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Glosary of Elections terms

Glosary of Elections terms. The Parliamentary Monarchy. The Constitution provides for separation between legislative, executive and judiciary and gives institutional backing to the King as Head of State and supreme head of the Armed Forces. The Parliamentary Monarchy.

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Glosary of Elections terms

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  1. Glosary of Elections terms

  2. The Parliamentary Monarchy • The Constitution provides for separation between legislative, executive and judiciary and gives institutional backing to the King as Head of State and supreme head of the Armed Forces.

  3. The Parliamentary Monarchy • Sovereign power is held by a two-chamber Parliament, called the Cortes, whose members are elected by all of the citizens who are 18 or over, for a maximun term of four years.

  4. The Parliamentary Monarchy • The people's representatives are elected by voting from closed lists drawn up by the political parties or election coalitions, the number of deputies and senators elected for each party being in proportion to the number of votes that each list has received. The proportion is weighted in favour of the lists that receive most votes according to the so-called d'Hondt rule which allocates a larger share of the seats in Parliament to the lists that carry more votes in small constituencies.

  5. Electoral vocaburaly • ABSTENCIÓN (abstention) In Spain, unlike others countries, the vote is a right not a duty. The abstentionism ask for the non-participation to finish with the model that make the citizen a pure passive elector who is only asked one time every four years.

  6. ACCESIBILIDAD (accessibility) In this elections, and for the first time in Spanish democracy, the visual handicapped persons that had applied for it will have the possibility to shift for o.s.with the help of Braille information.

  7. CAMPAÑA (campaign) The electoral campaign began on February 22nd. Since that day and untill next March 7th, the political parties can ask openly the vote. The day before the elections is called “Día de reflexión” (reflection day).

  8. CENSO ELECTORAL (electoral roll) It is made with the municipal census. It’s a database with all person who have the right to vote. The next March 9th there will be more voters than never: 34,5 million people, almost 1% more than in 2004 elections.

  9. CONGRESO DE LOS DIPUTADOS (Congress) The Congreso de los Diputados, the lower house in the Spanish Parliament, has 350 seats. Members (diputados) are elected by proportional representation for a maximun term of four years. The house itself chooses the prime minister (Presidente del Gobierno) by majority vote and he/she is invited by the King to form the government. Next March 9th, 350 deputies will be elected for the Low Chamber. They will not be elected in a direct way, but by means of the politic parties. The electoral lists are close, so that citizens can choose the party but not the person. The new chamber will be constituted on April 1st.

  10. CORTES GENERALES The Spanish parliament consists of a lower house, the Congreso de los Diputados and an upper house, the Senado. Members of the lower house are called diputados and menbers of the Senado are senadores.

  11. GRUPO PARLAMENTARIO (Parlamentary group) It’s the way to articulate the Congress. 15 seats are required to create it. It can also been formed with 5 deputies (from one party or more) if it have been reached the 15% of the votes in a unique electoral district o the 5% in the State.

  12. INSTITUCIONES (Institutions) The 9/3 the future of others institutions is also voted, in a indirect way. These institutions of the State depend on the distribution in the Congress: Tribunal Constitucional (Constitution Court), Consejo General del Poder Judicial (Governing body of the Spanish judiciary), the “defensor del pueblo” (parliamentary commissioner or ombudsman), Consejo del Tribunal de Cuentas (Tributary Court) and Consejo de RTVE (Radiotelevisión española Council).

  13. JUNTA ELECTORAL (Electoral Junta) • There is one Electoral Junta in each electoral district, and another one in a superior status, the Junta Central, that is the upper means for the electoral Administration. It’s an independent organization that works to guarantee the transparency and objetivity in the electoral process, as well as the equality of all parties.

  14. JORNADA ELECTORAL (Electoral day) • The poll starts the 9/3 at 9.00 and ends at 20.00, although whose are inside the electoral colleges can vote.

  15. LEY D’HONT (D'Hondt rule) • It is the system to assign the seats in Parliament in a proportional way to the votes and the number of deputies in each electoral district. This rule overvalues the majorities parties to the detriment of minorities’ ones.

  16. LEY D’HONT (D'Hondt rule)

  17. PARIDAD (Parity) • Although it was first developed in the municipal elections, the parity lists are regulated by law in the general elections of 9/3: each party must have a minimun of 40% of one sex.

  18. PARTIDOS (Political Parties) • At the date of November 30th there were a total of 3021 parties in Spain. Not all of them will participate in the 9/3 elections.

  19. PRESIDENTE (President) • In contrast to other countries (such France or USA), the Spanish model it is not a presidential system. The 9/3 elections are legislative polls, in which member of the Parliament are elected. According to the seats distribution and the possible pacts between parties, the King order to one party the formation of the new government with one President of the government.

  20. PUBLICIDAD (Publicity) • There are spaces and funds to guarantee the access of all parties to the electoral publicity, and there is also a regulation about the limit of the costs, 0,37 euros per citizen (0,32 euros in 2004).

  21. SENADO (Upper Chamber) • The Senado is the Upper Chamber of the Spanish Parliament. Approximately 80% of its 264 members acquire their seats in the general elections while the remaining 20% are nominated by each of the Autonomous Regions. Like the Congreso de los Diputados, the term of office for the Senado in no longer than four years. In contrast to the Congreso, the lists for the Senado are open ones; that is, the voters can choose directly the persons even if they belong to different parties.

  22. TRIBUNAL CONSTITUCIONAL • The role of the Spanish Tribunal Constitucional is to see that the 1978 Constitution is adhered to by the organs of government. It has jurisdiction in conflicts of power between the Spanish State and the Comunidades Autónomas and between the Autonomous Communities themselves, and it also has power to safeguard the basic rights of citizens. It consists of 12 members, 4 nominated by Congress and by Senate, 2 by the Government and 2 by the governing body of the Spanish judiciary, the Consejo General del Poder Judicial.

  23. VOTO (Vote) • The vote is universal (that is, all people over 18 in full use of theirs civilian and political rights can vote), libre (nobody is obliged to vote), directo (representatives are elected by the votes) and secreto.

  24. VOTO EN BLANCO (Blank vote) • It’s a valid vote taken into account. With the white voto citizens show their indiference, or even opposition, to the parties and their programs.

  25. VOTO NULO (Invalid vote) • Wrong or non-valid vote. It has not effect in the accounting process.

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