# October 2003 Madrilenian regional election

The October 2003 Madrilenian regional election was held on Sunday, 26 October 2003, to elect the 7th Assembly of the Community of Madrid. All 111 seats in the Assembly were up for election. It was a snap election, held as a result of the parliamentary deadlock resulting from the Tamayazo scandal after the May 2003 election.
The People's Party (PP) recovered the absolute majority it had lost in the previous election. This came at the expense of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), which suffered from the scandal of the rebel MPs who refused to support a PSOE–IU government led by Rafael Simancas. United Left (IU) saw a slight increase in support but failed to translate its gains into new seats. As a result of the election, Esperanza Aguirre was elected as President of the Community of Madrid, becoming the first woman to be appointed to the office.

## Overview
### Electoral system

The Assembly of Madrid was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Madrid, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Madrilenian Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president. Voting for the Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in the Community of Madrid and in full enjoyment of their political rights.
All members of the Assembly of Madrid 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 regionally. The Assembly was entitled to one member per each 50,000 inhabitants or fraction greater than 25,000.

### Election date

The term of the Assembly of Madrid expired four years after the date of its previous election. Elections to the Assembly were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years.
The president had the prerogative to dissolve the Assembly of Madrid 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. In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Assembly was to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called. Any snap election held as a result of these circumstances would not alter the period to the next ordinary election, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their four-year terms.

## 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 0.5 percent of the electorate in the Community of Madrid, 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. |
| | PP | List People's Party (PP) | | Esperanza Aguirre | Conservatism Christian democracy | 46.67% | 55 | Y | |
| | PSOE | List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | | Rafael Simancas | Social democracy | 39.99% | 47 | N | |
| | IUCM | List United Left of the Community of Madrid (IUCM) | | Fausto Fernández | Socialism Communism | 7.68% | 9 | 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; 56 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Assembly of Madrid.

### Color key

Exit poll
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | | | | Lead |
| October 2003 regional election | 26 Oct 2003 | — | 62.6 | 48.5 57 | 39.0 45 | 8.5 9 | 9.5 |
| Sigma Dos/Antena 3 | 26 Oct 2003 | ? | ? | 47.7 56 | 39.4 46 | 8.2 9 | 8.3 |
| Sigma Dos/Antena 3 | 26 Oct 2003 | ? | ? | 48.2 56/57 | 38.0 44/45 | 9.0 9/10 | 10.2 |
| Gallup/RTVE | 26 Oct 2003 | ? | ? | 49.0 57/58 | 37.9 43/44 | 8.7 9/10 | 11.1 |
| Celeste-Tel/La Razón | 19 Oct 2003 | ? | ? | ? 56/57 | ? 44/45 | ? 10/11 | ? |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo | 19 Oct 2003 | ? | ? | 49.4 56/58 | ? 43/45 | ? 10 | ? |
| Opina | 16 Oct 2003 | 1,500 | ? | 50.5 58 | 39.0 45 | 7.0 8 | 11.5 |
| Opina/El País | 12–13 Oct 2003 | ? | ? | 49.5 57/58 | 39.0 45/46 | 7.1 8 | 10.5 |
| PP | 9–10 Oct 2003 | ? | ? | ? 54 | ? 48 | ? 9 | ? |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 4–6 Oct 2003 | 1,500 | ? | 49.5 57/58 | 38.0 44/45 | 8.0 9 | 11.5 |
| CIS | 27 Sep–5 Oct 2003 | 1,194 | 63.2 | 50.4 57 | 37.4 43 | 10.1 11 | 13.0 |
| Infortécnica | 1–30 Sep 2003 | 2,006 | 59.7 | 51.4 56/58 | 38.5 43/44 | 10.1 10/11 | 12.9 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo | 29 Sep 2003 | ? | ? | 48.2 56/57 | 38.8 45/46 | 8.5 9/10 | 9.4 |
| PP | 28 Sep 2003 | ? | ? | ? 57 | ? 45 | ? 9 | ? |
| TNS Demoscopia/ABC | 2–3 Sep 2003 | 806 | ? | 48.4 56 | 39.6 45 | 9.4 10 | 8.8 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo | 25 Jun 2003 | 800 | ? | 48.4 56/57 | 39.7 45/46 | 7.9 9 | 8.7 |
| TNS Demoscopia/Tele 5 | 13–14 Jun 2003 | 600 | ? | 46.4 | 40.6 | 7.2 | 5.8 |
| May 2003 regional election | 25 May 2003 | — | 69.3 | 46.7 55 | 40.0 47 | 7.7 9 | 6.7 |
| ↑ Quick count. ↑ Undecided and/or abstentionists excluded. ||||||||

