At stake in this election:

• 208 seats in the Senate (Senado)

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: King JUAN CARLOS I
• Head of Government: President of the Government Jose Maria Lopez
• Assembly: Spain has a bicameral Parliament consisting of the Senate (Senado) with 259 seats and the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) with 350 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The King is hereditary N/A.
• In the Senate (Senado), 208 members are elected by direct popular vote to serve 4-year terms and 51 members are appointed by regional legislatures. In the Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) 350 members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve 4-year terms.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE)
  • Leader: Jose Luis RODRIGUEZ ZAPATERO
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 81
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 61
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 164
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 125
• Party: People's Party (PP)
  • Leader: Mariano RAJOY
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 102
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 127
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 148
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 183
• Party: Convergence and Union (CiU)
  • Leader: Josep Antoni DURAN i LLEIDA
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 4
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 8
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 10
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 15
• Party: Catalonia's Republican Left (ERC)
  • Leader: Josep-Lluís CAROD-ROVIRA
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 12
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 8
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 1
• Party: Basque Nationalist Party (PNV)
  • Leader: Josu Jon IMAZ
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 6
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 6
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 7
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 7
• Party: United Left (IU)
  • Leader: Gaspar LLAMAZARES
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 5
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 8
• Party: Canarian Coalition (CC)
  • Leader: Paulino RIVERO
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 3
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 5
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 3
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 4
• Party: Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG)
  • Leader: Anxo QUINTANA
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 2
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: 3
• Party: We the Basque People (EA)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: N/A
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 1
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: N/A
• Party: Navarre Yes (Na-Bai)
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: N/A
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 1
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: N/A
• Party: Others
  • Leader: N/A
  • Seats won in this Senate election: 0
  • Seats won in last Senate election: N/A
  • Seats won in this Congress of Deputies election: 0
  • Seats won in last Congress of Deputies election: N/A

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 42,921,895 (2004)
• Registered Voters: 33,473,081 (2004)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 21,769,505 (2004)

·         Is Spain a signatory to CEDAW: Yes (17 July 1980)

·         Has Spain ratified CEDAW: Yes (5 January 1984)

·         Gender Quota: Yes

·         Female candidates in this election: Yes

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 126 (Congress of Deputies);66 (Senate) following the 2004 elections

·         Human Development Index Position: 26 (2014)

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: Very Low (2014)

Disability Data:

·         Is Spain a signatory to CRPD: Yes (30 March 2007): 

·         Has Spain ratified CRPD: Yes (3 December 2007)

·         Population with a disability: 6,438,284 (est.)