# 2005 Basque regional election

The 2005 Basque regional election was held on Sunday, 17 April 2005, to elect the 8th Parliament of the Basque Autonomous Community. All 75 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
The electoral coalition Basque Nationalist Party–Basque Solidarity (PNV–EA) won 29 seats, the Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE) came second with 18 seats, the People's Party (PP) came in third with 15 seats. The controversial Communist Party of the Basque Homelands (PCTV/EHAK) won 9 seats, having been endorsed by the banned Batasuna 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 three 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 on the fifty-fourth day from publication. The previous election was held on 13 May 2001, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 13 May 2005. The election decree was required to be published in the BOPV no later than 19 April 2005, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Sunday, 12 June 2005.
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.

## Parliamentary composition

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the time of dissolution.
Parliamentary composition in February 2005 :
| Groups | Groups | Parties | Parties | Legislators | Legislators |
| Groups | Groups | Parties | Parties | Seats | Total |
| | Basque Nationalists Parliamentary Group | | EAJ/PNV | 26 | 26 |
| | Basque People's Parliamentary Group | | PP | 19 | 19 |
| | Basque Socialists Parliamentary Group | | PSE–EE (PSOE) | 13 | 13 |
| | Patriotic Socialist Parliamentary Group | | Batasuna | 7 | 7 |
| | Basque Solidarity Parliamentary Group | | EA | 7 | 7 |
| | Mixed Group | | EB–B | 3 | 3 |

## 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. |
| | PNV–EA | List Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) Basque Solidarity (EA) | | Juan José Ibarretxe | Basque nationalism Christian democracy Conservative liberalism | 42.38% | 33 | Y | |
| | PP | List People's Party (PP) | | María San Gil | Conservatism Christian democracy | 22.93% | 19 | N | [7] [8] [9] |
| | PSE–EE (PSOE) | List Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE)) | | Patxi López | Social democracy | 17.76% | 13 | N | [10] [11] |
| | PCTV/EHAK | List Communist Party of the Basque Homelands (PCTV/EHAK) | | Maite Aranburu | Basque independence Abertzale left Communism | 10.04% | 7 | N | |
| | EB–B | List United Left–Greens (EB–B) | | Javier Madrazo | Eco-socialism Social democracy Democratic socialism | 5.53% | 3 | Y | |
| | UA | List Alavese Unity (UA) | | Enriqueta Benito | Alavese regionalism Christian democracy | New party | New party | N | |
| | Aralar | List Aralar (Aralar) | | Aintzane Ezenarro | Basque independence Left-wing nationalism Democratic socialism | New party | New party | 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.

