The general elections of November 29 will once again place a figure at the center of the accounts of the parties, the 176 seats. It is the threshold of absolute majority in the Congress of Deputies and allows the first investiture vote to be passed. However, a candidate can also become president of the Government with less support.
The difference is in the two votes contemplated by the Constitution. In the first, the support of more than half of the members of the Chamber is needed. In the second it is enough to get more votes in favor than againstwhich makes abstentions a fundamental part of any negotiation.
How many deputies are needed to have an absolute majority?
He Congress is made up of 350 deputiesas established by the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime. Therefore, the absolute majority is achieved with 176. To calculate it, the entire Chamber is taken as a reference, not only those who participate in a vote.
A party that obtains that representation can carry out the investiture with its own deputies. If you fall short, your candidate can gather the necessary votes through agreements with other parties. Support does not have to come from a single parliamentary group.
The seats of the Senate They are not added to this account. Although citizens also elect senators in general elections, the vote to grant confidence to the presidential candidate is held in Congress.
How can you be president without reaching 176 votes?
He article 99 of the Constitution establishes that, if the candidate does not obtain an absolute majority in the first vote, the same proposal is submitted again to Congress 48 hours later. In this second opportunity a simple majority is required.
This means that there is no fixed number of favorable votes that guarantees investiture in all cases. What matters is that the yeses outweigh the noes. The abstentions They do not count as support for the candidate, but they do not add to the rejection either.
For example, in a hypothetical scenario with 170 votes in favor, 165 against and 15 abstentionsthe candidate would lose the first vote because he would not have reached 176 supports. With that same result, it would surpass the second. A tie between favorable and negative votes would not be enough.
Does the party that wins the elections automatically govern?
Being the most voted force does not guarantee the presidency of the Government. The results determine the distribution of seats, but then the candidate must obtain the confidence of Congress through the investiture procedure.
After the renewal of the Chamber, the king consults the representatives of the political groups with parliamentary representation and proposes a candidate through the Presidency of Congress. He presents his program and requests the support of the deputies.
The agreements to achieve this do not necessarily imply forming a coalition government. A formation can support the investiture from outside the Executive or facilitate it by abstaining from it, without assuming ministries.
What happens if no candidate gets support
If the two votes end without an investiture, they can be processed new candidate proposals. However, the Constitution sets a limit to prevent the blockade from being prolonged indefinitely.
If they pass two months since the first investiture vote Without any candidate having obtained the confidence of Congress, the king dissolves both Chambers and calls new elections, with the endorsement of the Presidency of Congress. That period begins with the first vote, not with election day on November 29.
While the relay is completed, the Outgoing government continues in office until the new Executive takes office.