# 1994 Basque regional election

The 1994 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 23 October 1994, to elect the 5th Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
The Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) won 22 seats, the Socialist Party of the Basque Country (PSE–PSOE) came second with 12 seats, People's Unity (HB) and the People's Party (PP) both won 11 seats each. Basque Solidarity (EA) won 8 seats.
This was also the first election to the Basque parliament that the Socialist Party and the Basque Country Left (EE) party contested together as a unified party.

## Overview
### Electoral system

The Basque Parliament was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of the Basque Country, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Basque Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a lehendakari. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Basque Country and in full enjoyment of their political rights.
The 75 members of the Basque Parliament 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 constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Álava, Biscay and Guipúzcoa, with each being allocated a fixed number of 25 seats in order to provide for an equal parliamentary representation of the three provinces, as required under the regional statute of autonomy.

### Election date

The term of the Basque Parliament 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 the Basque Country (BOPV), with election day taking place between the fifty-fourth and the sixtieth day from publication. The previous election was held on 28 October 1990, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 28 October 1994. The election decree was required to be published in the BOPV no later than 4 October 1994, with the election taking place up to the sixtieth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Saturday, 3 December 1994.
The lehendakari had the prerogative to dissolve the Basque Parliament at any given time and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a lehendakari within a sixty-day period from the Parliament re-assembly, the Parliament was to be dissolved and a fresh election called.

## 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.
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. |
| | EAJ/PNV | List Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | | José Antonio Ardanza | Basque nationalism Christian democracy Conservative liberalism | 28.28% | 22 | Y | |
| | PSE–EE (PSOE) | List Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE)) | | Ramón Jáuregui | Social democracy | 27.51% | 22 | Y | |
| | HB | List Popular Unity (HB) – Basque Nationalist Action (EAE/ANV) | | Karmelo Landa | Basque independence Abertzale left Revolutionary socialism | 18.20% | 13 | N | |
| | EA | List Eusko Alkartasuna (EA) | | Carlos Garaikoetxea | Basque nationalism Social democracy | 11.30% | 9 | N | |
| | PP | List People's Party (PP) | | Jaime Mayor Oreja | Conservatism Christian democracy | 8.17% | 6 | N | |
| | UA | List Alavese Unity (UA) | | Enriqueta Benito | Alavese regionalism Christian democracy | 1.40% | 3 | N | |
| | IU/EB | List United Left (IU/EB) | | Javier Madrazo | Socialism Communism | 1.41% | 0 | N | |

## Opinion polls

The table below lists voting intention estimates 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. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 38 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Basque Parliament.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | PNV | | | | | EE | | | Lead |
| 1994 regional election | 23 Oct 1994 | — | 59.7 | 29.3 22 | 16.8 12 | 16.0 11 | 10.1 8 | 14.2 11 | | 9.0 6 | 2.7 5 | 12.5 |
| Demoscopia/El País | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | 60 | 33.3 24/25 | 16.9 12/14 | 15.7 12 | 9.9 6 | 13.3 10/11 | | 7.6 5 | 2.1 4 | 16.4 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | 30.0 22/23 | 17.7 13/15 | 14.8 11 | 9.5 7 | 14.7 12 | | 8.2 6/7 | 1.3 2/3 | 12.3 |
| Bergareche/El Correo | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | ? 22 | ? 13 | ? 11 | ? 6 | ? 11 | | ? 8 | ? 4 | ? |
| ICP Research/Diario 16 | 16 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | 33.0 23/24 | 18.0 14/16 | 16.0 10/11 | 9.0 7/8 | 14.0 10/12 | | 8.0 5 | 2.0 3 | 15.0 |
| Ikerfel/PSE–EE | 10–13 Oct 1994 | 1,700 | ? | ? 22 | ? 16/17 | ? 10/11 | ? 7 | ? 9 | | ? 6 | ? 4 | ? |
| CIS | 7–13 Oct 1994 | 1,495 | 60.5 | 36.1 | 16.1 | 15.4 | 10.3 | 12.1 | | 6.9 | 1.3 | 20.0 |
| Deia | 12 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | ? 23 | ? 15 | – | – | ? 11 | | – | – | ? |
| Basque Government | 1–10 Oct 1994 | ? | ? | ? 23/24 | ? 12/14 | ? 11/13 | ? 6/8 | ? 9/10 | | ? 5/7 | ? 4 | ? |
| Opina/La Vanguardia | 29 Sep–1 Oct 1994 | 2,000 | ? | 32.5 24/25 | 16.5 14/15 | 12.5 11/12 | 8.0 5/6 | 12.0 11 | | 7.0 5/6 | 2.5 2/3 | 16.0 |
| Basque Government | 27 Sep 1994 | ? | ? | ? 24 | ? 15 | ? 11 | ? 7 | ? 10 | | ? 5 | ? 3 | ? |
| CIS | 13–20 Sep 1994 | 1,490 | 64.7 | 37.4 | 17.4 | 16.3 | 9.9 | 9.7 | | 7.0 | 1.4 | 20.0 |
| Demoscopia/PP | 6–12 Jul 1994 | 2,400 | 63 | 32.8 24/25 | 16.3 13 | 15.0 11/12 | 8.4 5/6 | 12.4 9/11 | | 9.4 6 | 1.6 3 | 16.5 |
| 1994 EP election | 12 Jun 1994 | — | 52.3 | 25.9 (19) | 18.3 (16) | 15.6 (11) | 8.7 (6) | 17.5 (16) | | 9.6 (7) | – | 7.6 |
| Bergareche/El Correo | 16 Apr 1994 | ? | ? | 26.9 | 20.1 | 15.9 | – | 15.8 | | – | – | 6.5 |
| CIS | 28 Mar 1994 | ? | ? | ? 17/18 | ? 20/22 | ? 10 | ? 8 | ? 12/14 | | ? 1/2 | ? 4/5 | ? |
| Basque Government | 10–15 Jan 1994 | ? | ? | 28.7 22 | 19.2 16 | 17.0 12 | 11.5 9 | 9.5 9 | | 1.6 2 | 1.5 4 | 9.5 |
| PNV | 9 Jan 1994 | ? | ? | ? 17 | ? 21 | ? 13 | ? 7 | ? 12 | | ? 2 | ? 3 | ? |
| 1993 general election | 6 Jun 1993 | — | 69.7 | 24.1 (18) | 24.5 (20) | 14.6 (11) | 9.8 (7) | 14.7 (12) | | 6.3 (4) | 1.4 (3) | 0.4 |
| 1991 foral elections | 26 May 1991 | — | 59.0 | 29.6 (23) | 19.7 (16) | 17.4 (13) | 12.4 (10) | 8.0 (5) | 6.9 (3) | 1.8 (0) | 2.2 (5) | 9.9 |
| 1991 local elections | 26 May 1991 | — | 59.3 | 29.8 | 19.4 | 17.3 | 11.9 | 7.6 | 6.8 | 1.7 | 2.1 | 10.4 |
| 1990 regional election | 28 Oct 1990 | — | 61.0 | 28.3 22 | 19.8 16 | 18.2 13 | 11.3 9 | 8.2 6 | 7.7 6 | 1.4 0 | 1.4 3 | 8.5 |

