1995 Extremaduran regional election

1995 Extremaduran regional election

← 1991 28 May 1995 1999 →
All 65 seats in the Assembly of Extremadura 33 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
Registered	845,728 2.5%
Turnout	662,444 (78.3%) 7.5 pp
First party Second party Third party   Leader Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra Juan Ignacio Barrero Ricardo Sosa Party PSOE PP IU–LV–CE Leader since 20 December 1982 25 September 1993 1993 Leader's seat Badajoz Badajoz Badajoz Last election 39 seats, 54.2% 19 seats, 26.8% 4 seats, 8.1%[a] Seats won 31 27 6 Seat change 8 8 2 Popular vote 289,149 259,703 69,387 Percentage 43.9% 39.5% 10.5% Swing 10.3 pp 12.7 pp 2.4 pp   Fourth party   Leader Pedro Cañada Party CEx Leader since 10 December 1980 Leader's seat Cáceres Last election 0 seats, 4.0%[b] Seats won 1 Seat change 1 Popular vote 14,452 Percentage 3.8% Swing 0.2 pp
Constituency results map for the Assembly of Extremadura
President before election Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra PSOE Elected President Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra PSOE

A regional election was held in Extremadura on Sunday, 28 May 1995, to elect the 4th Assembly of the autonomous community. All 65 seats in the Assembly were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in twelve other autonomous communities and local elections all across Spain.

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) won the election, but suffered a spectacular fall in both vote share and seats, losing the absolute majority it had maintained since 1983. On the other hand, the People's Party (PP) made great gains, winning the same 8 seats lost by the PSOE and nearing 40% of the vote. United Left (IU) obtained its best historical result to date in a regional election, with 6 out of 65 seats. The Extremaduran Coalition, an alliance of United Extremadura (EU) and the Extremaduran Regionalist Party (PREx), both of which failed to enter the Assembly in the 1991 election, entered the Assembly with 1 seat.

The Democratic and Social Centre (CDS), which had already been reduced to 3 seats in 1991, did not even stand in the 1995 election, thus losing all of its seats.

Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra was able to be re-elected for a fourth term in office thanks to the abstention of IU. Both PP and IU together commanded an absolute majority of seats and could potentially block the PSOE in the Assembly, as had happened in Andalusia.

Overview

Under the 1983 Statute of Autonomy, the Assembly of Extremadura was the unicameral legislature of the homonymous autonomous community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a regional president.^[1]

Electoral system

Voting for the Assembly was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Extremadura and in full enjoyment of their political rights, provided that they were not sentenced—by a final court ruling—to deprivation of the right to vote, nor being legally incapacitated.^[2][3][4]

The Assembly of Extremadura was entitled to a maximum of 65 seats, with the electoral law setting its size at that number. All members were elected in two multi-member constituencies—corresponding to the provinces of Badajoz and Cáceres, with each being allocated an initial minimum of 20 seats and the remaining 25 being distributed in proportion to their populations—using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional voting system, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes (which included blank ballots) being applied in each constituency. Alternatively, parties failing to reach the threshold in one of the constituencies were also entitled to enter the seat distribution as long as they ran candidates in both districts and reached five percent regionally.^[2][5]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Assembly constituency was entitled the following seats:^[6]

Seats	Constituencies
35	Badajoz
30	Cáceres

The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacated seats; instead, any vacancies that occurred after the proclamation of candidates and into the legislative term were to be covered by the successive candidates in the list and, when required, by the designated substitutes.^[7][8]

Election date

The term of the Assembly of Extremadura expired four years after the date of its previous ordinary election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the fifty-fifth day prior to the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official Journal of Extremadura (DOE).^[2][9][10] The previous election was held on 26 May 1991, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 28 May 1995.

