Local elections were held in Spain on 3 April 1979 to elect all 67,505 councillors in the 7,870 Spanish municipalities, all 1,450 provincial seats in 47 provinces (including 43 indirectly-elected provincial deputations and the four foral deputations in the Basque Country and Navarre) and 185 seats in ten island councils (seven Canarian and three Balearic ones).
While the national ruling Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) emerged as the largest party overall, an alliance between the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) and the Communist Party of Spain (PCE) saw municipal control over the main urban areas switching to left-wing parties.
Overview Local government
Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain was centered on the figure of city councils (), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly. ( by ). The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly, requiring an absolute majority; otherwise, the candidate from the most-voted party automatically became mayor (ties were resolved by drawing lots).. The concejo abierto system (), under which voters directly elected the local mayor by plurality voting, was reserved for municipalities under 25 inhabitants and some minor local entities..
Provincial deputations were the governing bodies of provinces in Spain, having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary. ( by ). For insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, deputations were replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma, this figure was referred to in Spanish as cabildo insular, whereas for Mallorca, Menorca and Ibiza–Formentera, its name was consejo insular (). ( by ). The three Basque provinces and Navarre had foral deputations instead (called General Assemblies—or Juntas Generales—in the Basque Country). ( by ); ; ; .
Date The term of local assemblies in Spain expired four years after the date of their previous election. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the day after the expiration date of the assemblies, with election day taking place 65 days after the decree's publication in the Official State Gazette (BOE)..
Elections to the assemblies of local entities were officially called on 27 January 1979 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOE, setting election day for 3 April.. Subsequent by-elections were called on 21 April (for 26 June) and 28 July (for 2 October).
Electoral system Voting for local assemblies and island councils was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality or council and with full civil and political rights..
Local and island councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each constituency. Each municipality or council was a multi-member constituency, with a number of seats based on the following scale:; .
Population Councillors Municipalities Canary Islands Balearic Islands <250 5 No island below 5,000inhabitants Fixed number:Ibiza–Formentera: 12Menorca: 12Mallorca: 24 251–1,000 7 1,001–2,000 9 2,001–5,000 11 5,001–10,000 13 11 10,001–20,000 17 13 20,001–50,000 21 17 50,001–100,000 25 21 >100,001 +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction+1 if total is an even number
Most provincial deputations were indirectly elected by applying the D'Hondt method and a three percent-threshold of valid votes to municipal results—excluding candidacies not electing any councillor—in each judicial district. Seats were allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale (with each judicial district being assigned an initial minimum of one seat and a maximum of one-third of the total number of provincial seats, with the remaining ones distributed in proportion to population):.
Population Seats <500,000 24 500,001–1,000,000 27 >1,000,001 30 Madrid and Barcelona 51
The foral deputation of Navarre and the General Assemblies of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa were directly elected by voters under their own, specific electoral regulations.; ; ; .
The law provided for by-elections to fill vacant seats only when results in a constituency were annulled by a final sentence following an electoral petition, or in cases where elections were not held due to a lack of candidates; otherwise, vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term were filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes..
Parties and candidates The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, alliances and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list:.
At least two percent of the electors in municipalities with a population below 5,000 inhabitants, provided that the number of signers was more than double that of councillors at stake. At least 100 signatures in municipalities with a population between 5,001 and 10,000. At least 200 signatures in municipalities with a population between 10,001 and 50,000. At least 500 signatures in municipalities with a population between 50,001 and 150,000. At least 1,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 150,001 and 300,000. At least 2,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 300,001 and 1,000,000. At least 5,000 signatures in municipalities with a population over 1,000,001.
