2016 Southeastern United States wildfires, East Tennessee fires
As of November 17, 2016, Tennessee Division of Forestry reported 64 fires that had burned 17,734 acres. The largest was in Morgan County in the White Oak Circle area covered about 1900 acres but was contained. Another on Neddy Mountain in Cocke County had burned 1116 acres but was mostly contained.


2016 Southeastern United States wildfires, East Tennessee fires
By November 21, just 95 acres were reported still burning in Tennessee, and at least half of the state's fires were reported to be started in connection with arson.


2016 Southeastern United States wildfires, East Tennessee fires
On November 28, the Chimney Tops 2 fire in the Chimney Tops of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park spread with the aid of strong winds and dry conditions, the fire quickly broke into multiple fires and spread across the mountains above and around Gatlinburg, Tennessee. By the evening hours the fire had reached the downtown area of Gatlinburg, resulting in the evacuation of over 14,000 people, along with causing damage in and around the town. By November 29, the wildfires had claimed at least three lives. An additional four people were later confirmed dead the next day. As of December 4, the Chimney Tops 2 fire had burned 17,006 acres. A total of 14 people died and 134 others were injured in the Smoky Mountains fires, while over 2,400 structures were burned. Damages were totaled to over $500 Million.


2016 Southeastern United States wildfires, East Tennessee fires
On December 8, the burn ban was lifted for four of the 51 counties in Tennessee to aid cleanup of tornadoes that happened on November 29 in southeast Tennessee.


2016 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council election
The 2016 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council election took place on 5 May 2016 to elect members of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council in England. This was on the same day as other local elections.


