Bill proposes changes to Spain's electoral law on seats, Senate and debates

Automatic summary, not yet reviewed

1. The bill, introduced by the Ciudadanos parliamentary group, wants votes to translate into Congress seats more proportionally. To do this, it reduces the minimum number of deputies per province and switches the seat allocation formula to a largest-remainder system.
2. For the Senate, it proposes smaller districts that each elect one senator, using a single transferable vote system (voters rank candidates by preference), so each territory has a clear reference senator.
3. Provincial council members would be elected by universal, direct and secret suffrage, in a separate ballot from town councilors, instead of the current indirect system among councilors.
4. At least two televised debates between the parties running in elections would be mandatory, broadcast on the public channel, which must share the signal with anyone who requests it.
5. It tightens rules on opinion polls: mandatory technical details, disclosure of the pollster's clients, higher fines and prison terms for anyone who falsifies polls. The blackout period before voting is cut to the two days before election day.
6. Elections triggered by the end of a term would by default be held on the sixth Sunday after the term expires, avoiding Christmas and Easter week, and blocking or delaying the election decree would carry prison terms. Parties could also ask the AIReFAIReF Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility, an independent public body that reviews public finances. to assess the economic programs in their platforms.

Who it affects

• Political parties and candidates: New rules on gender-balanced candidate lists, mandatory debates, a joint mailing of ballots and program evaluation by the AIReF.
• Voters: Their vote would count more proportionally in Congress, and they would elect a reference senator per territory by ranked preference.
• Provincial councils (diputaciones provinciales): Their members would be elected directly by citizens, with their own subsidies and spending limits.
• Pollsters and media outlets: Fines from €1,000 to €100,000 and, for falsification, prison terms and disqualification.
• Public officials and officeholders: Fugitives from justice would be barred from office, and blocking or delaying an election call would carry prison terms.

Words worth knowing

Voto único transferible (single transferable vote)

A system where voters rank candidates by preference and, if no one reaches a majority, votes from the lowest-ranked candidate are transferred until someone does.

Fórmula de restos mayores (largest remainder method)

A seat allocation method that gives leftover seats to parties with the largest remainders when votes are divided, more proportional than the current one.

Silencio demoscópico (poll blackout)

The period before an election when publishing opinion polls is banned.

AIReF

Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility, an independent public body that reviews public finances.

Circunscripción electoral (electoral district)

The territory (for example, a province) that is assigned seats and within which votes are counted.

It summarizes the text as it was introduced. It is written by artificial intelligence and may contain mistakes: the official text is what counts. Read the official text · How we make summaries