Spain General election 2019 — Results

The election in brief

The Spanish general election of 28 April 2019 was the first of two held that year. Called by the Socialist prime minister Pedro Sánchez after his minority government lost a budget vote, it produced a clear lead for the PSOE and the country's highest turnout in decades — but also the entry into the Congress of Deputies of the far-right Vox, the first such force since the death of Franco. As in 2015 and 2016, however, no governing majority emerged, and a second election would follow in November.

The electoral system

The 350 deputies were elected by D'Hondt proportional representation across the 50 provinces and Ceuta and Melilla, with a 3% provincial threshold. The fragmentation of the right between three parties — the PP, Citizens and the new Vox — meant that, despite winning a combined plurality of votes, they converted them less efficiently into seats than the more concentrated PSOE, illustrating again how the province-based system rewards a large first party.

Issues and campaign

The campaign was dominated by the fallout from the 2017 Catalan independence crisis, the trial of the Catalan leaders then under way, and the rise of Vox, which had broken through in the Andalusian regional election a few months earlier. Sánchez, who had governed since ousting Rajoy in a no-confidence vote in 2018, presented himself as a bulwark against a right-wing bloc; the PP under its young new leader Pablo Casado moved rightwards to compete with Vox, while Citizens under Albert Rivera ruled out any pact with the Socialists.

The result

The PSOE won 28.67% and 123 seats, its best result since 2008. The PP collapsed to 16.69% and 66 seats — by far its worst result ever — as the right's vote fractured: Citizens surged to 15.86% and 57 seats, almost overtaking the PP, and Vox entered parliament with 10.26% and 24 seats. Unidas Podemos fell to 14.32% and 42. The Catalan ERC (15) overtook the post-Convergence JxCat (7), and the PNV (6), EH Bildu (4), Canarian Coalition (2), Navarra Suma (2), Compromís (1) and the Cantabrian regionalists (1) shared the rest. Turnout reached 71.76%, the highest of the period.

Consequences and aftermath

Despite his strong result, Sánchez could not form a government. Negotiations with Unidas Podemos over a coalition broke down acrimoniously in July 2019 — the two sides could not agree on whether Podemos would enter the cabinet and on which terms — and Sánchez failed his investiture vote. With no alternative majority available and the deadline for forming a government expiring, parliament was dissolved and a fourth election in as many years was called for 10 November 2019.

Geography of the vote

The PSOE led across most of the country, carrying Andalusia, Extremadura, both Castiles, Aragon, Asturias and the Valencian Community, while the PP held only its hardest core. Citizens ran strongly everywhere without leading a region, and Vox's support was concentrated in the south and east. ERC topped the poll in Catalonia and the PNV in the Basque Country, with the regionalist parties carrying Navarre, Cantabria and the Canaries in coalition.

Source

Official results from the Spanish Ministry of the Interior (infoelectoral.interior.gob.es). Vote shares are of valid votes; the regional map is coloured by the leading party in each autonomous community.

Compiled and reviewed from official results by ElectioMap. See our data methodology.