2016 Southend-on-Sea Borough Council election, Result Summary
Prior to the election, three UKIP councillors left the UKIP group to sit as the Southend Independence Group. They are shown in the table as Independents.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign
The 2016 Southern Aleppo campaign was a series of military operations that started on 1 April when the Islamist rebel coalition Army of Conquest, led by the al-Nusra Front, launched a surprise offensive south of Aleppo. The main objective of the operation was to recapture territory they had lost during the large-scale government offensive in late 2015.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
In the afternoon of 1 April, rebel forces launched the offensive, targeting the strategic village of Tel el-Ais, that overlooks the Damascus–Aleppo highway. The operation started with preparatory shelling hitting the village's southwestern flank. This was followed up by a ground assault that included an attack conducted by three suicide car bombers against government positions. According to one report, the bombers did not reach their targets, while according to another, they managed to clear the way for the rebel infantry. Still, the attack on Tel el-Ais was eventually repelled. However, soon after, the rebels launched a second assault, and early on 2 April, they captured Tel el-Ais. The Al-Nusra Front claimed they ambushed government troops as they were withdrawing from the village.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
After securing the village, the rebels proceeded to attack and seize the Jabal Al-'Eiss (Mount Eiss) area, with the Army withdrawing towards Hader. Meanwhile, elsewhere along the frontline, the rebels captured the villages of Abu Ruwayl, Hawbar and Birnah as the offensive started, however they were recaptured by the military by the following morning. Among the dead on the government side from the previous two days of fighting were 12 Hezbollah fighters and three IRGC officers.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
As of early 3 April, a counter-attack had not yet started as government forces were awaiting the arrival of the final batch of ammunition and vehicles. Later in the day, a rebel source stated 100 government vehicles were seen heading towards the southern countryside of Aleppo. At 10 p.m. that evening, the Army counter-attack started and government forces reportedly captured several points on the eastern and northern perimeter of Tel el-Ais, coming to within a few hundred meters of the village. Still, by the morning, two attacks to breach the village itself had been repelled, although the main assault had not yet taken place as airstrikes continued.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
On 5 April, a Syrian Air Force plane was shot down in the area of Tel el-Ais by the Al-Nusra Front, with the pilot captured. During the day, members of the Iranian 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade reportedly arrived in Hader. For the first time since February, Russian air-strikes were conducted in the southern Aleppo countryside, in preparation for the Army counter-attack.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
Late on 5 April, the Iranian special forces, supported by Syrian Army troops, attacked the village. In the early hours of the next day, it was incorrectly claimed they recaptured Tel el-Ais. Still, pro-opposition SOHR confirmed government troops made progress in the area of Tel el-Ais. During the day, the rebels temporarily withdrew from the village due to heavy shelling before returning. Elsewhere, the military captured Zorba, but it was recaptured by the rebels one hour later. The same day, another large Army convoy arrived in the area.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
On 9 April, the rebels took control of the village of Khalidiyah, near Khan Tuman, as well as two hilltops and large parts of Zaytan, Birnah and al-Qal'ajiyyeh. Meanwhile, government forces intensified their shelling of Tel el-Ais and nearby Zorba, with over 100 mortars and rockets being fired at rebel positions, while Russian air-strikes continued.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
The next day, the military recaptured Khalidiyah and the rebels withdrew from Zaytan, Birnah and other positions they had taken during the previous 24 hours. During the rebel assault on Khalidiyah and Khan Tuman, four Iranian commandos were killed, including two members of the 65th Airborne Special Forces Brigade.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, First offensive (April 2016)
On 12 April, a new government assault on Tel el-Ais started. Before the attack, 300 rockets were launched at rebel positions in the area. Fighting also took place near Khan Tuman. The Army managed to advance and capture several hills in the area, as well as most of the village itself. However, this latest attack on Tel el-Ais was also eventually repelled, when government forces withdrew from the village after not being able to take Jabal Al-'Eiss hill. The hills that they had also seized earlier in the day were once again under rebel control.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Interlude
One week after the end of the offensive, the rebels once again launched a two-pronged attack against Khan Tuman, Zaytan and Birnah. The attack was quickly repelled, with more than 30 rebels reportedly being killed at Khan Tuman and two of their tanks being destroyed.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Second offensive (May 2016)
On 5 May, the United States and Russia agreed on a cessation of hostilities in Aleppo for 48 hours. However, fighting continued in the city and surrounding areas. The same day, the Army of Conquest militants, supported by Jund al-Aqsa and the Turkistan Islamic Party in Syria (TIP), advanced and captured the village of Khalidiyah, west of Khan Tuman and southwest of Aleppo. The rebels then launched artillery attack on Khan Tuman. During the fighting, the Army destroyed a car bomb with a rocket. Around 7 a.m. on 6 May, the rebels captured Khan Tuman, as well as five other nearby villages. In all, 62 pro-government fighters and 57 rebels were killed in the rebel assault. During the clashes, an air strike hit a heavy concentration of rebels, killing 18 fighters.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Second offensive (May 2016)
Following the capture of Khan Tuman, hundreds of government reinforcements, including Palestinian militiamen, were sent to help recapture the town. Preparations were being made for a counter-attack, with Russian air-strikes reportedly hitting rebel positions in the area. On 7 May, government troops recaptured three villages.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Second offensive (May 2016)
The counter-attack against Khan Tuman started on 8 May, and was reportedly repelled. By 11 May, the fighting in the area of Khan Tuman left 173 fighters dead on both sides and more than 300 wounded. Among those killed on the rebel side were 35 Turkistan Islamic Party members as well as a number of Uzbeks. Among pro-government dead were 55 Afghans, Iranians, Iraqis and Lebanese.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Second offensive (May 2016)
Overnight between 11 and 12 May, heavy Russian air-strikes hit rebel positions in the area of Khan Tuman.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Third offensive (June 2016)
On 3 June, a new surprise rebel offensive was started. al-Nusra suicide bombers detonated car bombs near Khan Tuman, followed by an assault with heavy armour toward pro-government positions. Ahrar al-Sham then seized the village of Maratah, capturing a large amount munitions crates, a T-62, and a fuel depot. The rebels also took over three more villages, an air defence battalion, and a weapons warehouse. By the next day, the rebels had taken control of five villages. The same day, the Sham Legion launched an anti-tank guided missile at a suspected Syrian Army position near the area, killing a Dagestani al-Qaeda commander in a friendly fire incident.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Third offensive (June 2016)
On 14 June, al-Nusra led a fresh jihadist assault in the southern Aleppo countryside, targeting the villages of Khalsah and Zeitain, controlled by a number of pro-government forces. The jihadists initially captured Zeitain, whilst heavy fighting continued in Khalsah.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Third offensive (June 2016)
On 15 June, the National Defence Forces, Hezbollah and allied forces launched a counter-attack and succeeded in recapturing the village of Zeitan, whilst also repelling the jihadist assault on Khalsah. It was reported that over 20 jihadist fighters had been killed, whilst a rebel T-72 tank and 2 BMP's were destroyed.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Third offensive (June 2016)
On 16 June, a pro-government counter-attack against Maratah was repelled.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Third offensive (June 2016)
During the night of 17 and 18 June, the jihadist rebels led by al-Nusra imposed full control over the villages of Khalsah, Zeitan and Birnah, despite suffering heavy losses, including the death of a top commander. Overall, 186 fighters on both sides were killed in the fighting over the previous four days, 100 rebels and 86 pro-government fighters.


2016 Southern Aleppo campaign, Campaign, Third offensive (June 2016)
Muhaysini visited Turkistan Islamic Party fighters before the battle and performed dua. Khan Tuman in Aleppo then came under attack by the Uyghur Turkistan Islamic Party. A picture of Muhaysini with a Turkistan Islamic Party fighter in Khan Touman was released by the Turkistan Islamic Party after the battle. They displayed weapons and munitions seized during the battle. Corpses of what the TIP labelled as "Rawafid" (Shia) fighters and pictures of "Iranian" prisoners were released by the TIP.


2016 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2016 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 24 through May 29 at Fluor Field at the West End in Greenville, South Carolina. Western Carolina University won the tournament. The annual event determines the conference champion of the Division I Southern Conference in college baseball. The tournament winner earns the league's bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. This is the last of 20 athletic championships held by the conference in the 2015–16 academic year.