The Assembly of Extremadura could not be dissolved before the date of expiry of parliament, except in the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot. In such a case, the Assembly was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called, with elected deputies merely serving out what remained of their original four-year term.^[9][11]

The election to the Assembly of Extremadura was officially called on 4 April 1995 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the DOE, setting election day for 28 May.^[6]

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 ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least two percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates.^[12][13]

Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:

Candidacy		Parties and alliances	Candidate		Ideology	Previous result		Gov.	Ref.
						Vote %	Seats
	PSOE	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)		Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra	Social democracy	54.2%	39		[14]
	PP	List People's Party (PP)		Juan Ignacio Barrero	Conservatism Christian democracy	26.8%	19		[15] [16] [17]
	IU–LV–CE	List United Left (IU) – Communist Party of Extremadura (PCEx) – Socialist Action Party (PASOC) – Republican Left (IR) The Greens (LV)		Ricardo Sosa	Socialism Communism	8.1% [a]	4
	CEx	List United Extremadura (EU) Extremaduran Regionalist Party (PREx) Regionalist Convergence of Extremadura (CREx)		Pedro Cañada	Regionalism	4.0% [b]	0
Not contesting
	CDS	List Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)		Tomás Martín Tamayo	Centrism Liberalism	5.7%	3

Opinion polls

The tables below list opinion polling results in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a poll.

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 33 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Assembly of Extremadura.

Color key:

  Exit poll

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size	Turnout					CEx	Lead
1995 regional election	28 May 1995	—	78.3	43.9 31	39.5 27	10.5 6	–	3.8 1	4.4
Eco Consulting/RTVE[p 1]	28 May 1995	?	?	42.3 28/30	41.2 28/30	10.9 6/8	–	–	1.1
Sigma Dos/COPE[p 1]	28 May 1995	?	?	39.7 27/29	42.2 29/31	12.0 7	–	–	2.5
Vox Pública–ODEC/Antena 3[p 1]	28 May 1995	?	?	? 29/30	? 29/30	? 5/7	–	–	Tie
CEPS/Hoy[p 2]	21 May 1995	?	?	? 26	? 28	? 9	–	? 2	?
Demoscopia/El País[p 3][p 4][p 5][p 6]	10–15 May 1995	600	?	42.8 29/31	40.5 28	10.9 6/8	–	2.1 0	2.3
CIS[p 7][p 8]	24 Apr–10 May 1995	1,198	70.8	45.6	41.3	9.3	–	2.3	4.3
Sigma Dos/PP[p 9]	20–30 Jan 1995	1,000	?	39.7 26/29	40.4 26/30	13.8 8/9	–	2.9 1	0.7
1994 EP election	12 Jun 1994	—	66.2	45.0 (31)	40.2 (28)	10.7 (6)	0.7 (0)	1.0 (0)	4.8
1993 general election	6 Jun 1993	—	80.5	51.5 (35)	35.8 (25)	7.8 (5)	2.0 (0)	1.0 (0)	15.7
1991 regional election	26 May 1991	—	70.8	54.2 39	26.8 19	7.1 4	5.7 3	2.5 0	27.4

Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size					CEx	?	N	Lead
1995 regional election	28 May 1995	—	34.0	30.6	8.2	–	3.0	—	21.1	3.4
CIS[p 7]	24 Apr–10 May 1995	1,198	41.0	25.3	5.2	0.3	1.9	20.6	4.0	15.7
CIS[p 10][p 11]	2–17 Mar 1995	1,196	35.2	21.3	10.7	0.9	2.7	22.2	4.6	13.9
1994 EP election	12 Jun 1994	—	29.8	26.8	7.1	0.5	0.6	—	33.4	3.0
1993 general election	6 Jun 1993	—	41.4	28.9	6.3	1.6	0.8	—	19.1	12.5
CIS[p 12][p 13]	13–21 Nov 1992	1,058	31.5	12.4	6.0	1.8	–	38.4	7.1	19.1
1991 regional election	26 May 1991	—	38.0	18.8	5.0	4.0	1.7	—	29.0	19.2

Victory preferences

The table below lists opinion polling on the victory preferences for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None	?	Lead
CIS[p 7]	24 Apr–10 May 1995	1,198	46.1	26.4	0.8	26.8	19.7
CIS[p 10]	2–17 Mar 1995	1,196	45.9	29.3	–	24.8	16.6

Victory likelihood

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood of victory for each party in the event of a regional election taking place.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None	?	Lead
CIS[p 7]	24 Apr–10 May 1995	1,198	43.9	24.0	0.0	32.1	19.9
CIS[p 10]	2–17 Mar 1995	1,196	42.2	27.8	–	30.0	14.4

Preferred President

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Regional Government of Extremadura.