### Color key

Exit poll
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | PNV | | | | | | | | | Lead |
| 2005 regional election | 17 Apr 2005 | — | 68.0 | 38.4 29 | 17.3 15 | 22.5 18 | – | 5.3 3 | | 0.3 0 | 2.3 1 | 12.4 9 | 15.9 |
| TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3 | 17 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | ? 28/30 | ? 14/15 | ? 18 | – | ? 3 | | – | ? 1 | ? 9/10 | ? |
| Ipsos–Eco/EITB | 17 Apr 2005 | 65,000 | ? | ? 29/31 | ? 13/14 | ? 18 | – | ? 3 | | – | ? 1 | ? 9/10 | ? |
| Ipsos–Eco/RTVE | 17 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 40.3 30/33 | 16.2 13/15 | 22.5 18/19 | – | 6.0 3/4 | | – | 2.3 0/1 | 11.0 7/8 | 17.8 |
| TNS Demoscopia/Antena 3 | 17 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 39.9 31/33 | 18.0 14/16 | 18.2 15/17 | – | 6.1 3/4 | | – | 3.1 1 | 11.3 7/8 | 21.7 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 17 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 42.0 31/33 | 16.0 14/15 | 21.5 17/18 | – | ? 4/5 | | – | ? 0/1 | 7.0 5/6 | 20.5 |
| Opina/El País | 10 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 42.7 34/35 | 15.1 14/15 | 21.6 18/19 | – | 7.6 3/4 | | – | 2.3 1 | 4.3 2/4 | 21.1 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 10 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 42.7 34 | 15.1 13/14 | 21.6 18/19 | (3.4) | 7.6 4/5 | | – | 2.3 1 | 4.3 2/3 | 21.1 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 9 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 44.3 35/36 | 14.5 13 | 23.2 18/20 | (2.9) | 6.6 4 | | – | 2.6 1 | 3.7 2/3 | 21.1 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 8 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 45.7 38/39 | 14.5 13 | 23.5 19/20 | (3.3) | 6.3 4 | | – | 1.9 0 | 2.7 0 | 22.2 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 7 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 43.5 37/38 | 15.6 13 | 24.5 20/21 | (3.3) | 6.4 4 | | 0.2 0 | 1.6 0 | 2.5 0 | 22.2 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo | 5–7 Apr 2005 | 1,000 | ? | 45.6 35/37 | 18.3 15/16 | 20.8 15/18 | – | 5.5 3 | | – | 1.9 0/1 | 6.6 4 | 24.8 |
| Noxa/La Vanguardia | 4–7 Apr 2005 | 900 | ? | 46.5 34/36 | 19.7 16 | 23.2 19 | – | 6.9 3/5 | | ? 0/1 | ? 0/1 | – | 23.3 |
| Noxa/La Vanguardia | 4–7 Apr 2005 | 900 | ? | 42.9 32/34 | 18.2 15 | 21.4 17/19 | – | 6.4 3/4 | | 0.6 0/1 | 2.1 0/1 | 8.4 5 | 21.5 |
| Ikertalde/GPS | 1–7 Apr 2005 | 2,002 | 72.5 | 42.7 34 | 15.8 13 | 21.3 18 | – | 6.7 3 | | 0.2 0 | 2.6 1 | 9.7 6 | 21.4 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 6 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 45.7 37/39 | 15.4 13 | 21.4 19/20 | (4.6) | 6.8 5 | | 0.2 0 | 2.0 0 | 1.2 0 | 24.3 |
| LKS/Diario de Noticias | 30 Mar–6 Apr 2005 | 1,500 | 75 | ? 33/35 | ? 16/17 | ? 15/17 | – | ? 3/4 | | – | ? 0/1 | ? 5 | ? |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 5 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 45.5 36/38 | 15.3 13 | 20.6 18/20 | (6.4) | 6.7 5 | | 0.2 0 | 2.3 1 | 0.2 0 | 24.9 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 4 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 45.5 37/39 | 16.0 12 | 21.5 19/20 | – | 6.5 4/5 | | – | 3.5 1 | – | 24.0 |