2016 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament
The tournament was originally held from 1950-53, when the Southern Conference was a large conference composed of several small schools and several large schools, the latter of which would form the Atlantic Coast Conference after the 1953 season. The event was re-established in 1984 and has been held every year since. Western Carolina has claimed nine championships, the most of any school, with The Citadel close behind at eight tournament wins. Furman is the only other school current school with multiple championships, winning two. East Tennessee State, UNC Greensboro, and VMI have never won a title, although East Tennessee State and VMI returned to the conference in 2015 after over ten years in other conferences. Defending champion Mercer claimed the conference championship in its first ever appearance.


2016 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament
The tournament will be played in Greenville, which has hosted three of the past seven events.


2016 Southern Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
All nine teams will participate in the tournament, with the bottom two seeds playing a single-elimination play-in round. The winner will play the top seed, as part of the double-elimination tournament.


2016 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2016 Southern Conference Men's Basketball Tournament took place Friday, March 4 through Monday, March 7 in Asheville, North Carolina, at the U.S. Cellular Center. The entire tournament was streamed on ESPN3, with the Southern Conference Championship Game televised on ESPN2 at 9pm EST. The champion, Chattanooga, received an automatic bid into the 2016 NCAA Tournament.


2016 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
The 2016 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Tournament, was the 11th edition of the tournament. It determined the Southern Conference's automatic berth into the 2016 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Championship.


2016 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
The Mercer Bears won the SoCon title, besting the East Tennessee State Buccaneers, 4–1 in penalty kicks following a scoreless match. It was Mercer's first SoCon title.


2016 Southern Conference Men's Soccer Tournament
The tournament was hosted by the University of North Carolina Greensboro and all matches were contested at UNCG Soccer Stadium.


2016 Southern Conference Softball Tournament
The 2016 Southern Conference softball tournament was held at UNCG Softball Stadium on the campus of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, North Carolina from May 6 through May 14, 2016. Chattanooga won their eight tournament championship and earned the SoCon's automatic bid to the 2015 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. The Championship game was broadcast on ESPN3 while all other games were broadcast on the .


2016 Southern Conference Softball Tournament, Format
The SoCon Tournament takes the top 7 teams and places them in a double elimination tournament, up until the championship. Seed 1 gets a bye to the 2nd Round. The championship game is played with a winner-take-all single game format.


2016 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2016 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament was held between Thursday, March 3 and Sunday, March 6 in Asheville, North Carolina, at the U.S. Cellular Center.


2016 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
Teams are seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.


2016 Southern Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, Schedule
All tournament games are nationally televised on an ESPN network:


2016 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2016 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Tournament is the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Southern Conference to be held from October 26 to November 6, 2016. The nine match tournament will be held at campus sites, with the semifinals and final held at Taylor Stadium in Johnson City, Tennessee. The ten team single-elimination tournament will consist of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Furman Paladins are the defending tournament champions after defeating the Mercer Bears in the championship match.


2016 Southern Conference football season
The 2016 Southern Conference football season was the 95th season of college football for the Southern Conference (SoCon) and formed a part of the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season.


2016 Southern Conference football season, Preseason poll results, Preseason All-Conference Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Detrez Newsome, Jr., RB (Western Carolina)Defensive Player of the Year: Keionta Davis, Sr., DL (Chattanooga)


2016 Southern Conference football season, Regular season
Rankings reflect that of the Sports Network poll for that week.


2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by BHGbot (talk | contribs) at 12:07, 15 June 2020 (WP:BHGbot 6 (List 4): fixed sort key; WP:GENFIXES). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season
The 2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season was the 21st season of men's varsity soccer in the conference.


2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season
The UNC Greensboro Spartans are the defending regular season champions, and the Furman Paladins are the defending tournament champions.


2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season, Regular season, Results
Each team played their conference opponent twice: once home, and once away.


2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season, All-SoCon Sun awards and teams
F Fletcher Ekern, ETSUF Lewis Hawke, FurmanF Will Bagrou, MercerF Damieon Thomas, UNCGMF Serge Gomis, ETSUMF Leeroy Maguraushe, UNCGMF Jordan Duru, MercerD Chase Clack, ETSUD Kyle McLagan, FurmanD Ian Antley, MercerD Conner Antley, MercerGK Jonny Sutherland, ETSU


2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season, All-SoCon Sun awards and teams
F Joao Ramalho, ETSUF Lucas Altman, WoffordF Matthew Aurednik, WoffordMF Charlie Machell, ETSUMF Marco Ortiz, FurmanMF Connor Donohue, WoffordD Joe Pickering, ETSUD Eric Gunnarsson, UNCGD Kyle Nelson, WoffordGK Jeremy Booth, MercerGK Joe Wichmann, Wofford


2016 Southern Conference men's soccer season, All-SoCon Sun awards and teams
Javier Alberto, ETSUJoe Pickering, ETSUEmery May, FurmanRoberto Arteaga, MercerJacob Chadwell, MercerCasey Penland, UNCGLucas Altman, WoffordDredon Kelly, WoffordSam Ross, WoffordAustin Tuggle, WoffordChristian Womeldorph, Wofford


2016 Southern Illinois Salukis football team
The 2016 Southern Illinois Salukis football team represented Southern Illinois University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Nick Hill and played their home games at Saluki Stadium. They were a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference. They finished the season 4–7, 2–6 in MVFC play to finish in a three-way tie for eighth place.