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size			Other/ None/ Not care	?	Lead
			Ibarra PSOE	Barrero PP
CIS[p 7]	24 Apr–10 May 1995	1,198	47.5	23.9	3.0	25.6	23.6
CIS[p 10]	2–17 Mar 1995	1,196	44.6	22.0	5.6	27.9	22.6

Results

Overall

← Summary of the 28 May 1995 Assembly of Extremadura election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote			Seats
		Votes	%	±pp	Total	+/−
	Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)	289,149	43.94	−10.22	31	−8
	People's Party (PP)	259,703	39.46	+12.68	27	+8
	United Left–The Greens–Commitment to Extremadura (IU–LV–CE)^1	69,387	10.54	+2.39	6	+2
	Extremaduran Coalition (CEx)^2	25,168	3.82	−0.17	1	+1
	Independent Socialists of Extremadura (SIEx)	7,722	1.17	New	0	±0
	Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE)	1,136	0.17	−0.24	0	±0
	Democratic and Social Centre (CDS)	n/a	n/a	−5.73	0	−3
Blank ballots		5,804	0.88	+0.10
Total		658,069			65	±0
Valid votes		658,069	99.34	±0.00
Invalid votes		4,375	0.66	±0.00
Votes cast / turnout		662,444	78.33	+7.48
Abstentions		183,284	21.67	−7.48
Registered voters		845,728
Sources[18][19]
Footnotes: ^1 United Left–The Greens–Commitment to Extremadura results are compared to the combined totals of United Left and The Greens in the 1991 election. ^2 Extremaduran Coalition results are compared to the combined totals of United Extremadura and Extremaduran Regionalist Party in the 1991 election.

Popular vote

PSOE			43.94%
PP			39.46%
IU–LV–CE			10.54%
CEx			3.82%
SIEx			1.17%
PCPE			0.17%
Blank ballots			0.88%

Seats

PSOE			47.69%
PP			41.54%
IU–LV–CE			9.23%
CEx			1.54%

Distribution by constituency

Constituency	PSOE		PP		IU–LV		CEx
	%	S	%	S	%	S	%	S
Badajoz	44.4	17	38.5	14	12.1	4	2.5	−
Cáceres	43.2	14	41.0	13	8.1	2	5.9	1
Total	43.9	31	39.5	27	10.5	6	3.8	1
Sources[18][19]

Aftermath

Government formation

Investiture Nomination of Juan Carlos Rodríguez Ibarra (PSOE)
Ballot →		12 July 1995	14 July 1995
Required majority →		33 out of 65 N	Simple Y
	Yes • PSOE (31)	31 / 65	31 / 65
	No • PP (27) • IU–LV (6) (on 12 Jul)	33 / 65	27 / 65
	Abstentions • IU–LV (5) (on 14 Jul) • EU (1)	1 / 65	6 / 65
	Absentees • IU–LV (1) (on 14 Jul)	0 / 65	1 / 65
Sources[18][20][21]

Notes

1. Results for IU (7.1%, 4 seats) and LV (1.0%, 0 seats) in the 1991 election.
2. Results for EU (2.5%, 0 seats) and PREx (1.5%, 0 seats) in the 1991 election.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "El PP se impuso en diez comunidades". Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). 29 May 1995.
2. "Los sondeos predicen una amplia victoria del PP en las autonómicas". Diario de Navarra (in Spanish). 22 May 1995.
3. "El PP será la fuerza más votada en 12 comunidades". El País (in Spanish). 20 May 1995.
4. "Rodríguez Ibarra se salva de la quema". El País (in Spanish). 20 May 1995.
5. "Mañana, previsiones para las municipales". El País (in Spanish). 20 May 1995.
6. "El PP gana en doce autonomías y el PSOE sólo en Extremadura, según un sondeo". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 21 May 1995.
7. "Preelectoral Comunidad Autónoma de Extremadura (Estudio nº 2168. Abril-Mayo 1995)". CIS (in Spanish). 10 May 1995.
8. "Estudio CIS nº 2168. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 10 May 1995.
9. "El PP ganaría las elecciones autonómicas en Extremadura si se celebraran mañana". ABC (in Spanish). 8 February 1995.
10. "Situación social y política de Extremadura (I) (Estudio nº 2146. Marzo 1995)". CIS (in Spanish). 17 March 1995.
11. "Estudio CIS nº 2146. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 17 March 1995.
12. "Opinión pública y cultura política en las Comunidades Autónomas. Extremadura (Estudio nº 2035. Noviembre 1992)". CIS (in Spanish). 21 November 1992.
13. "Estudio CIS nº 2035. Ficha técnica". CIS (in Spanish). 21 November 1992.

