1984 Catalan regional election
The 1984 Catalan regional election was held on Sunday, 29 April 1984, to elect the 2nd Parliament of the autonomous community of Catalonia. All 135 seats in the Parliament were up for election.
Overview
Electoral system
The Parliament of Catalonia was the devolved, unicameral legislature of the autonomous community of Catalonia, having legislative power in regional matters as defined by the Spanish Constitution and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy, as well as the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a President of the Government. Voting for the Parliament was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen, registered in Catalonia and in full enjoyment of their political rights.The 135 members of the Parliament of Catalonia were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with a threshold of 3 percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Parties not reaching the threshold were not taken into consideration for seat distribution. Additionally, the use of the D'Hondt method might result in an effective threshold over three percent, depending on the district magnitude. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida and Tarragona. Each constituency was allocated a fixed number of seats: 85 for Barcelona, 17 for Gerona, 15 for Lérida and 18 for Tarragona.
The electoral law provided that parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors were allowed to present lists of candidates. However, groupings of electors were required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of the electors registered in the constituency for which they sought election—needing to secure, in any case, the signature of 500 electors—. Electors were barred from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to take part jointly at an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within fifteen days of the election being called.
Election date
The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expired four years after the date of its previous election, unless it was dissolved earlier. The President of the Government was required to call an election fifteen days prior to the date of expiry of parliament, with election day taking place within sixty days after the call. The previous election was held on 20 March 1980, which meant that the legislature's term would have expired on 20 March 1984. The election was required to be called no later than 5 March 1984, with it taking place on the sixtieth day from the call, setting the latest possible election date for the Parliament on Friday, 4 May 1984.The Parliament of Catalonia 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 Parliament was to be automatically dissolved and a snap election called.
Parties and leaders
Below is a list of the main parties and coalitions which contested the election:Opinion polls
The tables below lists 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 given poll.;Voting intention estimates
The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. When available, seat projections are also displayed below the voting estimates in a smaller font; 68 seats were required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.
;Voting preferences
The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.
;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 | ||||||
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Other/ None | Lead | ||||||
| CIS | 23–25 Apr 1984 | 2,281 | 70.0 | 14.1 | 0.3 | 0.8 | 1.0 | 0.4 | 13.3 | 55.9 |
| CIS | 15 Apr 1984 | 2,385 | 41.4 | 22.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.9 | 0.2 | 32.7 | 19.4 |
| CIS | 10 Apr 1984 | 1,044 | 42.0 | 27.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | – | 25.0 | 15.0 |
| DYM/CIS | 1 Apr 1984 | 2,271 | 42.1 | 22.7 | 2.2 | 0.8 | 2.3 | 0.2 | 29.7 | 19.4 |
| CIS | 1 Mar 1984 | 2,466 | 41.3 | 19.3 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 2.6 | – | 35.0 | 22.0 |
| Metra Seis/CIS | 1 Jan 1984 | 2,101 | 38.0 | 23.0 | 2.0 | 1.0 | 4.0 | – | 31.0 | 15.0 |
| CIS | 1 Nov 1983 | 1,680 | 33.0 | 33.0 | – | – | – | 6.0 | 28.0 | Tie |
| DYM/CIS | 1 Sep 1983 | 2,198 | 28.9 | 43.9 | – | – | – | 7.9 | 19.3 | 15.0 |
;Preferred President
The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become President of the Government of Catalonia.