2016 Southern Jaguars football team
The 2016 Southern Jaguars football team represented Southern University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Jaguars were led by fourth-year head coach Dawson Odums. The Jaguars played their home games at Ace W. Mumford Stadium and were a member of the West Division of the Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC). They finished the season 8–3, 8–1 in SWAC play to finish in second place in the West Division.


2016 Southern Kings season
In 2016, the Southern Kings participated in the 2016 Super Rugby competition, their second appearance in the competition after also playing in 2013. They were included in the Africa 2 Conference of the competition, along with  Jaguares,  Lions and  Sharks.


2016 Southern Kings season, Personnel, Coaches and management
The Kings coaching and management staff for the 2016 Super Rugby season are:


2016 Southern Kings season, Personnel, Squad
The following players were named in the Kings squad for the 2016 Super Rugby season:


2016 Southern Kings season, Log
The final standings for the 2016 Super Rugby season are:


2016 Southern Kings season, Log
The top eight teams qualified to the finals, with their final positions in the overall log determining their seedings in the Quarter Finals. The conference winners were seeded #1 to #4 for the Quarter Finals, in order of log points gained during the group stages, while the wildcards were seeded as #5 to #8 in order of log points gained during the group stages.


2016 Southern Kings season, Log
In the Quarter Finals, the conference winners hosted the first round of the finals, with the highest-seeded conference winner hosting the fourth-seeded wildcard entry, the second-seeded conference winner hosting the third-seeded wildcard entry, the third-seeded conference winner hosting the second-seeded wildcard entry and the fourth-seeded conference winner hosting the top-seed wildcard entry. The Quarter Final winners progressed to the Semi-Finals, where the highest seed to reach the Semi-Finals hosted the lowest seed and the second-seeded semi-finalist hosted the third-seeded team. The winner of the Semi-Finals progressed to the Final, at the venue of the highest-seeded team.


2016 Southern Kings season, Log
Points breakdown:* 4 points for a win* 2 points for a draw* 1 bonus point for a loss by seven points or less* 1 bonus point for scoring at least three tries more than the opponent in a matchClassification:Teams standings are calculated as follows:* Conference Leaders (i.e. conference leaders will always be ranked at the top)* Log points* Number of games won* Overall points difference* Number of tries scored* Overall try difference


2016 Southern Kings season, Matches
The Kings will play the following matches during the 2016 Super Rugby season:


2016 Southern Kings season, Player statistics
The Super Rugby appearance record for players that represented the Kings in 2016 is as follows:


2016 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team
The 2016 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team represented the University of Southern Mississippi in the 2016 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Golden Eagles played their home games at the M. M. Roberts Stadium in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, and competed in the West Division of Conference USA (C–USA). They were led by first-year head coach Jay Hopson. They finished the season 7–6, 4–4 in C-USA play to finish in third place in the West Division. They were invited to the New Orleans Bowl where they defeated Louisiana–Lafayette.


2016 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team, Schedule
Southern Miss announced its 2016 football schedule on February 4, 2016. The 2016 schedule consists of 6 home and away games in the regular season. The Golden Eagles will host C–USA foes Charlotte, Marshall, Louisiana Tech, and Rice, and will travel to North Texas, Old Dominion, UTEP, and UTSA.


2016 Southern Miss Golden Eagles football team, Schedule
The team will play four non–conference games, two home games against Savannah State from the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and Troy from the Sun Belt Conference, and two road games against Kentucky and LSU both from the Southeastern Conference (SEC).


2016 Southern Myanmar FC season
Southern Myanmar United Football Club is a Burmese football club, based at Yamanya Stadium in Mawlamyaing, Myanmar.


2016 Southern Myanmar FC season, Current Players, 2016
The squad for the 2015 2nd Myanmar National League Cup. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2016 Southern Steel season
The 2016 Southern Steel season saw the Southern Steel netball team compete in the 2016 ANZ Championship. With a team coached by Noeline Taurua, captained by Wendy Frew and featuring Jhaniele Fowler-Reid, Steel finished the season as minor premiers. However they subsequently lost the New Zealand Conference Final to Waikato Bay of Plenty Magic  and were defeated in the semi-finals by Queensland Firebirds.


2016 Southern Steel season, Players, 2016 roster
Manager: Sam StephensPhysiotherapist: Corina NgatuereBrett WoodleyStrength and conditioning: Mike JacobHenry CheethamNutritionist: Sara RichardsonMental Skills Coach:Jason McKenzieSports Science/Video Analysis: Hayden Croft


2016 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team
The 2016 Southern Utah Thunderbirds football team represented Southern Utah University in the 2016 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They were led by first-year head coach Demario Warren and played their home games at Eccles Coliseum. This was their fifth year as a member of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 6–5, 5–3 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for fourth place.