## Results
### Overall

← Summary of the 23 October 1994 Basque Parliament 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 | +/− |
| | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | 304,346 | 29.32 | +1.04 | 22 | ±0 |
| | Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE))$^1$ | 174,682 | 16.83 | –10.68 | 12 | –10 |
| | Popular Unity (HB) | 166,147 | 16.01 | –2.19 | 11 | –2 |
| | People's Party (PP) | 146,960 | 14.16 | +5.99 | 11 | +5 |
| | Basque Solidarity (EA) | 105,136 | 10.13 | –1.17 | 8 | –1 |
| | United Left (IU/EB) | 93,291 | 8.99 | +7.58 | 6 | +6 |
| | Alavese Unity (UA) | 27,797 | 2.68 | +1.28 | 5 | +2 |
| | Coalition for a New Socialist Party (NPS)$^2$ | 1,462 | 0.14 | +0.07 | 0 | ±0 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 18,080 | 1.74 | +1.00 | | |
| Total | Total | 1,037,901 | | | 75 | ±0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,037,901 | 99.41 | –0.09 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 6,184 | 0.59 | +0.09 | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 1,044,085 | 59.69 | –1.30 | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 705,165 | 40.31 | +1.30 | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 1,749,250 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
| Footnotes: $^1$ Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left results are compared to the combined totals of the Socialist Party of the Basque Country and Basque Country Left in the 1990 election.$^2$ Coalition for a New Socialist Party results are compared to Alliance for the Republic totals in the 1990 election. |||||||
Popular vote
EAJ/PNV
29.32%
PSE–EE (PSOE)
16.83%
HB
16.01%
PP
14.16%
EA
10.13%
IU/EB
8.99%
UA
2.68%
CNPS
0.14%
Blank ballots
1.74% :
Seats
EAJ/PNV
29.33%
PSE–EE (PSOE)
16.00%
HB
14.67%
PP
14.67%
EA
10.66%
IU/EB
8.00%
UA
6.67% :

### Distribution by constituency

| Constituency | PNV | PNV | PSE–EE | PSE–EE | HB | HB | PP | PP | EA | EA | IU/EB | IU/EB | UA | UA |
| Constituency | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S |
| Álava | 21.8 | 6 | 15.6 | 4 | 10.1 | 2 | 15.9 | 4 | 7.2 | 2 | 9.1 | 2 | 18.5 | 5 |
| Biscay | 35.1 | 10 | 17.4 | 4 | 13.4 | 3 | 15.0 | 4 | 7.1 | 2 | 10.0 | 2 | 0.3 | – |
| Guipúzcoa | 22.3 | 6 | 16.4 | 4 | 23.1 | 6 | 11.9 | 3 | 16.7 | 4 | 7.1 | 2 | 0.3 | – |
| Total | 29.3 | 22 | 16.8 | 12 | 16.0 | 11 | 14.2 | 11 | 10.1 | 8 | 9.0 | 6 | 2.7 | 5 |
| Sources |||||||||||||||

## Aftermath

Investiture :
| Ballot → | Ballot → | 29 December 1994 | 29 December 1994 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 38 out of 75 | 38 out of 75 |
| | José Antonio Ardanza (PNV) • PNV (22) • PSE–EE (12) • EA (8) | 42 / 75 | Y |
| | Blank ballots • PP (11) • IU/EB (6) • UA (5) | 22 / 75 | 22 / 75 |
| | Absentees • HB (11) | 11 / 75 | 11 / 75 |
| Sources ||||