7 |
| | Socialist Party of Navarre (PSN–PSOE) | 45,164 | 13.37 | –2.48 | 7 | –2 |
| | People's Party (PP) | 13,289 | 3.93 | –3.36 | 2 | –2 |
| | Left (I–E (n)) | 12,482 | 3.69 | –2.02 | 2 | –1 |
| | Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (C's) | 9,993 | 2.96 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Animalist Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (PACMA) | 2,304 | 0.68 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Equo–European Green Party (Equo) | 2,170 | 0.64 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Union, Progress and Democracy (UPyD) | 1,740 | 0.51 | –0.17 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Navarrese Cannabis Representation (RCN/NOK) | 1,733 | 0.51 | –0.47 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Navarrese Freedom (Ln) | 955 | 0.28 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Internationalist Solidarity and Self-Management (SAIn) | 880 | 0.26 | –0.07 | 0 | ±0 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 6,610 | 1.96 | –0.56 | | |
| Total | Total | 337,895 | | | 50 | ±0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 337,895 | 98.75 | –0.02 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 4,278 | 1.25 | +0.02 | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 342,173 | 68.26 | +0.83 | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 159,094 | 31.74 | –0.83 | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 501,267 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
| Footnotes: $^1$ Yes to the Future results are compared to Navarre Yes 2011 totals in the 2011 election. |||||||
Popular vote
UPN
27.44%
GBai
15.83%
EH Bildu
14.25%
Podemos
13.67%
PSN–PSOE
13.37%
PP
3.93%
I–E (n)
3.69%
C's
2.96%
Others
2.89%
Blank ballots
1.96% :
Seats
UPN
30.00%
GBai
18.00%
EH Bildu
16.00%
Podemos
14.00%
PSN–PSOE
14.00%
PP
4.00%
I–E (n)
4.00% :

## Aftermath

Investiture processes to elect the president of the Government of Navarre required for an absolute majority—more than half the votes cast—to be obtained in the first ballot. If unsuccessful, a new ballot would be held 24 hours later requiring only of a simple majority—more affirmative than negative votes—to succeed. If such majorities were not achieved, successive candidate proposals would be processed under the same procedure. In the event of the investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a three-month period from the election date, the Parliament would be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.
Investiture Uxue Barkos (GBai) :
| Ballot → | Ballot → | 20 July 2015 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 26 out of 50 Y |
| | Yes • GBai (9) • EH Bildu (8) • Podemos (7) • I–E (n) (2) | 26 / 50 |
| | No • UPN (15) • PP (2) | 17 / 50 |
| | Abstentions • PSN (7) | 7 / 50 |
| | Absentees | 0 / 50 |
| Sources |||