2016 Southern Vipers season
The 2016 season was Southern Vipers' first season, in which they competed in the Women's Cricket Super League, a Twenty20 competition. The side finished top of the initial group stage, therefore progressing straight to the final, where they played against Western Storm. They went on to win the final by 7 wickets with 7 balls to spare to become the inaugural winners of the WCSL.


2016 Southern Vipers season
The side represented the South of England, and was partnered with Hampshire County Cricket Club, Sussex County Cricket Club, Berkshire County Cricket Club, Dorset County Cricket Club, Oxfordshire County Cricket Club, Wiltshire County Cricket Club, the Isle of Wight Cricket Board and Southampton Solent University. They played their home matches at the Rose Bowl. Southern Vipers' coach was Nicholas Denning, and they were captained by Charlotte Edwards.


2016 Southern Vipers season, Squad
Southern Vipers announced a 15-player squad on 21 April 2016. Megan Schutt and Daisy Gardner were originally named in the squad, but were both ruled out due to injury and replaced by Morna Nielsen and Linsey Smith, respectively. Age given is at the start of Southern Vipers' first match of the season (31 July 2016).


2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament was held from May 25–28. The top eight regular season finishers of the league's ten teams met in the double-elimination tournament to be held at Constellation Field in Sugar Land, Texas. Sam Houston State won their fifth Tournament championship and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word were ineligible for postseason play as they transition from Division II.


2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The top eight finishers from the regular season, not including Abilene Christian or Incarnate Word, will be seeded one through eight. They will play a two bracket, double-elimination tournament, with the winner of each bracket meeting in a single championship final.


2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
Every game of the tournament will be broadcast exclusively on ESPN3.


2016 Southland Conference Baseball Tournament, All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player
Heath Donica was named Tournament Most Valuable Player. Donica was a junior pitcher for Sam Houston State.


2016 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2016 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, a part of the 2015–16 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, took place March 9–12 at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. The winner of the tournament will receive the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.


2016 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
Two programs in their third year of the transition from NCAA Division II to Division I, Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word, were ineligible for the tournament. In addition, Central Arkansas was ineligible for the tournament for failure to meet enhanced NCAA Academic Performance Rating (APR) requirements.


2016 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
The top 8 teams in the conference qualified for the tournament. The top 2 seeds earned double byes into the Semifinals. The #3 and #4 seeds received a single buy to the Quarterfinals.


2016 Southland Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
Teams were seeded by record within the division and conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.


2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament
The 2016 Southland Conference tournament was held at Cowgirl Diamond on the campus of McNeese State University in Lake Charles, Louisiana from May 11 through May 13, 2016. The tournament winner, the McNeese State Cowgirls, earned the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I Softball Tournament. The Championship game was broadcast on ESPN3 with the remainder of the tournament airing on the Southland Digital Network.


2016 Southland Conference Softball Tournament, Format
The top 6 teams qualified for the Southland Softball Tournament. Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word were ineligible due to their transition from D2 to D1. Abilene Christian finished the regular season in third place. Since Abilene Christian was ineligible for tournament play, the fourth through seventh place finishers moved up in seeding. In addition, the Sam Houston Bearkats, finishing the regular season in seventh place, qualified for the tournament.


2016 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
This is the current revision of this page, as edited by LUSportsFan (talk | contribs) at 20:06, 23 December 2019 (→See also). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this version.


2016 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2016 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, a part of the 2015–16 NCAA Division I women's basketball season, will take place March 10–13, 2016 at the Merrell Center in Katy, Texas. The winner of the tournament will receive the Southland Conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Tournament.


2016 Southland Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, Seeds and regular season standings
Only the Top 8 teams advance to the Southland Conference Tournament. If a team ineligible for the NCAA Tourney should finish in the top 8, their seed will fall to the next eligible team. Abilene Christian and Incarnate Word are ineligible for post-season play as they are in the third year of a 4-year transition from D2 to D1. They won't be eligible for the Southland tourney until 2018. This chart shows all the teams records and standings and explains why teams advanced to the conference tourney or finished in certain tiebreaking positions.


2016 Southland Conference Women's Soccer Tournament
The 2016 Southland Conference Women's Soccer Tournament was the postseason women's soccer tournament for the Southland Conference held from November 2 to 6, 2016. The five match tournament was at Jack Dugan Stadium in Corpus Christi, Texas. The six team single-elimination tournament consisted of three rounds based on seeding from regular season conference play. The Southeastern Louisiana Lady Lions were the defending tournament champions after defeating the Sam Houston State Bearkats in a penalty kick shootout in the championship match.


2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
The 2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament was held at Wesley Barrow Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana from May 18 through May 22. Alabama State won their first tournament championship and earned the conference's automatic bid to the 2016 NCAA Division I Baseball Tournament. The Hornets swept through the tournament after completed an undefeated season in the conference's regular season.


2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament
The double elimination tournament features four teams from each division.


