1919 Spanish general election

1919 Spanish general election

1 June 1919 (Congress)[a] 15 June 1919 (Senate)
All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies and 180 (of 360) seats in the Senate 205 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies
Registered	3,799,428
Turnout	2,439,463 (64.2%)
First party Second party Third party   Leader Eduardo Dato Antonio Maura Marquis of Alhucemas Party Conservative Maurist–Ciervist Liberal Democratic Leader since 1913 1913 1913 Leader's seat Vitoria Palma Senator for life Last election 104 D · 47 S 51 D · 15 S[b] 89 D · 42 S Seats won 95 D · 54 S 105 D · 38 S 51 D · 26 S Seat change 9 D · 7 S 54 D · 23 S 38 D · 16 S   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Count of Romanones Santiago Alba Francesc Cambó Party Romanonist Liberal Left Regionalist Leader since 1912 1917 1917 Leader's seat Guadalajara Albuñol Barcelona Last election 40 D · 23 S 33 D · 17 S 22 D · 8 S Seats won 41 D · 22 S 31 D · 10 S 14 D · 7 S Seat change 1 D · 1 S 2 D · 7 S 8 D · 1 S
Prime Minister before election Antonio Maura Maurist Prime Minister after election Joaquín Sánchez de Toca Conservative

A general election was held in Spain on 1 June 1919 (for the Congress of Deputies),^[a] and on 15 June 1919 (for the Senate), to elect the members of the 18th Cortes under the Spanish Constitution of 1876, during the Restoration period. All 409 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.

The inconclusive 1918 election had resulted in the formation of a national unity government under Antonio Maura, the "National Government" (Gobierno Nacional), including all Liberal and Conservative factions and the Regionalist League. This cabinet was short-lived: the end of World War I, together with personal animosities between regionalist Francesc Cambó (then Development minister) and liberal leftist Santiago Alba (Public Instruction minister) and internal opposition from Eduardo Dato's Conservatives, led to its collapse in November 1918.^[2] It was briefly replaced by a government led by the Marquis of Alhucemas, but this lasted for only one month as it failed to pass a State budget and the Commonwealth of Catalonia started a Catalan autonomist campaign by presenting a draft statute of autonomy to the Cortes. The Count of Romanones was then appointed as prime minister of a single-party government, having to face off the La Canadenca strike which forced him to pass the eight-hour working day and ultimately led—through pressure from the Defence Juntas—to his dismissal by King Alfonso XIII. Re-appointed to the post by the King, Maura formed a predominantly Maurist–Ciervist cabinet in April 1919, but his own inability to secure parliamentary support led to the Cortes's dissolution.

In the snap election that ensued, the parties supporting Maura's government failed to secure an overall majority, as the caciquist networks of the decaying turno system still favoured the various warring factions of the two dynastic parties. The Datists emerged as the largest faction in a fragmented hung parliament, and the failure of Maura's subsequent attempt to form a coalition government with Eduardo Dato led to a Conservative minority with Joaquín Sánchez de Toca as prime minister.

Following the Bourbon Restoration in 1874, the Spanish Constitution of 1876 enshrined Spain as a semi-constitutional monarchy, awarding the monarch—under the royal prerogative—the right of legislative initiative together with the bicameral Cortes; the capacity to veto laws passed by the legislative body; the power to appoint government members (including the prime minister); the ability to grant or deny parliamentary dissolution, the adjournment of legislative sessions and the signature of royal decrees; as well as the title of commander-in-chief of the armed forces.^[3][4] The monarch would play a key role in the turno system by appointing and dismissing governments, which would then organize elections to provide themselves with a parliamentary majority. This informal system allowed the two major "dynastic" political parties at the time, the Conservatives and the Liberals—characterized as oligarchic, elite parties with loose structures dominated by internal factions, each led by powerful individuals—to alternate in power by means of electoral fraud (pucherazo). This was achieved by assigning candidates to districts before the elections were held (encasillado), then arrange their victory through the links between the Ministry of Governance and the territorial clientelistic networks of provincial governors and local bosses (the caciques), excluding minor parties from the power sharing.^[5][6]

