# 1987 European Parliament election in Spain

The 1987 European Parliament election in Spain was held on Wednesday, 10 June 1987, to elect the MEP delegation from the country for the 2nd European Parliament. All 60 seats allocated to Spain as per the 1985 Treaty of Accession were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in thirteen autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
Spain had acceded the European Communities on 1 January 1986 and had been represented in the European Parliament by 60 temporarily-appointed delegates until a proper election could be held. As a European-wide election was due in 1989, elected MEPs only served for the remainder of the European Parliament term.

## Electoral system

60 members of the European Parliament were allocated to Spain as per the 1985 Treaty of Accession. Voting was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights.
All seats were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with no electoral threshold being applied in order to be entitled to enter seat distribution. Seats were allocated to a single multi-member constituency comprising the entire national territory. The use of the electoral method resulted in an effective threshold based on the district magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.

## Background

The ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) designated former Foreign Affairs Minister Fernando Morán to lead their campaign. The main opposition People's Alliance party (AP), running on its own after the People's Democratic Party (PDP) and Liberal Party (PL) broke away from the People's Coalition, chose Manuel Fraga—who had resigned as party leader in December 1986—to lead the party list. Adolfo Suárez had considered running as main candidate for his Democratic and Social Centre party (CDS), but declined after the electoral law was amended by the ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party to make elected MEPs incompatible for posts in the Cortes Generales—Suárez was deputy in the Congress of Deputies, and would have been forced to renounce one of the two offices if elected.

## Outgoing delegation

Outgoing delegation in May 1987 :
| Groups | Groups | Parties | Parties | MEPs | MEPs |
| Groups | Groups | Parties | Parties | Seats | Total |
| | Socialist Group | | PSOE | 36 | 36 |
| | European Democrats | | AP | 12 | 14 |
| | European Democrats | | UM | 1 | 14 |
| | European Democrats | | PDP | 1 | 14 |
| | European People's Party | | PDP | 2 | 5 |
| | European People's Party | | EAJ/PNV | 2 | 5 |
| | European People's Party | | UDC | 1 | 5 |
| | Liberal and Democratic Reformist Group | | CDC | 2 | 2 |
| | Liberal and Democratic Reformist Group | | INDEP | 1 | 2 |
| | Rainbow Group | | EE | 1 | 1 |
| | Non-Inscrits | | INDEP | 2 | 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. In order to be entitled to run, parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least 15,000 registered electors; this requirement could be lifted and replaced through the signature of at least 50 elected officials—deputies, senators, MEPs or members from the legislative assemblies of autonomous communities or from local city councils. Electors and elected officials were disallowed from signing for more than one list of candidates.
| Candidacy | Parties and alliances | Leading candidate | Ideology |
| PSOE | List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) | Fernando Morán | Social democracy |
| AP | List People's Alliance (AP) Navarrese People's Union (UPN) Centrists of Galicia (CdG) | Manuel Fraga | Conservatism |
| CDS | List Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | Eduard Punset | Centrism Liberalism |
| CiU | List Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) | Carles Gasòliba | Catalan nationalism Centrism |
| IU | List Communist Party of Spain (PCE) Socialist Action Party (PASOC) Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) Progressive Federation (FP) Republican Left (IR) United Candidacy of Workers (CUT) Initiative for Catalonia (IC) – Unified Socialist Party of Catalonia (PSUC) – Agreement of Left Nationalists (ENE) | Fernando Pérez Royo | Socialism Communism |
| UE | List Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) Nationalist Galicianist Party (PGN) | Jon Gangoiti | Peripheral nationalism |
| HB | List Popular Unity (HB) – People's Socialist Revolutionary Party (HASI) – Basque Nationalist Action (EAE/ANV) – Patriotic Socialist Committees (ASK) | Txema Montero | Basque independence Abertzale left Revolutionary socialism |
| IP | List Basque Country Left (EE) Galician Socialist Party–Galician Left (PSG–EG) Agreement of Left Nationalists (ENE) Socialist Party of Majorca (PSM) Socialist Party of Menorca (PSM) Aragonese Union (UA–CHA) | Mario Onaindia | Left-wing nationalism |
| CEP | List Basque Solidarity (EA) Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) Galician Nationalist Party (PNG) | Carlos Garaikoetxea | Left-wing nationalism |
| PDP | List People's Democratic Party (PDP) | Javier Rupérez | Christian democracy |
| UM | List Majorcan Union (UM) | Antoni Rosés | Liberalism Regionalism |

