A general election was held in Spain from 15 to 18 January 1869 to elect the members of the Constituent in the Democratic Sexennium period. 363 of 381 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election. In the Canary Islands the election was held from 27 to 30 January, in Puerto Rico it was held from 30 May to 1 June, and in Cuba it was indefinitely postponed.
The election was the first to be held following the Glorious Revolution in September 1868, which had resulted in the overthrow of the Moderate Party from power and the exile of Queen Isabella II. A provisional government under Francisco Serrano, supported by the Progressive Party, the Liberal Union and elements from the Democratic Party, was formed to organize an election to Constituent , aiming at replacing the Spanish Constitution of 1845 with a new constitution.
The Glorious Revolution in Spain in September 1868, marking the starting point of the Democratic Sexennium, had led to the overthrow of the Moderate Party's government and the exile of Queen Isabella II, with the revolutionaries aiming for a reform of the Isabelline political system through a constituent assembly elected by universal suffrage. With the purpose of organizing this election, the Progressive Party and the Liberal Union formed a provisional government led by Francisco Serrano, Duke of la Torre, running together as part of the MonarchistâÂÂDemocratic Coalition that aimed for the establishment of a "democratic monarchy". Public enthusiasm after the revolution saw favourable conditions for a relatively free and fair election, with the government not needing to resort to electoral fraud to provide itself with a parliamentary majority.
As for the Democratic Party, following several assemblies held between October and November 1868, it decided to withdraw its support for the government after concluding that the provisions of the Pact of Ostend had been fulfilled, advocate for the establishment of a federal republic and re-establish itself as the Federal Democratic Republican Party (PRDF). A faction of the party opposed this decision and decided to opt for the "democratic monarchy" proposed by the government, becoming popularly known as the and joining the government's ticket. One of the factors that most helped the popularization of the PRDF in the country's urban areas would be its opposition to the consumption taxesâÂÂestablished in 19th-century Spain and taxing essential goodsâÂÂand the , a system of forced recruitment of young people into the Spanish Army which saw wealthier families being able to "exempt" their offspring from military service by paying a fee (the or "cash redemption") or by hiring a replacement ("substitution"). Many had hoped these would be abolished with the success of the Revolution and felt betrayed by the government's decision to uphold them.
The Carlist movement only became established as a political party in the Revolution of 1868, having previously preferred military procedures; as a result the CatholicâÂÂMonarchist Communion was formed to participate in the election, although still subordinated to the Royal Carlist Armies.
Under the Pact of Ostend and the Cádiz Manifestos, the Spanish were conceived as a constituent assembly tasked with drafting a new constitution that would replace the legal framework of the Isabelline period.
Voting for the was based on universal manhood suffrage, comprising all Spanish national males over 25 years of age with a neighborhood certificate. In the Spanish West Indies (Cuba and Puerto Rico), voting was based on censitary suffrage, comprising males of age who met at least one of the following requirements:
Additional restrictions excluded those deprived of political rights or disqualification from public office by a final court ruling, under criminal penalties or prosecution, legally incapacitated, bankrupt people, and debtors of public funds.
The Congress of Deputies had one seat per 45,000 inhabitants or fraction above 22,500. All were elected in multi-member constituencies corresponding to the provinces of Spain and the Spanish West IndiesâÂÂeach assigned a number of seats according to populationâÂÂusing plurality voting. Provinces electing six to ten seats were divided into two sub-provincial constituencies, and those electing above ten into three (with the exception of the Balearics and the Canary Islands, which were divided according to their particular circumstances); this resulted in a total of 88 multi-member constituencies. Elections in the islands of Cuba and Puerto Rico were postponed due to administrative or military reasons.
As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Congress multi-member constituency was entitled the following seats:
The law provided for by-elections to fill vacant seats during the legislative term, as long as this affected at least one third of the seats assigned to a given province.
Spanish citizens with the right to vote could run for election. Causes of ineligibility applied to holders of government-appointed posts within their areas of jurisdiction; and to holders of positions not based in Madrid. Additionally in the Spanish West Indies, ineligibility extended to those convicted of slave trade crimes. Special exemptions from ineligibility were granted to certain individuals, including holders of government-appointed posts in the province of Madrid, as long as they ran in that province; and to local mayors and deputy mayors in the Spanish West Indies.
Election day was held over four voting days: the first was used to elect polling station officials, and the remaining three were devoted to the parliamentary election itself.
The election decree was issued on 6 December 1868, setting election day for between 15 and 18 January 1869 in most of the country and from 27 to 30 January in the Canary Islands, scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 11 February. The publication of the election decree for Puerto Rico was delayed until 30 April, setting election day in the island for between 30 May and 1 June. In Cuba, elections were postponed due to the outbreak of the Ten Years' War.
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