1998 PSOE prime ministerial primary
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| Registered | 383,462 | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnout | 207,774 (54.2%) | ||||||||||||
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A primary election was held on Friday, 24 April 1998, to elect the prime ministerial candidate of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) for the 2000 Spanish general election.
Former public works minister Josep Borrell defeated incumbent PSOE leader Joaquín Almunia in a surprise result,[1][2] but the latter remained as the party's secretary general in order to prevent an extraordinary congress,[3][4] a situation prompting a "bicephaly" (duumvirate) which would see both Borrell and Almunia clashing for months on party direction and strategy issues.[5][6][7]
Borrell would renounce as candidate in May 1999 after it was unveiled that two former aides were involved in a judicial investigation for tax fraud,[8][9] leaving a vacancy that resulted in Almunia being proclaimed as candidate without opposition.[10][11]
Background
[edit]The 1997 PSOE congress had seen the retirement of long-lasting leader Felipe González and his support to former several times minister Joaquín Almunia as the party's secretary-general,[12][13] but this had been perceived as a rushed process poorly received by party members, with other potential candidates such as former public works minister Josep Borrell having been sidelined for the sake of party unity in the wake of González's surprise farewell.[14][15][16] In response, Almunia promised that the party's candidate for prime minister of Spain in the next general election would be elected through primaries—to be held in the first semester of 1998[17][18]—a proposal that had been voted and approved in the party congress in June 1997 but that was met with skepticism or outright opposition from PSOE regional leaders.[19]
Candidates
[edit]| Candidate | Age | Notable positions | Announced | Eliminated | Ref. | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Elected[edit] | ||||||
| Candidate elected as prime ministerial candidate. | ||||||
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50 | Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Barcelona (since 1986) Minister of Public Works, Transport and Environment of Spain (1993–1996) Minister of Public Works and Urbanism of Spain (1991–1993) Secretary of State of Finance of Spain (1984–1991) Secretary-General of Budget and Public Expenditure of Spain (1982–1984) City Councillor of Majadahonda (1979–1983) |
21 March 1998 |  Elected
|
[20] | |
Proclaimed[edit] | ||||||
| Candidates who met the endorsement requirement and were officially proclaimed to contest the party primary. | ||||||
.jpg) |
49 | Spokesperson of the PSOE Group in the Congress of Deputies (since 1994) Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Madrid (since 1979) Minister for Public Administrations (1986–1991) Minister of Labour and Social Security (1982–1986) |
21 March 1998 | 24 April 1998 | [21] [22] | |
Declined
[edit]The individuals in this section were the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy, but publicly denied or recanted interest in running:
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- Felipe González (age 56) – Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Madrid (since 1977); Secretary-General of the PSOE (1974–1979 and 1979–1997); Prime Minister of Spain (1982–1996); President pro tempore of the Council of the European Union (1989 and 1995); Spokesperson of the PSOE Group in the Congress of Deputies (1977–1979).[23][24]
Endorsements
[edit]Candidates seeking to run were required to collect the endorsements of either at least 7% of party members, 15% of federal committee members, a majority of the federal executive or a majority of the territorial council.[25]
| Candidate | Party members | Federal committee | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % T | % V | Count | % T | % V | ||
| Joaquín Almunia | 50,170 | 13.08 | 100.00 | Not applicable | |||
| Josep Borrell | Not applicable | 65 | 31.55 | 100.00 | |||
| Total | 50,170 | 65 | |||||
| Valid endorsements | 50,170 | 13.08 | 65 | 31.55 | |||
| Not endorsing | 333,292 | 86.92 | 141 | 68.45 | |||
| Total members | 383,462 | 206 | |||||
| Sources[26] | |||||||
Opinion polls
[edit]Poll results are listed in the tables below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first, and using the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. If such date is unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the candidate's colour. In the instance of a tie, the figures with the highest percentages are shaded. Polls show data gathered among PSOE voters/supporters as well as Spanish voters as a whole, but not among party members, who were the ones ultimately entitled to vote in the primary election.
