Election on Insular Councils in the Canary Islands
1. Electors of each island shall elect by universal, direct and secret suffrage in a ballot box other than the one reserved to local council elections as many insular councillors (Consejeros Insulares) as set out below:
Insular Councillors
Up to 10,000 residents 11
From 10,001 to 20,000 residents 13
From 20,001 to 50,000 residents 17
From 50,001 to 100,000 residents 21
From 100,001 onwards 1 further councillor for each 100,000 residents or fraction hereof, plus one where the result would be an even number.
2. Insular Councillors’ mandate shall be four years from the polling day, as provided by Section 42, subsection 3, of this Institutional Act.
3. The election of Insular Councillors shall take place by the procedure prescribed for the election of local councillors, each island being a constituency.
Section 44 bis of this Act shall not apply to lists of candidates in islands with a number of residents equal to or below 5,000 inhabitants.
4. Insular Councils are to be constituted at a public sitting within thirty days after polling day, with a provisional Bureau consisting of the oldest and the youngest elected councillors, as provided by Section 195 for local councils.
5. Each Insular Council shall be presided by the first candidate of the list that has polled the most votes in the insular constituency.
6. Presentation of candidates, voting system and allotment of seats must comply with the procedure prescribed for local council elections.
7. Insular Councils’ Presidents may be deposed by a censure motion according to the procedure of Section 197. Any of the insular councillors who have been heads of the electoral list of a party, federation, coalition or electors’ grouping in the constituency may be a candidate to the office of President.
Presidents of Insular Councils may further cease to hold office if they fail to win a question of confidence raised before the full Council by the procedure of Section 197 bis, where said motion is made conditional on any of the following matters:
a) The annual Budget;
b) The Insular Council’s Organizational Statute;
c) The insular plan for cooperation with municipal works and services, or
d) Adoption of the final proceedings on the insular town and country planning schemes
contemplated in town and country planning legislation.
Defeat of the motion for a vote of confidence shall entail election of a new President in the manner provided for in Section 197 bis for Mayors of localities with more than 250 inhabitants.
8. Insular Councils elections are also subject to Sections 202 and 203 of this Act on eligibility and disqualifications.
9. The State shall subsidize the election expenses incurred in Insular Councils elections according to the following rules:
a) 1,625.44 Euros for each insular councillor elected and
b) 0.65 Euros for each vote polled by every list of candidates of which one, at least, has been elected insular councillor.
10. The limit on expenses incurred in Insular Councils elections shall be the result of multiplying by 0.16 Euros the number of inhabitants of each island where the party, federation, coalition or electors’ grouping has put up a list of candidates.
11. Election subsidies under present Section shall be subject to the limits laid down in subss. 2, 3 and 4 of Section 127 of this Act.
2 AS AMENDED BY SECT. 64 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 8/1991, OF MARCH 13
3 2ND. PARAGRAPH ADDED BY 2ND ADDITIONAL DISPOSITION OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 3/2007
6 AS AMENDED BY SECT. 65 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 8/1991, OF MARCH 13
7 ADDED BY SECT. 66 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 8/1991, OF MARCH 13 AND AS AMENDED BY SECT. 4 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 8/1999, OF APRIL 21
8 RENUMERED BY SECT. 67 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 8/1991. FORMERLY 7.
9 AND 10 ADDED BY SECT. 68 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 8/1991 AND ALSO AMENDED BY SECT. 58 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 2/2011.
11 ADDED BY SECT. 5 OF INSTITUTIONAL ACT 1/2003