2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference Baseball Tournament, Seeding and format
The four eligible teams in each division are seeded one through four, with the top seed from each division facing the fourth seed from the opposite division in the first round, and so on. The teams then played a two bracket, double-elimination tournament with a one-game final between the winners of each bracket.


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds
The 2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds were a pair of motor races that were held on 27 and 28 August 2016 at the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps in Belgium as part of the GP2 Series and GP3 Series. It was the eighth round of the 2016 GP2 Series and the sixth round of the 2016 GP3 Series. The race weekend supported the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix.


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Background
In GP2, Sergio Canamasas announced his return to Carlin for the round, replacing René Binder


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Background
Meanwhile, in GP3, Óscar Tunjo will taking the third entry at Jenzer Motorsport to return to the category. Another driver change for this weekend was in the Koiranen GP camp where Red Bull junior driver Niko Kari would be replacing Ralph Boschung.


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Report, GP2, Qualifying
Antonio Giovinazzi led a Prema Racing 1-2 in qualifying, once again showcasing Prema's run of dominance in GP2 as of late. Gustav Malja proved the surprise candidate for third, albeit half a second adrift of Giovinazzi.


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Report, GP2, Feature Race
Pierre Gasly took another win with a dominant performance and with rival Sergey Sirotkin absent from the podium, he stretched his lead in the standings. Brits Jordan King and Alex Lynn took second and third respectively, comfortably ahead of the Russian Time pair of Raffaele Marciello and Artem Markelov


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Report, GP2, Sprint Race
Antonio Giovinazzi took the sprint race win to complete a dominant weekend for the Prema Racing outfit. Gustav Malja finished in second to record his best finish in GP2 and Luca Ghiotto achieved third for the Trident team.


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Report, GP3, Qualifying
Charles Leclerc took his first pole position since the Red Bull Ring round with a time over three-tenths faster than his nearest rival, Hughes. Nyck de Vries took third with a time just under half a second slower than Leclerc.


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Report, GP3, Race 1
Charles Leclerc took another win to inch further ahead in the championship, finishing 2.3 seconds ahead of Jake Dennis and 15.4 seconds ahead of teammate, Nyck de Vries.


2016 Spa-Francorchamps GP2 and GP3 Series rounds, Report, GP3, Race 2
Jack Aitken took his first GP3 win in a tight battle between himself and Antonio Fuoco. Haas F1 development driver, Santino Ferrucci achieved his first podium, 5.8 seconds adrift of the leader.


2016 Spalding shooting
On 19 July 2016, a shooting occurred at the Castle Sports Complex in the town centre of Spalding in Lincolnshire, United Kingdom. Three people, including the perpetrator, were killed in the shooting.


2016 Spalding shooting
Police quickly ruled out potential links to terrorism, while stating that the incident appeared to be a lone wolf attack. The perpetrator was identified as 57-year-old Lance Hart, who targeted his wife, 50-year-old Claire Hart, and their daughter, 19-year-old Charlotte Hart, in the attack. Both women were killed by the perpetrator, who subsequently committed suicide at the site of the attack.


2016 Spalding shooting
The attack was the deadliest mass shooting in the United Kingdom since the Cumbria shootings in June 2010, in which thirteen people were killed.


2016 Spalding shooting, Shooting
At around 09:00 BST on 19 July 2016, a single gunman, 57-year-old Lance Hart, opened fire close to the entrance to the swimming pool at the Castle Sports Complex in Spalding town centre using a shotgun. Two victims suffered fatal gunshot wounds before Hart fatally shot himself at the scene of the attack.


2016 Spalding shooting, Shooting
Local residents said that they heard "three bangs" in the area at around the time of the attack.


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath
The East Midlands Ambulance Service responded to the shooting and treated three people with gunshot wounds, but were unable to resuscitate them. The local air ambulance attended the incident. Due to initial fears of potential further attackers, paramedics were told to approach the scene with caution, while police stepped up patrols across Spalding.


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath
Following the shooting, Lincolnshire Police raided a house in Hatt Close in the village of Moulton, five miles from the site of the attack in Spalding town centre. Police also confirmed that the incident was not terrorism-related and no shots were fired at, or by, police officers. They also confirmed that they were not looking for any further suspects in connection with the shooting, before asking for any potential witnesses to come forward. At least six police cars attended the incident, with some eyewitnesses stating that they saw "dozens" of police vehicles following the shooting. The attack was later confirmed to be unrelated to an ongoing gang conflict amongst Eastern European immigrants in Lincolnshire, which has been the cause of previous firearms incidents in the area.


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath
The Castle Sports Complex was closed as a result of the shooting. Parts of Spalding town centre were also cordoned off, while Pinchbeck Road through the town was closed. Local businesses were warned by police to keep their doors locked. Local schools were initially put under lockdown due to fears of potential further attacks. The lockdown was lifted by 12:00 on the day of the shooting. Counselling support was offered to staff at the Castle Sports Complex following the shooting.