PSOE voters
[edit]| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
|
|
Other /None |
|
Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borrell | Almunia | ||||||
| Primary election | 24 Apr 1998 | —[a] | 55.0 | 44.7 | 0.3 | — | 10.3 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 1] | 19 Apr 1998 | ? | 24.5 | 40.2 | 21.2 | 14.1 | 15.7 |
| DECO/PSOE[p 2][p 3] | 27–28 Mar 1998 | 2,000 | 31.1 | 48.8 | 20.1 | 17.7 | |
| Opina/La Vanguardia[p 4] | 26 Mar 1998 | 83[a] | 43.4 | 33.7 | – | 22.9 | 9.7 |
| 600 | 35.7 | 37.3 | – | 27.0 | 1.6 | ||
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 1] | 26 Mar 1998 | ? | 30.6 | 43.9 | 9.5 | 16.0 | 13.3 |
| Demoscopia/El País[p 5] | 24–25 Mar 1998 | 336 | 35.0 | 40.0 | 25.0 | 5.0 | |
Spanish voters
[edit]| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size |
|
|
Other /None |
|
Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Borrell | Almunia | ||||||
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 6] | 19 Apr 1998 | ? | 17.5 | 25.7 | 40.1 | 16.8 | 8.2 |
| Vox Pública/El Periódico[p 7] | 29 Mar 1998 | 800 | 20.5 | 28.3 | 51.2 | 7.8 | |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 6] | 26 Mar 1998 | 800 | 23.1 | 30.9 | 24.9 | 21.1 | 7.8 |
| Demoscopia/El País[p 5] | 24–25 Mar 1998 | 1,200 | 29.0 | 31.0 | 40.0 | 2.0 | |
Results
[edit]Overall
[edit]| Candidate | Votes | % | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Josep Borrell | 114,254 | 55.04 | |||||
| Joaquín Almunia | 92,860 | 44.73 | |||||
| Blank ballots | 507 | 0.24 | |||||
| Total | 207,567 | ||||||
| Valid votes | 207,567 | 99.90 | |||||
| Invalid votes | 207 | 0.10 | |||||
| Votes cast / turnout | 207,774 | 54.18 | |||||
| Abstentions | 175,688 | 45.82 | |||||
| Registered voters | 383,462 | ||||||
| Sources[27][28][29] | |||||||
By region
[edit]| Region | Electorate | Turnout | Josep Borrell |
Joaquín Almunia | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |||||
| Andalusia | 107,650 | 52.25 | 24,516 | 43.59 | 31,554 | 56.10 | ||
| Aragon | 15,610 | 56.10 | 4,650 | 53.10 | 4,068 | 46.45 | ||
| Asturias | 10,270 | 65.94 | 4,583 | 67.68 | 2,180 | 32.19 | ||
| Balearic Islands | 3,813 | 54.50 | 1,171 | 56.35 | 895 | 43.07 | ||
| Basque Country | 9,176 | 61.19 | 2,746 | 48.90 | 2,845 | 50.67 | ||
| Canary Islands | 19,649 | 37.20 | 4,483 | 61.34 | 2,800 | 38.31 | ||
| Cantabria | 4,759 | 62.78 | 1,716 | 57.43 | 1,265 | 42.34 | ||
| Castile and León | 19,156 | 53.87 | 6,207 | 60.15 | 4,075 | 39.49 | ||
| Castilla–La Mancha | 26,902 | 62.34 | 6,076 | 36.23 | 10,628 | 63.37 | ||
| Catalonia | 28,947 | 62.34 | 14,925 | 82.71 | 3,050 | 16.90 | ||
| Ceuta | 507 | 35.50 | 108 | 60.00 | 72 | 40.00 | ||
| Extremadura | 21,339 | 57.50 | 6,752 | 55.03 | 5,471 | 44.59 | ||
| Galicia | 24,150 | 43.81 | 7,070 | 66.83 | 3,470 | 32.80 | ||
| La Rioja | 1,256 | 75.08 | 618 | 65.54 | 323 | 34.25 | ||
| Madrid | 21,968 | 54.95 | 7,894 | 65.39 | 4,112 | 34.06 | ||
| Melilla | 845 | 30.06 | 188 | 74.02 | 66 | 25.98 | ||
| Murcia | 20,889 | 46.35 | 5,192 | 53.63 | 4,465 | 46.12 | ||
| Navarre | 2,623 | 66.07 | 971 | 56.03 | 758 | 43.74 | ||
| Valencian Community | 39,376 | 60.02 | 13,875 | 58.71 | 9,701 | 41.05 | ||
| Europe | 1,294 | 48.07 | 231 | 37.14 | 386 | 62.06 | ||
| Americas | 3,209 | 28.30 | 282 | 31.06 | 622 | 68.50 | ||
| Other | 74 | — | ||||||
| Total | 383,462 | 54.18 | 114,254 | 54.99 | 92,806 | 44.67 | ||
Notes
[edit]References
[edit]- Opinion poll sources
- ^ a b "Los votantes del PSOE ante las primarias". El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 April 1998.