| CIS | 29 Mar–4 Apr 2005 | 1,495 | ? | 42.5 34/35 | 17.8 16/17 | 22.2 19 | – | 6.2 4 | | – | 2.7 1 | – | 20.3 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 3 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 45.0 38/40 | 16.0 12 | 21.5 18/19 | – | 7.0 4/5 | | – | 3.5 1 | – | 23.5 |
| Bergareche/Vocento | 1–3 Apr 2005 | 3,100 | ? | 40.4 32/35 | 20.8 16/19 | 18.3 15/17 | (6.9) | 7.4 4/6 | | 0.3 0 | 3.7 1/2 | – | 19.6 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 1 Apr 2005 | ? | ? | 44.8 38/39 | 16.0 12 | 21.0 19 | – | 7.0 4/5 | | – | 3.5 0/1 | – | 23.8 |
| Celeste-Tel/La Razón | 29 Mar–1 Apr 2005 | 801 | ? | 42.9 34/37 | 18.9 15/18 | 22.9 18/21 | – | 6.0 3/4 | | – | 1.6 1 | – | 20.0 |
| Opina/Cadena SER | 31 Mar 2005 | ? | ? | 44.8 38/39 | 16.6 13/14 | 20.6 17/18 | – | 7.0 4/5 | | – | 3.5 0/1 | – | 24.2 |
| CIS | 22 Feb–16 Mar 2005 | 1,499 | ? | 42.8 35/37 | 19.1 17 | 22.2 18/19 | – | 6.2 3/4 | | 0.5 0 | 1.2 0 | – | 20.6 |
| PSE | 1–11 Mar 2005 | ? | ? | 41.2 33/35 | ? 15/16 | 23.7 21/22 | – | ? 3 | | – | ? 1 | – | 17.5 |
| Bergareche/Vocento | 1–8 Mar 2005 | 3,100 | ? | 43.3 35/36 | 19.9 16/18 | 20.4 17/20 | (5.3) | 6.2 3/5 | | – | 3.2 1/3 | – | 22.9 |
| Opina/El País | 24–25 Feb 2005 | 1,500 | ? | 45.5 36/37 | 19.5 17 | 22.0 18 | – | 6.5 3/4 | | – | – | – | 23.5 |
| Ikertalde/GPS | 18 Jan–2 Feb 2005 | 2,874 | 75.0 | 41.1 32 | 15.8 13 | 22.3 19 | 9.4 7 | 6.7 3 | | 0.3 0 | 2.9 1 | – | 18.8 |
| CPS/EHU | 8–26 Nov 2004 | 1,200 | 76 | 42.4 33/35 | 18.1 15/16 | 23.6 21/22 | – | 5.8 3 | | – | 3.1 1 | – | 18.8 |
| 2004 EP election | 13 Jun 2004 | — | 44.6 | 35.3 26 | 21.0 17 | 28.2 24 | – | 4.2 3 | 7.8 5 | – | 1.3 0 | – | 7.1 |
| CPS/EHU | 3–28 May 2004 | 1,800 | 75 | 43.7 32/34 | 17.5 14/15 | 25.6 22/23 | – | 6.1 3 | | | 4.3 2 | – | 18.1 |
| 2004 general election | 14 Mar 2004 | — | 75.0 | 33.7 25 | 18.9 16 | 27.2 22 | – | 8.2 6 | 6.5 5 | – | 3.1 1 | – | 6.5 |
| CPS/EHU | 3–21 Nov 2003 | 1,800 | 70 | 44.3 33 | 24.1 21 | 19.0 16/17 | – | 6.7 3/4 | | | ? 1 | – | 20.2 |
| 2003 foral elections | 25 May 2003 | — | 70.0 | 45.3 35 | 19.6 16 | 21.6 17 | – | 8.1 5 | | 0.6 1 | 3.2 1 | – | 23.7 |
| 2003 local elections | 25 May 2003 | — | 69.9 | 43.9 | 18.7 | 22.1 | 0.9 | 8.0 | | 0.5 | 1.5 | – | 21.8 |
| CPS/EHU | 1–20 Nov 2002 | 1,200 | ? | 42.1 31 | 21.3 18 | 19.0 16 | 9.3 6 | 6.7 4 | | | – | – | 20.8 |
| CIS | 9 Sep–9 Oct 2002 | 579 | 74.2 | 38.8 | 21.1 | 19.1 | 7.9 | 5.6 | 5.6 | – | – | – | 17.7 |
| CPS/EHU | 15–30 May 2001 | ? | ? | 43.6 33 | 20.8 19 | 18.0 14 | 9.8 6 | 6.3 3 | | | – | – | 22.8 |
| CPS/EHU | 2–21 Nov 2001 | ? | ? | 43.5 33 | 21.0 19 | 18.1 13 | 9.8 7 | 6.1 3 | | | – | – | 22.5 |
| 2001 regional election | 13 May 2001 | — | 79.0 | 42.4 33 | 22.9 19 | 17.8 13 | 10.0 7 | 5.5 3 | | | – | – | 19.5 |
| 1 2 Quick count. ||||||||||||||

