Biscay (Senate constituency)

{{About||the Congress of Deputies constituency|Biscay (Congress of Deputies constituency)|the Basque Parliament constituency|Biscay (Basque Parliament constituency)}}

{{Infobox constituency

| name = Biscay

| type = Senate of Spain
Electoral

| image = SpanishCongressDistricts(Biscay).png

| image_size = 400px

| caption = Location of Biscay within Spain

| district_label = Province

| district = Biscay

| region_label = Autonomous community

| region = Basque Country

| population = File:Green Arrow Up Darker.svg1,160,133 (2024){{cite web |url=https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2024-25973 |title=Real Decreto 1210/2024, de 28 de noviembre, por el que se declaran oficiales las cifras de población resultantes de la revisión del Padrón municipal referidas al 1 de enero de 2024 |language=es |website=Boletín Oficial del Estado |access-date=23 December 2024}}

| electorate = File:Red Arrow Down.svg942,983 (2023)

| towns = Bilbao, Barakaldo, Getxo

| year = 1977

| seats = 4

| members = {{unbulleted list

| {{Color box|{{party color|Basque Nationalist Party}}|border=darkgray}} PNV (3)

| {{Color box|{{party color|Spanish Socialist Workers' Party}}|border=darkgray}} PSOE (1)

}}

Biscay is one of the 59 constituencies ({{langx|es|link=no|circunscripciones}}) represented in the Senate of Spain, the upper chamber of the Spanish parliament, the Cortes Generales. The constituency elects four senators. Its boundaries correspond to those of the Spanish province of Biscay. The electoral system uses open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. Electors can vote for up to three candidates.

Electoral system

The constituency was created as per the Political Reform Act 1977 and was first contested in the 1977 general election. The Act provided for the provinces of Spain to be established as multi-member districts in the Senate of Spain,{{harvp|Law 1/1977|1977|loc=trans. prov. 1}}. with this regulation being maintained under the Spanish Constitution of 1978.{{harvp|Const. Esp.|1978|loc=tit. III, ch. I, art. 69}}. Additionally, the Constitution requires for any modification of the provincial limits to be approved under an organic law, needing an absolute majority in the Cortes Generales.{{harvp|Const. Esp.|1978|loc=tit. VIII, ch. II, art. 141}}.

Voting is on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprises all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights.{{harvp|LOREG|1985|loc=tit. I, ch. I, art. 2}}. The only exception was in 1977, when this was limited to nationals over 21 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political and civil rights.{{harvp|RDL 20/1977|1977|loc=tit. I, art. 2}}.{{sfn|Carreras de Odriozola|Tafunell Sambola|2005|p=1077}} Amendments to the electoral law in 2011 required for Spaniards abroad to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote ({{langx|es|Voto rogado}}),{{harvp|LOREG|1985|loc=tit. I, ch. VI, art. 75}}.{{cite web |last=Reig Pellicer |first=Naiara |date=16 December 2015 |url=http://www.cafebabel.co.uk/politics/article/spanish-elections-begging-for-the-right-to-vote.html |title=Spanish elections: Begging for the right to vote |website=cafebabel.co.uk |access-date=17 July 2017}} which was abolished in 2022.{{cite news |last=Araque Conde |first=Pilar |date=8 June 2022 |title=El Congreso acaba con el voto rogado: diez años de trabas burocráticas para los residentes en el extranjero |url=https://www.publico.es/politica/congreso-acaba-voto-rogado-diez-anos-trabas-burocraticas-residentes-extranjero.html |language=es |newspaper=Público |location=Madrid |access-date=31 July 2022}} 208 seats are elected using an open list partial block voting system, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors can vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of the 47 peninsular provinces is allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, districts are the islands themselves, with the larger—Mallorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife—being allocated three seats each, and the smaller—Menorca, Ibiza–Formentera, Fuerteventura, La Gomera and El Hierro (which comprised a single constituency only for the 1977 election), Lanzarote and La Palma—one each. Ceuta and Melilla elect two seats each.{{harvp|RDL 20/1977|1977|loc=tit. II, ch. II, art. 19 & 21}}.{{harvp|LOREG|1985|loc=tit. II, ch. III, art. 162 & 165–166}}. Until 1985, the law also provided for by-elections to fill Senate seats vacated up to two years into the legislature.{{harvp|RDL 20/1977|1977|loc=tit. III, art. 29}}.

The electoral law allows for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election are required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call—fifteen before 1985—whereas groupings of electors need to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they seek election—one permille of the electorate, with a compulsory minimum of 500 signatures, until 1985—disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. Also since 2011, parties, federations or coalitions that have not obtained a mandate in either chamber of the Cortes at the preceding election are required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies.{{harvp|RDL 20/1977|1977|loc=tit. IV, art. 30–31 & 34}}.{{harvp|LOREG|1985|loc=tit. I, ch. VI, art. 44 & tit. II, ch. V, art. 169}}.

Senators

class="wikitable" style="font-size:95%;"

bgcolor="#CCCCCC"

! colspan="3"| Senators for Biscay 1977–

colspan="3"| {{hidden begin|title=Key to parties|contentstyle=font-size:95%; border:solid 1px silver; padding:8px; background:white;}}

{{legend|{{party color|Unidas Podemos}}|U.Podemos|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend|{{party color|Podemos (Spanish political party)}}|Podemos|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend|{{party color|Spanish Socialist Workers' Party}}|PSOE|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend|{{party color|Autonomous Front}}|FA|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend|{{party color|Basque Nationalist Party}}|PNV|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend|{{party color|Union of the Democratic Centre (Spain)}}|UCD|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

{{legend|{{party color|People's Party (Spain)}}|PP|border=1px solid #AAAAAA}}

bgcolor="#CCCCCC"

! Legislature

! Election

! Distribution

Constituent

| 1977

{| style="width:5em; font-size:90%; text-align:center; font-family:Courier New;"

style="font-weight:bold"

| style="background:{{party color|Autonomous Front}}; width:75.00%; color:white;"| 3

| style="background:{{party color|Union of the Democratic Centre (Spain)}}; width:25.00%; color:white;"| 1

| 1st

| 1979