# 1999 Navarrese regional election

The 1999 Navarrese regional election was held on Sunday, 13 June 1999, to elect the 5th 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, as well as the 1999 European Parliament election.

## 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.
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, with elections to the Parliament being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. Legal amendments introduced in 1998 allowed for these to be held together with European Parliament elections, provided that they were scheduled for within a four month-timespan. The previous election was held on 28 May 1995, setting the election date for the Parliament concurrently with a European Parliament election on Sunday, 13 June 1999.
The Parliament of Navarre could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the candidate from the party with the highest number of seats was to be deemed automatically elected.

## 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) | | Miguel Sanz | Conservatism Christian democracy Regionalism | 31.35% | 17 | Y | |
| | PSN–PSOE | List Socialist Party of Navarre (PSN–PSOE) | | Juan José Lizarbe | Social democracy | 20.87% | 11 | N | |
| | CDN | List Convergence of Democrats of Navarre (CDN) | | Juan Cruz Alli | Christian democracy Regionalism | 18.56% | 10 | N | |
| | EH | List Popular Unity (HB) – Basque Nationalist Action (EAE/ANV) Assembly (Batzarre) Stand Up (Zutik) | | Pernando Barrena | Basque independence Abertzale left Revolutionary socialism | 11.41% | 5 | N | |
| | IU/EB | List United Left of Navarre (IUN/NEB) – Communist Party of the Basque Country (PCE/EPK) – Socialist Action Party (PASOC) – Republican Left (IR) – Revolutionary Workers' Party (POR) – Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRT) | | Félix Taberna | Socialism Communism | 9.35% | 5 | N | |
| | EA–PNV | List Basque Solidarity (EA) Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | | Begoña Errazti | Basque nationalism Social democracy Christian democracy | 5.56% | 2 | 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; 26 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Navarre.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | | | CDN | | | | | PNV | | Lead |
| 1999 regional election | 13 Jun 1999 | — | 66.2 | 41.4 22 | 20.3 11 | 6.9 3 | 6.9 3 | | 5.4 3 | | | 15.6 8 | 21.1 |
| Eco Consulting/ABC | 24 May–2 Jun 1999 | ? | ? | 36.7 20 | 19.0 10 | 15.6 8 | 6.7 3 | | 4.6 2 | | | 12.7 7 | 17.7 |
| Demoscopia/El País | 26 May–1 Jun 1999 | ? | 65 | 37.7 21 | 24.6 13 | 5.9 3 | 8.9 4 | | 6.5 3 | | | 11.9 6 | 13.1 |
| CIES/Diario de Navarra | 26 May–1 Jun 1999 | 1,502 | 73 | 38.1 20/22 | 25.2 12/14 | 6.4 3/4 | 8.1 3/4 | | 5.4 2/3 | | | 13.0 6/7 | 12.9 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo | 17–21 May 1999 | 600 | ? | 36.5 20/21 | 22.9 12/13 | 9.6 5 | 9.9 5 | | 4.9 2 | | | 9.8 5 | 13.6 |
| Ikerfel/Noticias | 18–20 May 1999 | 841 | 67.1 | 42.1 22 | 21.8 11 | 8.6 4 | 11.1 5 | | 6.2 3 | | | 9.6 5 | 20.3 |
| CIS | 3–19 May 1999 | 654 | 67.0 | 39.3 20/21 | 21.6 11/12 | 11.0 5/6 | 7.1 3/4 | | 4.6 2 | | | 11.3 5/6 | 17.7 |
| CIES/Diario de Navarra | 17–24 Mar 1999 | 1,205 | ? | 40.5 21 | 25.8 13 | 7.5 4 | 9.1 4 | | 5.2 2 | | | 11.2 6 | 14.7 |
| Ikerfel/Noticias | 1–2 Feb 1999 | 816 | 69.5 | 39.5 21 | 23.5 12 | 7.1 3 | 11.1 6 | | 4.0 2 | | 2.5 0 | 11.1 6 | 16.0 |
| CIES/Diario de Navarra | 9–12 Jun 1998 | 800 | ? | 38.1 21 | 27.5 15 | 6.0 3 | 10.5 5 | 8.5 4 | 4.4 2 | 2.1 0 | 1.5 0 | – | 10.6 |
| Ikerfel/Noticias | 16–18 Mar 1998 | 816 | 65.8 | 40.5 21/22 | 26.3 14 | 9.8 5 | 11.0 5/6 | 6.3 3 | 3.4 1 | – | 1.5 0 | – | 14.2 |
| 1996 general election | 3 Mar 1996 | — | 73.5 | 37.1 (20) | 30.3 (16) | 5.3 (2) | 12.4 (6) | 8.2 (4) | 3.8 (2) | – | 1.0 (0) | – | 6.8 |
| 1995 regional election | 28 May 1995 | — | 68.4 | 31.3 17 | 20.9 11 | 18.6 10 | 9.3 5 | 9.2 5 | 4.6 2 | 2.2 0 | 1.0 0 | – | 10.4 |