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath
On 20 July, police confirmed that the suspected gunman did not have a gun licence. A police investigation into the attack is currently ongoing, while an inquest into the shooting is to be launched on 27 July.


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath, Reactions
Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labour Party, tweeted his condolences following the shooting, stating: "Shocking events in Spalding, Lincolnshire. My thoughts are with the victims and their families". The leader of Lincolnshire County Council, Martin Hill, stated that he was "shocked" by the shooting.


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath, Reactions
Councillor Gary Taylor, South Holland District Council's representative for the Spalding Castle ward in which the attack took place, stated that "it's terrible news and local people are very shocked". Additionally, he stated that "gun crime does not exist in this area at all".


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath, Reactions
On Twitter, the Diocese of Lincoln stated that their "thoughts and prayers are with the community of Spalding at this time".


2016 Spalding shooting, Aftermath, Reactions
Tributes were left outside the Hart family home in Moulton, Lincolnshire by local residents following the shooting. Further tributes were left at the local church, where mourners lit candles.


2016 Spalding shooting, Victims and perpetrator
The victims were named as 50-year-old Claire Hart and her daughter, 19-year-old University of Northampton student Charlotte Hart, who were the wife and daughter of the perpetrator, 57-year-old builder's merchant Lance Hart. The perpetrator committed suicide immediately following the attack.


2016 Spalding shooting, Victims and perpetrator
The perpetrator, Lance Hart, was described as both a "very difficult man" with a "short fuse" and as a "very nice guy" who was "always caring" by people who knew him. Hart had previously lived in Wisbech, but moved away after he "fell out with everyone". Hart had also previously threatened a neighbour in Spalding with a firearm following a minor dispute over a planning application. His sons described their father, Lance Hart, as a "tyrant" who inflicted constant psychological abuse on the family.


2016 Spanish Athletics Championships
The 2016 Spanish Athletics Championships was the 96th edition of the national championship in outdoor track and field for Spain. It was held on 23 and 24 July at the Las Mestas Sports Complex in Gijón. It served as the selection meeting for Spain at the 2016 European Athletics Championships.


2016 Spanish Athletics Championships
The club championships in relays and combined track and field events were contested separately from the main competition.


2016 Spanish General State Budget
The 2016 Spanish General State Budget was the state budget for the Kingdom of Spain for the year 2016.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix
The 2016 Spanish Grand Prix (formally known as the Formula 1 Gran Premio de España Pirelli 2016) was a Formula One motor race held on 15 May 2016 at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in Montmeló, Spain. The race was the fifth round of the 2016 FIA Formula One World Championship, and marked the forty-sixth running of the Spanish Grand Prix as a round of the Formula One World Championship. It was the twenty-sixth time that the race has been held at the circuit.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix
Nico Rosberg was the defending race winner and entered the round with a forty-three-point lead over teammate Lewis Hamilton in the Drivers' Championship. Their team, Mercedes, held an eighty-one point lead over Ferrari in the Constructors' Championship. Hamilton took pole position during qualifying, ahead of teammate Rosberg and Red Bull's Daniel Ricciardo.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix
Max Verstappen won the race upon his début for his new team Red Bull, having swapped his Toro Rosso seat with Daniil Kvyat ahead of the event. At the age of 18 years and 228 days, Verstappen became the youngest ever winner, the youngest driver to score a podium finish and the youngest ever to lead a lap of a Formula One race, breaking the previous records held by Sebastian Vettel. In the process he also became the first Dutchman to win a Grand Prix and the first Grand Prix winner born in the 1990s. Both Mercedes drivers retired from the race following a collision with each other on the first lap, thus marking the first Mercedes double retirement since the 2011 Australian Grand Prix and the first time the team had not scored a point since the 2012 United States Grand Prix.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Background
Daniil Kvyat and Max Verstappen traded places ahead of the race. Verstappen joined Red Bull Racing while Kvyat returned to Scuderia Toro Rosso. Red Bull's team principal Christian Horner explained the driver swap with Verstappen's talent, saying that the 18-year-old Dutchman and Daniel Ricciardo had the potential to become Formula One's best driver pairing. Furthermore, he stressed that Verstappen's move to Red Bull would tie him to the team for the foreseeable future. Daniil Kvyat meanwhile expressed surprise at the decision, saying during Thursday's press conference that he was "shocked" by his demotion, stressing that Red Bull did not give him a "real explanation".