## Results
### Overall

← Summary of the 26 October 2003 Assembly of Madrid 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 | +/− |
| | People's Party (PP) | 1,346,588 | 48.48 | +1.81 | 57 | +2 |
| | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 1,083,205 | 39.00 | –0.99 | 45 | –2 |
| | United Left of the Community of Madrid (IUCM) | 236,013 | 8.50 | +0.82 | 9 | ±0 |
| | The Greens of the Community of Madrid (LVCM) | 14,067 | 0.51 | –0.41 | 0 | ±0 |
| | The Greens (LV) | 12,665 | 0.46 | –0.92 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Citizens for Blank Votes (CenB) | 8,111 | 0.29 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | New Socialism (NS) | 6,176 | 0.22 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | National Democracy (DN) | 3,694 | 0.13 | +0.02 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Family and Life Party (PFyV) | 2,326 | 0.08 | –0.05 | 0 | ±0 |
| | The Phalanx (FE) | 2,212 | 0.08 | –0.05 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS)$^1$ | 2,036 | 0.07 | –0.01 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) | 1,894 | 0.07 | –0.01 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Romantic Mutual Support Party (PMAR) | 1,504 | 0.05 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Party Association of Widows and Legal Wives (PAVIEL) | 1,461 | 0.05 | –0.02 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Republican Left (IR) | 1,396 | 0.05 | –0.03 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Humanist Party (PH) | 1,323 | 0.05 | –0.02 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Madrilenian Independent Regional Party (PRIM) | 1,255 | 0.05 | –0.02 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Commoners' Land–Castilian Nationalist Party (TC–PNC) | 1,135 | 0.04 | –0.02 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Another Democracy is Possible (ODeP) | 904 | 0.03 | –0.03 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Citizen Unity (UC) | 776 | 0.03 | –0.03 | 0 | ±0 |
| | Federal Progressives (PF) | 448 | 0.02 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Spanish Democratic Party (PADE) | 0 | 0.00 | –0.12 | 0 | ±0 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 48,433 | 1.74 | –0.25 | | |
| Total | Total | 2,777,622 | | | 111 | ±0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 2,777,622 | 99.61 | +0.06 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 10,873 | 0.39 | –0.06 | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 2,788,495 | 62.58 | –6.69 | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 1,667,211 | 37.42 | +6.69 | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 4,455,706 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
| Footnotes: $^1$ Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO results are compared to Independent Spanish Phalanx–Phalanx 2000 totals in the May 2003 election. |||||||
Popular vote
PP
48.48%
PSOE
39.00%
IUCM
8.50%
Others
2.28%
Blank ballots
1.74% :
Seats
PP
51.35%
PSOE
40.54%
IUCM
8.11% :

