Parliamentary elections were held in Andorra on 13 December 1979 to elect half of the members of the General Council. In constituencies where no candidate received a majority of the vote, a second round of voting on 20 December.
The elections were held alongside local elections, the last time the two elections were held on the same day.
Background In 1978 the number of parishes was increased from six to seven with the creation of Escaldes–Engordany by splitting Andorra la Vella. As the General Council had four members for each parish, it was increased in size from 24 to 28 seats.Dieter Nohlen & Philip Stöver (2010) Elections in Europe: A data handbook, p156 Supplementary elections were held in Andorra la Vella and Escaldes–Engordany in July 1978 to elect four additional members, who would serve until the regularly scheduled 1981 elections.
Electoral system All candidates had to run on lists of four candidates; although each constituency had two seats, voters had to vote for four candidates, which they could split between candidates on different lists. Any candidate receiving a majority of the vote was elected in the first round. If there were remaining seats to fill, a second round was held, in which candidates had to receive a majority of the vote to be elected. If there were still remaining seats to fill, a third round would be held in which the candidate(s) with the most votes would be elected.
Results No candidates were nominated in Sant Julià de Lòria. As a result, the municipal councillors of the parish elected two of their own members to the General Council.La Vanguardia. 11 December 1979. p. 37
A second round was only required in Canillo.
Elected members ConstituencyElected membersAndorra la VellaJaume Bartomeu CanturriEduard Rosell PujalCanillo EncampPere MarsenyachJosep Maria MasEscaldes–EngordanyMarcel BesolíDot MartíLa MassanaAlbert GelabertJosep MontanéOrdinoGuillem AdelachMiquel PujalSant Julià de LòriaMarc Codina TravessetEmili Grau TorSource: Avui
Aftermath The elections were the last partial renewal of the General Council, with future elections being for a full renewal of the parliament, starting with the 1981 elections.
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