Results Municipal Overall + Summary of the 3 April 1979 Spanish municipal election results → Parties and alliances Popular vote Councillors Votes % ±pp Total +/− Union of the Democratic Centre (UCD) 5,067,634 30.87 n/a 29,288 n/a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) 4,621,672 28.15 n/a 12,069 n/a Communist Party of Spain (PCE) 2,142,049 13.05 n/a 3,725 n/a Convergence and Union (CiU) 509,128 3.10 n/a 1,782 n/a Democratic Coalition (CD) 504,780 3.07 n/a 2,383 n/a Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) 361,160 2.20 n/a 1,093 n/a Socialist Party of Andalusia–Andalusian Party (PSA–PA) 245,507 1.50 n/a 259 n/a Popular Unity (HB) 164,516 1.00 n/a 267 n/a Party of Labour of Spain (PTE) 148,083 0.90 n/a 229 n/a Workers' Revolutionary Organization (ORT) 114,539 0.70 n/a 107 n/a Republican Left of Catalonia–National Front of Catalonia (ERC–FNC) 103,547 0.63 n/a 210 n/a Communist Movement–Organization of Communist Left (MC–OIC) 86,792 0.53 n/a 59 n/a Galician National-Popular Bloc (BNPG) 78,216 0.48 n/a 258 n/a Galician Unity (PG–POG–PSG) 69,060 0.42 n/a 141 n/a National Union (UN) 61,889 0.38 n/a 122 n/a Basque Country Left (EE) 59,332 0.36 n/a 84 n/a Regionalist Aragonese Party (PAR) 58,661 0.36 n/a 276 n/a Canarian People's Union (UPC) 55,779 0.34 n/a 30 n/a Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (historical) (PSOEh) 26,585 0.16 n/a 45 n/a Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC) 23,870 0.15 n/a 81 n/a Revolutionary Communist League (LCR) 18,390 0.11 n/a 7 n/a Valencian Regional Union (URV) 18,015 0.11 n/a 2 n/a Cantonal Party (PCAN) 14,753 0.09 n/a 7 n/a Communists of Catalonia (ComC) 14,529 0.09 n/a 0 n/a Independent Councillors for La Rioja (CIR) 13,580 0.08 n/a 147 n/a Navarrese People's Union (UPN) 12,305 0.07 n/a 10 n/a Socialist Party of National Liberation (PSAN) 10,907 0.07 n/a 5 n/a Nationalist Party of the Valencian Country (PNPV) 10,773 0.07 n/a 12 n/a Communist Unification of Spain (UCE) 9,908 0.06 n/a 4 n/a Candidates for Democracy (CPLD) 9,778 0.06 n/a 77 n/a Carlist Party (PC) 9,548 0.06 n/a 9 n/a Electoral Group of Ceuta for a Democratic City Council (AECAD) 8,855 0.05 n/a 12 n/a Free Electoral Group of Tenerife (AL) 8,815 0.05 n/a 4 n/a Socialist Party of Mallorca (PSM) 8,123 0.05 n/a 11 n/a Republican Left (IR) 7,661 0.05 n/a 5 n/a Leonese Peasants Electoral Group (AECL) 7,496 0.05 n/a 112 n/a Spanish Communist Workers' Party (PCOE) 7,400 0.05 n/a 1 n/a Neighbours' Assembly (AV) 6,994 0.04 n/a 2 n/a Navarrese Left Union (UNAI) 6,604 0.04 n/a 31 n/a Spanish Ruralist Party (PRE) 5,023 0.03 n/a 78 n/a Majorera Assembly (AM) 4,789 0.03 n/a 31 n/a Socialist Party of Menorca (PSM) 4,045 0.02 n/a 8 n/a Others (lists at <0.05% not securing any provincial or island seat) 1,674,567 10.20 n/a 14,422 n/a Blank ballots 20,038 0.12 n/a Total 16,415,695 100.00 67,505 n/a Valid votes 16,415,695 98.76 n/a Invalid votes 234,400 1.24 n/a Votes cast / turnout 16,650,095 62.62 n/a Abstentions 9,940,918 37.38 n/a Registered voters 26,591,013 Sources
City control The following table lists party control in provincial capitals (highlighted in bold), as well as in municipalities above 75,000.