### Elected legislators

The following table lists the elected legislators sorted by order of election.
Elected legislators :
| # | Name | List |
| 1 | Esperanza Aguirre Gil de Biedma | PP |
| 2 | Rafael Simancas Simancas | PSOE |
| 3 | Miguel Ángel Villanueva González | PP |
| 4 | Matilde Fernández Sanz | PSOE |
| 5 | Juan José Güemes Barrios | PP |
| 6 | Luis María López Guerra | PSOE |
| 7 | Concepción Dancausa Treviño | PP |
| 8 | Inés Alberdi Alonso | PSOE |
| 9 | Beatriz Elorriaga Pisarik | PP |
| 10 | Fausto Fernández Díaz | IUCM |
| 11 | Alberto López Viejo | PP |
| 12 | Pedro Feliciano Sabando Suárez | PSOE |
| 13 | Antonio Germán Beteta Barreda | PP |
| 14 | Ruth Porta Cantoni | PSOE |
| 15 | Francisco José Granados Lerena | PP |
| 16 | Carlos Westendorp Cabeza | PSOE |
| 17 | Luis Eduardo Cortés Muñoz | PP |
| 18 | María Helena Almazán Vicario | PSOE |
| 19 | Rosa María Posada Chapado | PP |
| 20 | María Paloma Adrados Gautier | PP |
| 21 | Francisco Cabaco López | PSOE |
| 22 | Eduardo Cuenca Cañizares | IUCM |
| 23 | Luis Peral Guerra | PP |
| 24 | María Encarnación Moya Nieto | PSOE |
| 25 | María Carmen Álvarez-Arenas Cisneros | PP |
| 26 | José Antonio Díaz Martínez | PSOE |
| 27 | José Ignacio Echániz Salgado | PP |
| 28 | María Soledad Mestre García | PSOE |
| 29 | Luis Manuel Partida Brunete | PP |
| 30 | María Gador Ongil Cores | PP |
| 31 | José Quintana Viar | PSOE |
| 32 | José Ignacio Echeverría Echániz | PP |
| 33 | Miguel Ángel Reneses González Solares | IUCM |
| 34 | José Manuel Franco Pardo | PSOE |
| 35 | Juan Van-Halen Acedo | PP |
| 36 | Manuel Sánchez Cifuentes | PSOE |
| 37 | Fernando Martínez Vidal | PP |
| 38 | María Ángeles Martínez Herrando | PSOE |
| 39 | María Cristina Cifuentes Cuencas | PP |
| 40 | Juan Soler-Espiauba Gallo | PP |
| 41 | María Isabel Manzano Martínez | PSOE |
| 42 | Pedro Muñoz Abrines | PP |
| 43 | José Carmelo Cepeda García | PSOE |
| 44 | María Caridad García Álvarez | IUCM |
| 45 | Paloma Martín Martín | PP |
| 46 | Antonio Chazarra Montiel | PSOE |
| 47 | Sylvia Enseñat de Carlos | PP |
| 48 | Ana María Arroyo Veneroso | PSOE |
| 49 | Luis del Olmo Flórez | PP |
| 50 | Regino García-Badell Arias | PP |
| 51 | Modesto Nolla Estrada | PSOE |
| 52 | José María Federico Corral | PP |
| 53 | Francisco Hernández Ballesteros | PSOE |
| 54 | María Isabel Martínez-Cubells Yraola | PP |
| 55 | Margarita María Ferré Luparia | IUCM |
| 56 | Lucila María Corral Ruiz | PSOE |
| 57 | Álvaro Ramón Renedo Sedano | PP |
| 58 | Francisco Contreras Lorenzo | PSOE |
| 59 | Elena de Utrilla Palombi | PP |
| 60 | Francisco Javier Rodríguez Rodríguez | PP |
| 61 | Jorge Gómez Moreno | PSOE |
| 62 | Jesús Fermosel Díaz | PP |
| 63 | María Patrocinio Las Heras Pinilla | PSOE |
| 64 | David Pérez García | PP |
| 65 | Francisco Javier Gómez Gómez | PSOE |
| 66 | Benjamín Martín Vasco | PP |
| 67 | Jorge García Castaño | IUCM |
| 68 | Óscar José Monterrubio Rodríguez | PSOE |
| 69 | María Carmen Rodríguez Flores | PP |
| 70 | Álvaro Moraga Valiente | PP |
| 71 | Carmen García Rojas | PSOE |
| 72 | Isabel Gema González González | PP |
| 73 | Andrés Rojo Cubero | PSOE |
| 74 | Concepción Lostau Martínez | PP |
| 75 | Alicia Acebes Carabaño | PSOE |
| 76 | Francisco de Borja Sarasola Jáudenes | PP |
| 77 | Eduardo Sánchez Gatell | PSOE |
| 78 | Luis Suárez Machota | IUCM |
| 79 | Pilar Busó Borús | PP |
| 80 | Laura de Esteban Martín | PP |
| 81 | Rafael Gómez Montoya | PSOE |
| 82 | Eduardo Oficialdegui Alonso de Celada | PP |
| 83 | María Paz Martín Lozano | PSOE |
| 84 | Sonsoles Trinidad Aboín Aboín | PP |
| 85 | Marcos Sanz Agüero | PSOE |
| 86 | Colomán Trabado Pérez | PP |
| 87 | Antonio Fernández Gordillo | PSOE |
| 88 | Jesús Adriano Valverde Bocanegra | PP |
| 89 | José Guillermo Fernando Marín Calvo | IUCM |
| 90 | María Maravillas Martínez Doncel | PSOE |
| 91 | María Isabel Redondo Alcaide | PP |
| 92 | Pablo Morillo Casals | PP |
| 93 | Alejandro Fernández Martín | PSOE |
| 94 | María Pilar Liébana Montijano | PP |
| 95 | Juan Antonio Ruiz Castillo | PSOE |
| 96 | Carlos Clemente Aguado | PP |
| 97 | Adolfo Navarro Muñoz | PSOE |
| 98 | Oliva Cristina García Robredo | PP |
| 99 | Enrique Echegoyen Vera | PSOE |
| 100 | Jacobo Ramón Beltrán Pedreira | PP |
| 101 | María de los Reyes Montiel Mesa | IUCM |
| 102 | Federico Jiménez de Parga Maseda | PP |
| 103 | María Dolores Rodríguez Gabucio | PSOE |
| 104 | Francisco de Borja Carabante Muntada | PP |
| 105 | Adolfo Piñedo Simal | PSOE |
| 106 | José Cabrera Orellana | PP |
| 107 | María Antonia García Fernández | PSOE |
| 108 | Pablo Abejas Juárez | PP |
| 109 | Francisco Garrido Hernández | PSOE |
| 110 | Juan José García Ferrer | PP |
| 111 | María Teresa Cristina Calatayud Prieto | PP |

## Aftermath

Investiture processes to elect the President of the Community of Madrid 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 requiring of a simple majority—more affirmative than negative votes—to succeed. If none of such majorities were achieved, successive candidate proposals could 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 Assembly would be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.
Investiture Esperanza Aguirre (PP) :
| Ballot → | Ballot → | 20 November 2003 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 56 out of 111 Y |
| | Yes • PP (57) | 57 / 111 |
| | No • PSOE (45) • IUCM (9) | 54 / 111 |
| | Abstentions | 0 / 111 |
| | Absentees | 0 / 111 |
| Sources |||