Other

1. Statute (1983), art. 19.
2. Statute (1983), art. 21.
3. LEEx (1987), art. 2.
4. LOREG (1985), arts. 2–3.
5. LEEx (1987), arts. 17–19.
6. Decreto del Presidente 12/1995, de 3 de abril, por el que se convocan elecciones a la Asamblea de Extremadura (PDF) (Decree 12/1995). Official Journal of Extremadura (in Spanish). 3 April 1995. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
7. LEEx (1987), arts. 19 & 26.
8. LOREG (1985), arts. 46 & 48.
9. LEEx (1987), arts. 22–23.
10. LOREG (1985), art. 42 & add. prov. 5.
11. Statute (1983), art. 34.
12. LEEx (1987), arts. 25–26.
13. LOREG (1985), art. 44.
14. Clemente Simón, Jeremías (25 April 1994). "Rodríguez Ibarra expulsará a quienes se falten al respeto". El País (in Spanish). Badajoz. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
15. "Juan Ignacio Barrero, nuevo presidente regional del PP de Extremadura" (in Spanish). Mérida: Servimedia. 25 September 1993. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
16. Ruiz de Azúa, Victorino (27 September 1993). "Aznar quiere completar con los congresos regionales la refundación centrista del Partido Popular". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 24 November 2025.
17. Ruiz de Azúa, Victorino (11 November 1994). "Seis mujeres en las candidaturas del Partido Popular a las alcaldías de las principales ciudades". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 29 November 2025.
18. Lozano, Carles. "Elecciones a la Asamblea de Extremadura (desde 1983)". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 October 2025.
19. "Resolución de 1/1995, del Presidente de la Junta Electoral de Extremadura, de 5 de junio, por la que se hacen públicos los resultados del Escrutinio General y Proclamación de Diputados Electos resultantes de las elecciones a la Asamblea de Extremadura, celebrada el día 28 de mayo de 1995" (PDF). Official Journal of Extremadura (in Spanish) (68): 2782–2783. 10 June 1995. ISSN 2483-5188. Retrieved 6 December 2025.
20. Clemente Simón, Jeremías (13 July 1995). "Rechazada la investidura de Rodríguez Ibarra en la primera votación". El País (in Spanish). Cáceres. Retrieved 25 November 2025.
21. Clemente Simón, Jeremías (15 July 1995). "El socialista Rodríguez Ibarra, reelegido presidente de Extremadura". El País (in Spanish). Cáceres. Retrieved 25 November 2025.

Bibliography

• Ley Orgánica 1/1983, de 25 de febrero, de Estatuto de Autonomía de Extremadura (Organic Law 1/1983). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 25 February 1983 [version as of 25 March 1994]. BOE-A-1983-6190. Retrieved 15 November 2025.
• Ley Orgánica 5/1985, de 19 de junio, del Régimen Electoral General (Organic Law 5/1985). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 19 June 1985 [version as of 24 March 1995]. BOE-A-1985-11672. Retrieved 5 October 2025.
• Ley 2/1987, de 16 de marzo, de Elecciones a la Asamblea de Extremadura (Law 2/1987). Official State Gazette (in Spanish). 16 March 1987 [version as of 26 March 1991]. BOE-A-1987-8817. Retrieved 7 October 2025.