La Rioja (Senate constituency)

Not to be confused with La Rioja (Congress of Deputies constituency).

La Rioja is one of the 59 constituencies (Spanish: circunscripciones) represented in the Senate of Spain, the upper chamber of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales. The constituency elects four senators. Its boundaries correspond to those of the Spanish province of La Rioja. The electoral system uses an open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. Electors can vote for up to three candidates.

La Rioja
Senate of Spain Electoral constituency
Location of La Rioja within Spain
Province	La Rioja
Autonomous community	La Rioja
Population	324,399 (2024)[1]
Electorate	252,091 (2023)
Major settlements	Logroño
Current constituency
Created	1977
Seats	4
Member(s)	PP (3)   PSOE (1)

Electoral system

The constituency was created as per the Political Reform Act 1977 and was first contested in the 1977 general election. The Act provided for the provinces of Spain to be established as multi-member districts in the Senate of Spain,^[2] with this regulation being maintained under the Spanish Constitution of 1978.^[3] Additionally, the Constitution requires for any modification of the provincial limits to be approved under an organic law, needing an absolute majority in the Cortes Generales.^[4]

Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprises all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights.^[5] The only exception was in 1977, when this was limited to nationals over 21 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political and civil rights.^[6][7] Amendments to the electoral law in 2011 required for Spaniards abroad to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado),^[8][9] which was abolished in 2022.^[10] 208 seats are elected using an open list partial block voting system, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors can vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of the 47 peninsular provinces is allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, districts are the islands themselves, with the larger—Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife—being allocated three seats each, and the smaller—Menorca, Ibiza–Formentera, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and El Hierro (which comprised a single constituency only for the 1977 election), Lanzarote and La Palma—one each. Ceuta and Melilla elect two seats each.^{[2][3][11][12]} Until 1985, the law also provided for by-elections to fill Senate seats vacated up to two years into the legislature.^[13]

The electoral law allows 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 are required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call—fifteen before 1985—whereas groupings of electors need to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they seek election—one permille of the electorate, with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures, until 1985—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. Also since 2011, parties, federations or coalitions that have not obtained a mandate in either chamber of the Cortes at the preceding election are required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies.^[14][15]

Senators

Senators for La Rioja 1977–
Key to parties   RD   PSOE   UCD   PP   CP   AP
Legislature	Election	Distribution
Constituent	1977	1 3
1st	1979	1 3
2nd	1982	3 1
3rd	1986	3 1
4th	1989	1 3
5th	1993	1 3
6th	1996	1 3
7th	2000	1 3
8th	2004	1 3
9th	2008	1 3
10th	2011	1 3
11th	2015	1 3
12th	2016	1 3
13th	2019 (Apr)	3 1
14th	2019 (Nov)	2 2
15th	2023	1 3

Elections

2023 general election

Summary of the 23 July 2023 Senate of Spain election results

Candidates	Parties and coalitions		Popular vote
			Votes	%
Y Luis Martínez Portillo Subero		PP	77,933	46.23
Y Carlos Yécora Roca		PP	76,620	45.45
Y María del Mar San Martín Ibarra		PP	76,015	45.10
Y Concepción Andreu Rodríguez		PSOE	60,647	35.98
• Pedro Antonio Montalvo Íñigo		PSOE	58,904	34.94
• Noelia González Pastor		PSOE	56,984	33.80
• Ignacio Aquesolo García		Vox	14,689	8.71
• Susana Alesanco Ulecia		Vox	13,610	8.07
• Hilda Cárdenas Díaz		Vox	12,872	7.63
• Eunate García Miguel		Sumar	12,660	7.51
• Amaya Castro Sánchez		Sumar	10,624	6.30
• Ramón Sánchez Esteban		Sumar	8,870	5.26
• Carmen Nogales Florido		PACMA	1,375	0.81
• José Carlos Palacios Miguel		EB	1,142	0.67
• María Carmen Andrés Domínguez		EB	893	0.52
• Miguel Ángel Peralta Hernández		PACMA	841	0.49
• Sonia Silvestrini García		EB	798	0.47
• María Olga Villanueva Henrichs		PACMA	794	0.47
• Berta Nasarre López		PUM+J	670	0.39
• Sacha Gabriel Pozo Puertas		PCTE	594	0.35
• Ángel Artigas Canales		Recortes Cero	407	0.24
Blank ballots			2,675	1.58
Total			490617
Valid votes			168,545	97.71
Invalid votes			3,936	2.28
Votes cast / turnout			172,481	74.66
Abstentions			58,538	25.33
Registered voters			231019
Sources[16]