- ^ "Una encuesta del partido socialista considera a Almunia el mejor sustituto de Felipe González". El Mundo (in Spanish). 3 April 1998.
- ^ "Almunia asume el error de pedir una propuesta a la Ejecutiva y revelará hoy cuáles son sus apoyos". El País (in Spanish). 4 April 1998.
- ^ "Borrell pisa los talones a Almunia". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). 26 March 1998.
- ^ a b "Los votantes del PSOE creen que ganara Almunia". El País (in Spanish). 27 March 1998.
- ^ a b "Los ciudadanos ante las primarias del PSOE". El Mundo (in Spanish). 19 April 1998.
- ^ "Ambos aspirantes están casi empatados, según dos encuestas". El País (in Spanish). 30 March 1998.
- Other
- ^ Díez, Anabel (25 April 1998). "Borrell gana y trastoca la situación del PSOE". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "Borrell gana por 21.394 votos a Almunia en las primarias". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. 7 May 1998. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (26 April 1998). "El PSOE intenta parar la dimisión de Almunia". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (1 May 1998). "El PSOE concede a Borrell el papel de líder de la oposición y evita el congreso extraordinario". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "Almunia deja en manos del Comité Federal el reparto de papeles mientras Borrell reitera que es el líder". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. OTR Press. 17 November 1998. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "Cronología de una crisis". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. EFE. 21 November 1998. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (22 November 1998). "Borrell y Almunia ceden para evitar un congreso". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (15 May 1999). "Borrell renuncia como candidato por el escándalo de sus ex colaboradores". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (15 May 1999). "González insta a Almunia a que "ponga orden" y lidere el proceso para ganar las elecciones". El País (in Spanish). Toledo. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "El Comité Federal respalda la candidatura de Almunia". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Agencias. 24 July 1999. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (25 July 1999). "Almunia roza la unanimidad". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ "En busca de un nuevo líder". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. 21 June 1997. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (22 June 1997). "Los 'barones' colocan a Almunia en a secretaría general tras garantizarse que entran en la ejecutiva". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (22 June 1997). "El espantajo de Borrell". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Mauri, Luis (6 July 1997). "Borrell echó en falta unas 'primarias' en la elección de Almunia como líder". El País (in Spanish). Barcelona. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Sanz Díaz 2015, p. 9.
- ^ Ferrandis, Joaquín (29 November 1997). "Almunia afirma que el candidato socialista se elegirá en elecciones primarias el primer semestre de 1998". El País (in Spanish). Valencia. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (2 January 1998). "Aclamación para el candidato a presidente". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (2 January 1998). "Líderes regionales del PSOE se oponen al sistema de primarias para elegir candidatos". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 5 April 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (22 March 1998). "Borrell anuncia que disputará a Almunia la candidatura a la presidencia del Gobierno". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (12 February 1998). "Miembros del PSOE creen que Almunia condicionó su candidatura para combatir el desánimo del partido". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (22 March 1998). "Aprobados el reglamento y el calendario de las elecciones primarias". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (30 January 1998). "González descarta ser candidato del PSOE y dice que Almunia es "lo mejor" frente a Aznar". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 19 March 2025.
- ^ Díez, Anabel (14 March 1998). "Chaves, Ibarra y Bono se reunieron con González para asegurarse de que no será candidato". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Sanz Díaz 2015, p. 92.
- ^ Sanz Díaz 2015, p. 98.
- ^ "El PSOE elige al sucesor de Felipe González". Clarín (in Spanish). 24 April 1998. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ "Borrell gana por 21.394 votos a Almunia en las primarias". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. 7 May 1998. Retrieved 29 March 2025.
- ^ Sanz Díaz 2015, pp. 129 & 169.
Bibliography
[edit]- Sanz Díaz, Benito (2015). "Primarias en España. Se inicia la era posfelipista. 34 congreso PSOE. 1997. Almunia versus Borrell. 24 de abril de 1998". Elecciones primarias en España. 1993-2015 (in Spanish). Valencia: University of Valencia. hdl:10550/44646.