## 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 given poll. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font.
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | | | | | | UE | | | IP | CEP | | | AS | Lead |
| 1987 EP election | 10 Jun 1987 | — | 68.5 | 39.1 28 | 24.6 17 | 10.3 7 | 4.4 3 | 5.3 3 | 1.2 0 | 1.9 1 | 1.2 0 | 1.4 0 | 1.7 1 | 0.9 0 | 0.6 0 | 0.6 0 | 14.5 |
| Gallup/Época | 4 Jun 1987 | ? | ? | 46.8 29/30 | 24.7 16 | 9.3 6 | 4.0 2/3 | 4.4 3 | ? 1 | – | ? 1 | ? 1 | – | – | – | – | 22.1 |
| Sigma Dos/Diario 16 | 30 May–1 Jun 1987 | 2,500 | ? | 41.0– 43.0 25/27 | 24.0– 26.0 15/16 | 11.0– 13.0 7/9 | 4.0– 4.8 2/3 | 4.5– 5.5 3 | 1.0– 1.6 0/1 | 1.4– 2.0 1 | – | 1.4– 1.9 1 | 0.8– 1.4 0/1 | – | 0.8– 1.4 0/1 | 0.8– 1.4 0/1 | 17.0 |
| Iope–Etmar/El Periódico | 25–29 May 1987 | 2,497 | ? | 41.6 28 | 25.2 17 | 10.0 6 | 4.4 3 | 5.4 3 | 0.8 0 | 2.0 1 | 1.0 0 | 2.0 1 | 1.9 1 | – | 0.5 0 | 0.5 0 | 16.4 |
| Demoscopia/El País | 22–26 May 1987 | 11,000 | ? | 38.6 23/26 | 24.4 15/17 | 14.7 9/10 | 4.7 2/3 | 3.3 1/2 | 1.4 0/1 | 1.7 0/1 | 1.3 0/1 | 1.6 0/1 | 1.4 0/1 | 1.3 0/1 | 0.7 0 | 0.5 0 | 14.2 |
| CIS | 18–19 May 1987 | 2,497 | ? | 45.1 30 | 26.4 17 | 9.9 6 | 4.2 2 | 4.0 2 | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | – | 18.7 |
| Sigma Dos/Diario 16 | 8 May 1987 | ? | ? | 42.3 25/27 | 26.1 14/17 | 10.8 6/8 | 5.1 3 | 5.2 3 | 1.6 1 | 1.4 0/1 | – | 1.1 0/1 | 1.1 0/1 | – | 1.6 1 | 2.1 1 | 16.2 |
| 1986 general election | 22 Jun 1986 | — | 70.5 | 44.1 (30) | 26.0 (17) | 9.2 (6) | 5.0 (3) | 4.6 (3) | 1.5 (1) | 1.1 (0) | 1.1 (0) | 0.8 (0) | 0.4 (0) | – | – | – | 18.1 |

