The University of Extremadura approves the provisional electoral regulations

The University of Extremadura has approved its Provisional Electoral Regulations, the text that will govern the election of its governing and representative bodies. The regulation is published in the Official Gazette of Extremadura number 182, dated September 21, 2026, with the reference 2026090001, and will enter into force the day following its publication. The regulations were approved by the university’s Governing Council on September 17, 2026, and bear the signature of the rector, Pedro María Fernández Salguero.

The text is processed as REGULATION 1/2026, of September 17, 2026, and develops the mandate that the university statutes, approved by Decree 163/2026, of September 9, entrust to the Governing Council in articles 117.11 and 127.1.m). The overarching framework is Organic Law 2/2023, of March 22, of the University System, which reserves the specification of the electoral regime to the statutes of each university.

The institution justifies the provisional nature due to reasons of urgency and the need to organize electoral procedures that may occur before the approval of the definitive regulations, under the first transitional provision, section 2, of the statutes. The text will remain in effect until the publication of the definitive regulations and repeals any provisions of equal or lower rank that oppose it.

What is elected and with what weight

The regulations apply to the election of eight types of bodies:

• Rector.
• University Senate (Claustro).
• Dean of the faculty and director of the school.
• Elective members of the faculty or school board.
• Department director.
• Director of the university research institute.
• Elective members of the department council.
• University student delegate and course delegates.

The university community is divided into four sectors with fixed representation percentages:

• Sector A (university teaching bodies, permanent labor faculty, university school professors, and contracted doctors): 51%.
• Sector B (remaining teaching and research staff): 12%.
• Sector C (undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral students): 25%.
• Sector D (technical, management, administration, and services staff): 12%.

In all collegiate bodies, a balanced presence between women and men is guaranteed, such that no gender exceeds 60% or falls below 40%.

Electoral administration and calendar

Electoral administration is organized through the University Electoral Commission, based at the rectorate and chaired by the holder of the general secretariat, plus four titular and substitute members for each sector chosen by lottery and appointed by the rector; their term is three years. Permanent commissions for faculties or schools, departments, and university research institutes are added, as well as polling stations for each procedure.

The standard procedure establishes 18 steps, from the call for elections to the final proclamation. The electoral campaign lasts 18 days for rector elections, nine for the cloister, and five for the rest; the day of reflection takes place the day before the vote, and the scrutiny is carried out on the same day.

Electronic voting and early voting

Electronic voting is permitted as an alternative to in-person voting with the same guarantees in any of the procedures, and it is the responsibility of the University Electoral Commission to agree on the change. Voter accreditation will be carried out through a secure and encrypted system, preferably using the Sir2 authentication protocol via RedIris, and the scrutiny requires separate keys from the presidency, the secretariat, and a member.

For those who cannot vote in person, a non-presential vote of one day’s duration is enabled on an exceptional basis, which must close at least two days before the in-person voting. Casting a vote through this channel is incompatible with voting in person afterwards.

The election of the rector and the cloister

The university cloister will consist of 300 members of the university community, distributed as 153 cloister members from sector A, 36 from B, 75 from C, and 36 from D. Student representation is renewed every academic year.

In the election of the rector, the vote is weighted by sectors with the same percentages (51%, 12%, 25%, and 12%). If no candidacy exceeds half of the valid votes after weighting, there will be a second round between the two most voted, to be held between nine and fifteen days later. With a single candidacy, more than 40% of the valid votes are required, a threshold that drops to 20% if the elections are repeated. Each candidacy may accredit two scrutineers and ten proxies.

The regulation arrives while the university community is waiting to renew its governing bodies following the entry into force of the new statutes. The first transitional provision establishes that the University Electoral Commission shall be composed of the members of the electoral board drawn by lottery on September 25, 2025, until their three-year term expires, while the rest of the commissions must be drawn and constituted within a maximum period of two months from publication. The text affects all teaching and research staff, technical, management, administration and services staff, and the student body.

Source: Official Gazette of Extremadura, number 182, of September 21, 2026, section I (official reference: 2026090001).