## Results
### Overall

← Summary of the 17 April 2005 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–Basque Solidarity (PNV–EA) | 468,117 | 38.38 | –4.00 | 29 | –4 |
| | Socialist Party of the Basque Country–Basque Country Left (PSE–EE (PSOE)) | 274,546 | 22.51 | +4.75 | 18 | +5 |
| | People's Party (PP) | 210,614 | 17.27 | –5.66 | 15 | –4 |
| | Communist Party of the Basque Homelands (PCTV/EHAK)$^1$ | 150,644 | 12.35 | +2.31 | 9 | +2 |
| | United Left–Greens (EB–B)$^2$ | 65,023 | 5.33 | –0.20 | 3 | ±0 |
| | Aralar (Aralar) | 28,180 | 2.31 | New | 1 | +1 |
| | Alavese Unity (UA) | 4,117 | 0.34 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Greens–Anti-Bullfighting Party Against Mistreatment of Animals (B–PACMA) | 4,049 | 0.33 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Internationalist Socialist Workers' Party (POSI) | 2,354 | 0.19 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Humanist Party (PH) | 1,514 | 0.12 | –0.14 | 0 | ±0 |
| | For a Fairer World (PUM+J) | 1,261 | 0.10 | New | 0 | ±0 |
| | Carlist Party of the Basque Country–Carlist Party (EKA–PC) | 179 | 0.01 | –0.03 | 0 | ±0 |
| Blank ballots | Blank ballots | 9,001 | 0.74 | –0.07 | | |
| Total | Total | 1,219,599 | | | 75 | ±0 |
| Valid votes | Valid votes | 1,219,599 | 99.67 | +0.10 | | |
| Invalid votes | Invalid votes | 4,035 | 0.33 | –0.10 | | |
| Votes cast / turnout | Votes cast / turnout | 1,223,634 | 68.00 | –10.97 | | |
| Abstentions | Abstentions | 575,889 | 32.00 | +10.97 | | |
| Registered voters | Registered voters | 1,799,523 | | | | |
| Sources |||||||
| Footnotes: $^1$ Communist Party of the Basque Homelands results are compared to Basque Citizens totals in the 2001 election.$^2$ United Left–Greens results are compared to United Left totals in the 2001 election. |||||||
Popular vote
PNV–EA
38.38%
PSE–EE (PSOE)
22.51%
PP
17.27%
PCTV/EHAK
12.35%
EB–B
5.33%
Aralar
2.31%
Others
1.10%
Blank ballots
0.74% :
Seats
PNV–EA
38.67%
PSE–EE (PSOE)
24.00%
PP
20.00%
PCTV/EHAK
12.00%
EB–B
4.00%
Aralar
1.33% :

### Distribution by constituency

| Constituency | PNV–EA | PNV–EA | PSE–EE | PSE–EE | PP | PP | EHAK | EHAK | EB–B | EB–B | Aralar | Aralar |
| Constituency | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S | % | S |
| Álava | 30.4 | 8 | 25.3 | 7 | 25.8 | 7 | 13.2 | 2 | 4.9 | 1 | 1.5 | – |
| Biscay | 40.7 | 11 | 23.2 | 6 | 17.5 | 5 | 10.0 | 2 | 5.5 | 1 | 1.6 | – |
| Guipúzcoa | 38.0 | 10 | 20.1 | 5 | 13.2 | 3 | 18.1 | 5 | 5.2 | 1 | 3.9 | 1 |
| Total | 38.4 | 29 | 22.5 | 18 | 17.3 | 15 | 12.4 | 9 | 5.3 | 3 | 2.3 | 1 |
| Sources |||||||||||||

## Aftermath

Investiture :
| Ballot → | Ballot → | 22 June 2005 | 22 June 2005 | 23 June 2005 | 23 June 2005 |
| Required majority → | Required majority → | 38 out of 75 | 38 out of 75 | Simple | Simple |
| | Juan José Ibarretxe (PNV) • PNV (21) • EA (8) • EB–B (3) • EHAK (2) | 34 / 75 | N | 34 / 75 | Y |
| | Patxi López (PSE–EE) • PSE–EE (18) • PP (15) | 33 / 75 | N | 33 / 75 | N |
| | Blank ballots • Aralar (1) | 1 / 75 | 1 / 75 | 1 / 75 | 1 / 75 |
| | Absentees | 0 / 75 | 0 / 75 | 0 / 75 | 0 / 75 |
| Sources ||||||