## Results
### Overall

Summary of the 10 June 1987 European Parliament election results in Spain → :
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Popular vote | Popular vote | Seats | Seats |
| Parties and alliances | Parties and alliances | Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− |
| | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 7,522,706 | 39.06 | n/a | 28 | n/a |
| | People's Alliance (AP) | 4,747,283 | 24.65 | n/a | 17 | n/a |
| | Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) | 1,976,093 | 10.26 | n/a | 7 | n/a |
| | United Left (IU) | 1,011,830 | 5.25 | n/a | 3 | n/a |
| | Convergence and Union (CiU) | 853,603 | 4.43 | n/a | 3 | n/a |
| | Popular Unity (HB) | 360,952 | 1.87 | n/a | 1 | n/a |
| | Coalition for the Europe of the Peoples (EA–ERC–PNG) | 326,911 | 1.70 | n/a | 1 | n/a |
| | Left of the Peoples (IP) | 261,328 | 1.36 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Europeanist Union (PNV–PGN) | 226,570 | 1.18 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Workers' Party of Spain–Communist Unity (PTE–UC) | 222,680 | 1.16 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Andalusian Party (PA) | 185,550 | 0.96 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | People's Democratic Party (PDP) | 170,866 | 0.89 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Valencian Union (UV) | 162,128 | 0.84 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | National Front (FN) | 122,799 | 0.64 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Social Action (AS) | 116,761 | 0.61 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | The Greens (LV) | 107,625 | 0.56 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) | 105,865 | 0.55 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Canarian Independent Groups (AIC) | 96,895 | 0.50 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Workers' Socialist Party (PST) | 77,132 | 0.40 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Confederation of the Greens (CV) | 65,574 | 0.34 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) | 53,116 | 0.28 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | United Extremadura (EU) | 39,369 | 0.20 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Revolutionary Workers' Party of Spain (PORE) | 30,157 | 0.16 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | National Assembly of Medicine Students and Associates (ANEMYA) | 30,143 | 0.16 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI) | 25,270 | 0.13 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Social Democratic Coalition (CSD) | 25,058 | 0.13 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) | 23,407 | 0.12 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Humanist Platform (PH–FV) | 22,333 | 0.12 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Communist Unification of Spain (UCE) | 21,482 | 0.11 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Majorcan Union (UM) | 19,066 | 0.10 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Valencian Coalition Party (PCV) | 14,749 | 0.08 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) | 14,553 | 0.08 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Nationalist Party of Castile and León (PANCAL) | 12,616 | 0.07 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Andalusian Liberation (LA) | 9,881 | 0.05 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| | Democratic Spanish Party (PED) | 9,146 | 0.05 | n/a | 0 | n/a |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 189,729 | 0.99 | n/a | | |
| Total | Total | 19,261,226 | | | 60 | n/a |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 19,261,226 | 98.81 | n/a | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 232,872 | 1.19 | n/a | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 19,494,098 | 68.52 | n/a | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 8,956,393 | 31.48 | n/a | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 28,450,491 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
Popular vote
PSOE
39.06%
AP
24.65%
CDS
10.26%
IU
5.25%
CiU
4.43%
HB
1.87%
EA–ERC–PNG
1.70%
IP
1.36%
PNV–PGN
1.18%
PTE–UC
1.16%
Others
8.11%
Blank ballots
0.99% :
Seats
PSOE
46.67%
AP
28.33%
CDS
11.67%
IU
5.00%
CiU
5.00%
HB
1.67%
EA–ERC–PNG
1.67% :

### Maps

* Vote winner strength by province.
* Vote winner strength by autonomous community.

### Distribution by European group

Summary of political group distribution in the 2nd European Parliament (1984–1989) :
| Groups | Groups | Parties | Seats | Total | % |
| | Socialist Group (SOC) | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | 28 | 28 | 46.67 |
| | European Democrats (ED) | People's Alliance (AP) | 17 | 17 | 28.33 |
| | Communist and Allies Group (COM) | Communist Party of Spain (PCE) Initiative for Catalonia (IC) Socialist Action Party (PASOC) | 1 1 1 | 3 | 5.00 |
| | Liberal Democrat and Reform Party (LDR) | Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) | 2 | 2 | 3.33 |
| | European People's Party (EPP) | Democratic Union of Catalonia (UDC) | 1 | 1 | 1.67 |
| | Rainbow Group (RBW) | Basque Solidarity (EA) | 1 | 1 | 1.67 |
| | Non-Inscrits (NI) | Democratic and Social Centre (CDS) Popular Unity (HB) | 7 1 | 8 | 13.33 |
| Total | Total | Total | 60 | 60 | 100.00 |