A general election was held in Spain on 26 April 1903 (for the Congress of Deputies), and on 10 May 1903 (for the Senate), to elect the members of the 11th under the Spanish Constitution of 1876, during the Restoration period. All 403 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 180 of 360 seats in the Senate.
Since the Pact of El Pardo, an informal system known as or was operated by the monarchy and the country's two main partiesâÂÂthe Conservatives and the LiberalsâÂÂto determine in advance the outcome of elections by means of electoral fraud, often achieved through the territorial clientelistic networks of local bosses (the ), ensuring that both parties would have rotating periods in power. As a result, elections were often neither truly free nor fair, though they could be more competitive in the country's urban centres where caciquism was weaker.
Prime Minister Práxedes Mateo Sagasta's last period in power was dominated by the rise of Catalan regionalism and a string of worker strikes, as well as a number of issuesâÂÂsuch as the religious and the educational questionsâÂÂin which the government's results were mixed. A deteriorating health condition forced Sagasta's resignation on 6 December 1902, with power being handed over to Francisco Silvela and his Conservative Party; Sagasta would end up dying one month later, on 5 January. As a result, 1903 was the first election in the Restoration period not to be contested either by Sagasta or by Antonio Cánovas del Castillo, both of whom had been the regime's pillars by ensuring its duration and stability for decades. It was also the first election with Alfonso XIII as King regnant, following his coming of age and the end of his mother's regency.
The last period in power of Práxedes Mateo Sagasta (1901âÂÂ1902) saw the coming of age of King Alfonso XIII in May 1902, but also the continuation of the social and regionalist conflicts that had afflicted previous governments. A general strike in Barcelona in February 1902 was violently suppressed, while the government proved unable to address the improvement of labour conditions demanded by the working classes. Sagasta's cabinet also proved unable to resolve the religious questionâÂÂregarding a disproportionate growth in the establishment of religious congregations, considered contrary to lawâÂÂnor to tackle Catalan regionalism through decentralizing formulas, but was able to approve a major reform of the education system underwent by the Count of Romanones, public instruction minister (comprising a new study plan in secondary education, the reestablishment of academic freedom, the attribution to the State of the payment of primary school teachers and an expansion of compulsory schooling).
Sagasta tendered his resignation as prime minister two times throughout 1902âÂÂfirst to Queen Regent Maria Christina in March, then to the newly-crowned King Alfonso XIII in NovemberâÂÂbut they were both rejected. However, growing criticism from the opposition, waning support within his party and a deteriorating health condition forced his final resignation on 6 December and the entrustment of power to Francisco Silvela of the Conservative Party. Sagasta would die of bronchopneumonia one month after leaving office, on 5 January 1903, at age 77.
Under the 1876 Constitution, the Spanish were conceived as "co-legislative bodies", forming a nearly perfect bicameral system. 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)âÂÂwhose first reading corresponded to CongressâÂÂand in impeachment processes against government ministers, where Congress handled indictment and the Senate the trial.
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 municipality. Additional restrictions excluded those deprived of political rights or disqualification from public office by a final court ruling, under criminal penalties, legally incapacitated, bankrupt people, debtors of public funds, and homeless.
The Congress of Deputies had one seat per 50,000 inhabitants. Of these, 95 were elected in 27 multi-member constituencies using partial block voting: in constituencies electing eight seats or more, voters could choose up to three candidates less than the number of seats at stake; 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 308 seats were elected in single-member districts by plurality voting and distributed among the provinces of Spain according to population. Additionally, universities, economic societies of Friends of the Country and officially organized chambers of commerce, industry and agriculture, had one seat per 5,000 registered voters.
As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Congress multi-member constituency was entitled the following seats:
Voting for the elective part of the Senate was based on censitary suffrage, comprising archbishops and bishops (in the ecclesiastical councils); full academics (in the royal academies); university authorities and professors (in the universities); members with three years of seniority (in the economic societies of Friends of the Country); major taxpayers and Spanish citizens of legal age, resident householders with full political and civil rights (for delegates in the local councils); and provincial deputies.
180 Senate seats were elected using indirect, write-in, two-round majority voting. Delegates chosen by economic societies, local councils and major taxpayersâÂÂtogether with other qualified electorsâÂÂvoted for senators. 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 of Friends of the Country. Another 180 seats consisted of senators in their own right (such as the monarch's offspring and the heir apparent once coming of age, grandees of Spain with sufficient income, certain general officersâÂÂcaptain generals and admiralsâÂÂarchbishops, and the heads of higher courts and state institutions after two years of service), as well as senators for life directly appointed by the monarch.
The law provided for by-elections to fill vacant seats during the legislative term.
For the Congress, secular Spanish citizens of legal age, with full civil rights and the right to vote could run for election. Causes of ineligibility applied to contractors of public works or services within the relevant territory; and to holders of certain government-appointed posts, or provincial deputation members, during their term of office and for one year afterwards. Government ministers and civil servants in the Central Administration were exempt from these causes. Special exemptions from ineligibility were granted to certain individuals, capping at 40 the number of deputies able to benefit from these:
For the Senate, eligibility was limited to Spanish citizens over 35 years of age who were not under criminal prosecution, disfranchisement nor asset seizure, and who either qualified to be senators in their own right or belonged (or had belonged) to certain categories:
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 for up to three months afterwards; contractors of public works or services; tax collectors and their guarantors; debtors of public funds; deputies; local councillors (except those in Madrid); and provincial deputies within their respective provinces.
The term of each chamber of the âÂÂthe Congress and one-half of the elective part of the SenateâÂÂexpired five years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier. The previous elections were held on 19 May 1901 for the Congress and on 2 June 1901 for the Senate, which meant that the chambers' terms would have expired on 19 May and 2 June 1906, respectively.
The monarch had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given timeâÂÂeither jointly or separatelyâÂÂand call a snap election. 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 were officially dissolved on 26 March 1903, with the corresponding decree setting election day for 26 April (Congress) and 10 May 1903 (Senate) and scheduling for both chambers to reconvene on 18 May.
Legislation
Other