Under the 1876 Constitution, the Spanish Cortes were conceived as "co-legislative bodies", forming a nearly perfect bicameral system.^[7] Both the Congress of Deputies and the Senate exercised legislative, oversight and budgetary functions, sharing almost equal powers, except in budget laws (taxation and public credit)—whose first reading corresponded to Congress—and in impeachment processes against government ministers, where Congress handled indictment and the Senate the trial.^[8][9]

The term of each chamber of the Cortes—the Congress and one-half of the elective part of the Senate—expired five years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier.^[10] The previous elections were held on 24 February 1918 for the Congress and on 10 March 1918 for the Senate, which meant that the chambers' terms would have expired on 24 February and 10 March 1923, respectively.

The monarch had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election.^[11] There was no constitutional requirement for concurrent elections to the Congress and the Senate, nor for the elective part of the Senate to be renewed in its entirety except in the case that a full dissolution was agreed by the monarch. Still, there was only one case of a separate election (for the Senate in 1877) and no half-Senate elections taking place under the 1876 Constitution.

The Cortes were officially dissolved on 2 May 1919, with the corresponding decree—issued on 10 May—setting election day for 1 June (Congress) and 15 June 1919 (Senate) and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 24 June.^[12]

Voting for the Congress of Deputies was based on universal manhood suffrage, comprising all Spanish national males over 25 years of age with full civil rights, provided they had two years of residence in a Spanish municipality and were not enlisted ranks in active duty. It was compulsory, excepting those over 70, the clergy and—within their territories—trial judges and public notaries.^{[13][14][15][16]} Additional restrictions excluded those deprived of political rights or barred from public office by a final sentence, criminally imprisoned or convicted, legally incapacitated, bankrupt, public debtors, and homeless.^[17]

The Congress of Deputies had one seat per 50,000 inhabitants. Of these, those corresponding to larger urban areas were elected in multi-member constituencies using partial block voting: voters in constituencies electing ten seats or more could choose up to four candidates less that seats at stake; in those with between eight and ten seats, up to three less; in those with between four and eight seats, up to two less; and in those with between one and four seats, up to one less. The remaining seats were elected in single-member districts by plurality voting and distributed among the provinces of Spain according to population.^[18][19] Candidates in uncontested seats were automatically elected.^[20][21][c]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, 311 single-member districts were established, and each Congress multi-member constituency (a total of 28, electing 98 seats) was entitled the following seats:^[22]

Voting for the elective part of the Senate was based on censitary suffrage, comprising Spanish male householders of voting age, residing in a Spanish municipality, with full political and civil rights, who met either of the following:^[23]

• Being qualified electors (such as archbishops, bishops and cathedral chapter members, in the archdioceses; full academics, in the royal academies; university authorities and professors, in the universities; or provincial deputies);
• Being elected as delegates (either by members with three years of seniority (in the economic societies of Friends of the Country; or by major taxpayers for direct taxes and local authorities, in the local councils).

180 Senate seats were elected using indirect, two-round majority voting. Delegates chosen by local councils—each of which was assigned an initial minimum of one delegate, with one additional delegate for every six councillors—voted for senators together with provincial deputies. The provinces of Barcelona, Madrid and Valencia were allocated four seats each, and the rest three each, for a total of 150. The remaining 30 seats were allocated to special institutional districts (one each), including major archdioceses, royal academies, universities, and economic societies,^[d] each elected by their own qualified electors or delegates.^[24][25] Another 180 seats consisted of senators in their own right (such as the monarch's offspring and the heir apparent once coming of age (16), grandees of Spain with an income of Pts 60,000, certain general officers—captain generals and admirals—the Patriarch of the Indies and archbishops, and the heads of higher courts and state institutions^[e] after two years of service), as well as senators for life directly appointed by the monarch.^[26]

The law provided for by-elections to fill vacant seats during the legislative term.^[27]

For the Congress, secular Spanish males of voting age, with full civil rights, could run for election. Causes of ineligibility applied to those excluded from voting or meeting any of the incompatibility rules for deputies, as well as to:^[28]

• Public contractors, within their relevant territories;
• Holders of a number of territorial posts (such as government-appointed positions, not including government ministers and Central Administration employees; local and provincial employees; and provincial deputation members), within their areas of jurisdiction, during their term of office and up to one year afterwards.
• Servants in the judiciary or the prosecution ministry.