November 2019 general election

Summary of the 10 November 2019 Senate of Spain election results in La Rioja

Candidates	Parties and coalitions		Popular vote
			Votes	%
Y Ana Lourdes González García		PP	61,779	37.87
Y Carlos Yécora Roca		PP	59,582	36.52
Y María Victoria de Pablo Dávila		PSOE	58,009	35.56
Y Pedro Antonio Montalvo Íñigo		PSOE	55,876	34.25
• Rosa María Ortega Martínez		PP	55,172	33.82
• María del Carmen Arana Álvarez		PSOE	55,038	33.73
• Silvia Garrido Rivas		Vox	17,196	10.54
• Guillermo Robles Martínez		Podemos–IU	15,352	9.41
• Miriam González Blanco		Podemos–IU	14,686	9.00
• Diego Ubis López		Cs	13,529	8.29
• Xavier Capellares Sesé		Podemos–IU	12,951	7.94
• Cristina Moreno Martínez		Cs	11,785	7.22
• José Javier Garijo Sánchez		Cs	10,204	6.25
• María Pilar Blanco Daroca		PACMA	2,296	1.41
• Ignacio Hourcade Bellocq Varela		PACMA	1,383	0.85
• Isabel Padilla Aragües		Recortes Cero–GV	1,063	0.65
• Martina Mazorra Huerta		PUM+J	813	0.50
• María del Carmen Andrés Domínguez		EB	780	0.48
• José Carlos Palacio Miguel		EB	585	0.36
Blank ballots			3,318	2.03
Total			163,151
Valid votes			163,151	97.31
Invalid votes			4,515	2.69
Votes cast / turnout			167,666	67.01
Abstentions			82,547	32.99
Registered voters			250,213
Sources[17]

April 2019 general election

2016 general election

2015 general election

2011 general election

2008 general election

2004 general election

2000 general election

1996 general election

1993 general election

1989 general election

1986 general election

1982 general election

1979 general election

1977 general election

References

1. "Real Decreto 1210/2024, de 28 de noviembre, por el que se declaran oficiales las cifras de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal referidas al 1 de enero de 2024". Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 December 2024.
2. Law 1/1977 (1977), trans. prov. 1.
3. Const. Esp. (1978), tit. III, ch. I, art. 69.
4. Const. Esp. (1978), tit. VIII, ch. II, art. 141.
5. LOREG (1985), tit. I, ch. I, art. 2.
6. RDL 20/1977 (1977), tit. I, art. 2.
7. Carreras de Odriozola & Tafunell Sambola 2005, p. 1077.
8. LOREG (1985), tit. I, ch. VI, art. 75.
9. Reig Pellicer, Naiara (16 December 2015). "Spanish elections: Begging for the right to vote". cafebabel.co.uk. Retrieved 17 July 2017.
10. Araque Conde, Pilar (8 June 2022). "El Congreso acaba con el voto rogado: diez años de trabas burocráticas para los residentes en el extranjero". Público (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
11. RDL 20/1977 (1977), tit. II, ch. II, art. 19 & 21.
12. LOREG (1985), tit. II, ch. III, art. 162 & 165–166.
13. RDL 20/1977 (1977), tit. III, art. 29.
14. RDL 20/1977 (1977), tit. IV, art. 30–31 & 34.
15. LOREG (1985), tit. I, ch. VI, art. 44 & tit. II, ch. V, art. 169.
16. "Electoral Results Consultation. Senate. 2023". Ministry of the Interior (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 August 2023.
17. "Electoral Results Consultation. Senate. November 2019. La Rioja". Ministry of the Interior (in Spanish). Retrieved 28 July 2020.

Bibliography

• Ley 1/1977, de 4 de enero, para la Reforma Política (Law 1/1977). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Vol. 4. 4 January 1977. ISSN 0212-033X. BOE-A-1977-165. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
• Real Decreto-ley 20/1977, de 18 de marzo, sobre Normas Electorales (Royal Decree-Law 20/1977). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Vol. 70. 18 March 1977. ISSN 0212-033X. BOE-A-1977-7445. Retrieved 27 December 2016.
• Constitución Española (Spanish Constitution). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Vol. 311. 29 December 1978 [latest version]. ISSN 0212-033X. BOE-A-1978-31229. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
• Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General (Organic Law 5/1985). Boletín Oficial del Estado (in Spanish). Vol. 147. 19 June 1985 [latest version]. ISSN 0212-033X. BOE-A-1985-11672. Retrieved 24 December 2024.
• Carreras de Odriozola, Albert; Tafunell Sambola, Xavier (2005) [1989]. Estadísticas históricas de España, siglos XIX-XX (PDF) (in Spanish). Vol. 1 (II ed.). Bilbao: Fundación BBVA. pp. 1072–1097. ISBN 84-96515-00-1. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 September 2015.

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