## Results

← Summary of the 13 June 1999 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) | 125,497 | 41.37 | +10.02 | 22 | +5 |
| | Socialist Party of Navarre (PSN–PSOE) | 61,531 | 20.28 | –0.59 | 11 | ±0 |
| | Basque Citizens (EH)$^1$ | 47,271 | 15.58 | +4.17 | 8 | +3 |
| | United Left (IU/EB) | 20,879 | 6.88 | –2.47 | 3 | –2 |
| | Convergence of Democrats of Navarre (CDN) | 20,821 | 6.86 | –8.70 | 3 | –7 |
| | Basque Solidarity–Basque Nationalist Party (EA–PNV)$^2$ | 16,512 | 5.44 | –0.12 | 3 | +1 |
| | Independents of Navarre (IN) | 2,835 | 0.93 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Carlist Party (EKA) | 869 | 0.29 | +0.01 | 0 | ±0 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 7,126 | 2.35 | +0.44 | | |
| Total | Total | 303,341 | | | 50 | ±0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 303,341 | 99.17 | –0.04 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 2,539 | 0.83 | +0.04 | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 305,880 | 66.25 | –2.15 | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 155,849 | 33.75 | +2.15 | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 461,729 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
| Footnotes: $^1$ Basque Citizens results are compared to the combined totals of Popular Unity and Assembly in the 1995 election.$^2$ Basque Solidarity–Basque Nationalist Party results are compared to the combined totals of Basque Solidarity and Nationalists of Navarre in the 1995 election. |||||||
Popular vote
UPN
41.37%
PSN–PSOE
20.28%
EH
15.58%
IU/EB
6.88%
CDN
6.86%
EA–PNV
5.44%
Others
1.22%
Blank ballots
2.35% :
Seats
UPN
44.00%
PSN–PSOE
22.00%
EH
16.00%
IU/EB
6.00%
CDN
6.00%
EA–PNV
6.00% :

## 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 48 hours later under the same majority requirement, with successive votes 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 two-month period from the first ballot, the candidate from the party with the highest number of seats was deemed to be automatically elected.
Investiture Miguel Sanz (UPN) :
| Ballot → | Ballot → | 21 July 1999 | 23 July 1999 | 26 July 1999 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 26 out of 50 N | 26 out of 50 N | Simple Y |
| | Yes • UPN (22) | 22 / 50 | 22 / 50 | 22 / 50 |
| | No • EH (7) • IU (3) • CDN (3) • EA–PNV (3) | 16 / 50 | 16 / 50 | 16 / 50 |
| | Abstentions • PSN (11) (10 on 21 Jul) | 10 / 50 | 11 / 50 | 11 / 50 |
| | Absentees • PSN (1) (on 21 Jul) • EH (1) | 2 / 50 | 1 / 50 | 1 / 50 |
| Sources ||||||