Additionally, candidates were required to either have previously served as deputies or be nominated by two current or former senators (or same-province deputies); three current or former provincial deputies (from the same province); or at least one twentieth of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from nominating more than one candidate (except in multi-member constituencies, which used the same partial block voting system for nominations as for elections).^[29]

For the Senate, eligibility was limited to Spanish males over 35 years of age not under criminal prosecution, disfranchisement nor asset seizure, and who either qualified as senators in their own right or belonged (or had belonged) to certain categories:^[30]

• Provided an income of Pts 7,500: the presidents of the Senate and the Congress; deputies serving in three different congresses or eight terms; government ministers; bishops; grandees of Spain not eligible as senators in their own right; and various senior officials after two years of service (such as certain general officers—lieutenant generals and vice admirals—and members of higher courts and state institutions);^[e] heads of diplomatic missions abroad (ambassadors after two years, and plenipotentiaries after four); heads and full academics in the royal academies; chief engineers; and full professors with four years of service;
• Provided an income of Pts 20,000 or being taxpayers with a minimum quota of Pts 4,000 in direct taxes (paid two years in advance): Spanish nobility; and former deputies, provincial deputies or mayors in provincial capitals or towns over 20,000;
• Having served as senators before the promulgation of the 1876 Constitution.

Other ineligibility provisions for the Senate also applied to a number of territorial officials within their areas of jurisdiction, during their term of office and up to three months afterwards; public contractors; tax collectors; and public debtors.^[31]

Incompatibility rules barred combining:^[32]

• The role of senator with other legislative roles (deputy, senator and local councillor, except those in Madrid; and provincial deputies within their respective provinces); or with any public post not explicitly permitted under Senate eligibility requirements;
• The role of deputy with any other civil, military or judicial post, with exceptions—and as many as 40 deputies allowed to simultaneously benefit from these—including a number of specific posts based in Madrid, such as any of the aforementioned ones (provided a public salary of Pts 12,500); senior court officials; university authorities and professors; chief engineers; and general officers.

← Summary of the 1 June 1919 Congress of Deputies election results →

Parties and alliances		Popular vote		Seats
		Votes	%	A.29	Cont.	Total
	Maurist Party–Ciervist Conservatives (PM–CC)			16	89	105
	Conservative Party (PC)			29	66	95
	Liberal Democratic Party (PLD)			13	38	51
	Romanonist Liberals (PL)			10	31	41
	Liberal Left (IL)			4	27	31
	Republican–Socialist Conjunction (CRS)			2	13	15
	Regionalist League (LR)			1	13	14
	Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)			1	7	8
	Reformist Party (PRef)			2	5	7
	Catalan Republican Party (PRC)			1	4	5
	Basque Nationalist Communion (CNV)			0	5	5
	Agrarian Liberal Party (PLA)			1	3	4
	Radical Republican Party (PRR)			1	3	4
	Zamorist Liberals (LZ)			0	4	4
	Autonomist Monarchist Federation (FMA)			0	2	2
	Integrist Party (PI)			0	1	1
	Nationalist Democratic Federation (FDN)			0	1	1
	Aragonese Union (UA)			0	1	1
	Independents (INDEP)			2	13	15
Total				83	326	409
Votes cast / turnout		2,439,463	64.21
Abstentions
Registered voters		3,799,428
Sources[a][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40]

← Summary of the 15 June 1919 Senate of Spain election results →

Parties and alliances		Seats
	Conservative Party (PC)	54
	Maurist Party–Ciervist Conservatives (PM–CC)	38
	Liberal Democratic Party (PLD)	26
	Romanonist Liberals (PL)	22
	Liberal Left (IL)	10
	Regionalist League (LR)	7
	Traditionalist Communion (Jaimist) (CT)	4
	Basque Nationalist Communion (CNV)	2
	Agrarian Liberal Party (PLA)	2
	Integrist Party (PI)	2
	Zamorist Liberals (LZ)	1
	Independents (INDEP)	3
	Archbishops (ARCH)	9
Total elective seats		180
Sources[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]

• Encasillado

Legislation

Other