Castilla y Leon called 10 regional elections since its 1983 constitution. Therefore, the Cortes will be able to open the 11th legislative branch with the result of the elections held on February 13th 2022. The popular won all votes, except two. The Socialist Party won the first election in 1983 with 42 seats. This was one less than it required to govern. Demetrio Madrid was elected the first democratic regional president in Castilla y Leon thanks to the agreement between the Socialists and the Liberal Democratic Party. His bench mate Constantino Nalda took over the presidency after his resignation in 1986.
This is how Cortes de Castilla y Leon’s map has changed since 1983, when the first regional elections were held.
This was the first victory for the popular with Alianza Popular. In 1989, this formation was reorganized and became the current Popular Party. Jose Maria Aznar, the first popular president in Castilla y Leon since 1987, signs a pact to the Democratic and Social Center. The third round of 1991’s regional elections marks the beginning of the stage for absolute leadership by the PP. Party chains form a series absolute majorities that culminates in 2019, when it is outnumbered in the PSOE.
The Socialist Party has now won the most votes in regional elections for the second time in its history. This includes 35 additional attorneys. The PSOE is still in the lead but it’s not enough to govern. It needs to make a coalition agreement. The Ciudadanos young party gains unprecedented prominence. Its 12 lawyers are the core of the government. Initially, the party was open for dialogue with socialists. But the community negotiations combined with national ones led to Ciudadanos, a party that was founded with the goal of renewing institutions, reaching an agreement with PP to remain in power and to continue to lead the regional courts.
Jose Maria Aznar and Demetrio Madrid, during his inauguration. / Patricio Cacho / J. Alvarez del Campo
Castilla y Leon is a victim of depopulation in all its areas. The 1983 elections saw a total of 84 attorneys. However, the decline in the number registered attorneys has resulted in a decrease of representatives. There were 83 attorneys in Courts in 1999 with the loss by Leon and 82 in 2003 following the decline in population in Zamora. Segovia also added another representative to the Valladolid constituency in 2007. Castilla y Leon reclaimed its original 84 attorneys during the 2011 and 2015 elections.
2019 will see a decrease in population of over 16,600 people, which means that three prosecutors from the districts of Leon Segovia, Salamanca and Leon will be lost.
Since the first elections in Castilla y Leon, when there were only three lawyers, the participation of women has increased. The average number of women who serve in the Courts is still below 50%. However, this percentage has increased to 40% since 2007. This is considered a balanced composition according to the Equality Law. Castilla y Leon, Castilla La Mancha, Cantabria, and Extremadura are the only three Spanish communities with the lowest percentage of women in their regional parliaments, according to the National Institute of Statistics (INE).
The Cortes of Castilla y Leon has 557 members. There have been many changes in the compositions of the parliamentary committees over the years. This complete list includes all regional representatives that have been part in the government of Castilla y Leon through history. It will soon include new names.