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Background
Following problems with his power unit in both the Chinese and Russian Grand Prix, Lewis Hamilton received a redesigned MGU-H unit, in a bid to solve the troubles which hampered him earlier. However, Mercedes were unable to guarantee that the problem would not appear again.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Background
With Spain being the first race in Western Europe, and a mid-season test coming up after the race, many teams introduced their first major car updates for the Grand Prix. Mercedes ran a new front wing with a "more pointy" nose during first free practice. Other changes were made to the engine cover and the rear wing. McLaren made more significant changes to their MP4-31, most notably on the front wing, which Sky Sports commentator Ted Kravitz called the "most intricate front wing I've ever seen". Force India updated their VJM09 to improve airflow.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Background
According to the team, they were looking for improved driveability rather than faster lap times. Renault introduced a new chassis for Jolyon Palmer. More significantly, the French manufacturer debuted a new version of their power unit for both their works team and Red Bull at the two-day test following the race. All other teams except for Sauber also made changes to their cars, with the Swiss team continuing their financial struggles.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Background
They also announced that they would be forced to miss the mid-season test, being unable to field a development driver, with regulations demanding that two out of four test days be driven by young driver talents. Both Sauber and Haas were allowed to use the updated version of Ferrari's 2016 power unit, which the works team had already used in Russia two weeks earlier.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Background
Going into the weekend, Nico Rosberg led the Drivers' Championship, having taken the maximum number of 100 points from the first four races. Lewis Hamilton followed in second with 57 points, while Kimi Räikkönen was third with 43 points. Daniel Ricciardo followed in fourth, ahead of Sebastian Vettel. In the Constructors' standings, Mercedes was first with 157 points, 81 points clear of second-placed Ferrari. Behind them, Red Bull led fourth-placed Williams by just six points.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Background
Sole tyre supplier Pirelli brought the hard, medium and soft tyres to the event, the first time this season to feature the orange hard tyres. As per the regulations of the 2016 season, every driver had to set aside one set each of the two hardest compounds for the race and one set of the soft tyres for Q3 (should they advance). The drivers had freedom of what other compounds they chose for the remaining ten out of thirteen sets.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Per the regulations for the 2016 season, two 90-minute practice sessions were held on Friday and another 60-minute session was held before qualifying on Saturday. The Ferrari drivers, Sebastian Vettel and Kimi Räikkönen, set the pace in the first session, both on the soft tyre compound. The Mercedes drivers Rosberg and Hamilton followed, albeit on the medium compound, recording more timed laps than their rivals. Both Red Bull cars followed in fifth and sixth, with Daniel Ricciardo faster than new teammate Max Verstappen.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Valtteri Bottas was seventh for Williams, two places ahead of teammate Felipe Massa, who at one point spun out at turn five. Upon his return to Toro Rosso, Daniil Kvyat was unable to match the pace of his teammate Carlos Sainz Jr., ending up half a second behind him. Esteban Ocon made his first free practice appearance of the season for Renault, replacing Jolyon Palmer, but was unable to set a timed lap. He suffered a tyre failure, caused by debris on the track. Force India's Sergio Pérez managed only nine laps as he spent much of the session in the pit lane after smoke emerged from the rear of his car.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Mercedes topped the time sheets in the second session, now switching to the soft compound tyres as well, with Nico Rosberg two and a half-tenths of a second clear of Kimi Räikkönen, while Lewis Hamilton was third fastest, more than seven-tenths off Rosberg's time. Räikkönen's running was interrupted for a while when he was called back into the pitlane to investigate a fuel system problem, but was able to get back out. Fernando Alonso was seventh fastest for McLaren, but needed a replacement of his car's plank after running wide over artificial grass surrounding the track.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
His teammate, Jenson Button, also experienced problems, having to stop at the end of the pitlane early in the session with an electrical issue. Renault's problem from the first session continued: Jolyon Palmer, back in his car in place of Ocon, suffered a tyre failure on the start-finish straight, bringing out red flags in the process. Renault and tyre supplier Pirelli were left puzzled over the failure, as in this incident, no sign of a cut from debris was found.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Free practice
Nico Rosberg was again fastest in the third practice session on Saturday morning, setting a time of 1:23.078 on his first timed run, a time that stood until the end of the session. Hamilton was second, 0.126 seconds off, followed by Sebastian Vettel just two-hundredths of a second behind him. In fourth place, Max Verstappen was faster than teammate Ricciardo for the first time, who finished fifth, ahead of Räikkönen. Upon beginning his preparation laps for qualifying, Rosberg had to come back into the garage, as a sensor on his car was malfunctioning. The team was capable of repairing the damage and he went back out for the final minutes of practice. Sergio Pérez was satisfied with the eighth fastest time, saying that the car had improved "everywhere" following the updates it had received.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Qualifying consisted of three parts, 18, 15 and 12 minutes in length respectively, with six drivers eliminated from competing after each of the first two sessions. In the first part of qualifying (Q1), Nico Rosberg set a time of 1:23.002, the fastest of the weekend up to that point, two-tenths of a second ahead of teammate Hamilton. Manor and Sauber occupied the back rows of the grid. Felipe Massa's first lap was seven-tenths of a second slower than the one from his teammate Bottas and as he was unable to set another timed lap, he became the surprise elimination in Q1, behind Jolyon Palmer, who was dropped into 17th place by a late improvement from Jenson Button.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
In Q2, it was Hamilton who came out on top, exactly six-tenths of a second ahead of Rosberg. Verstappen was third fastest, ahead of Ricciardo in fifth. Kimi Räikkönen had to abandon his first fast lap after running wide in turn four, but later set a time good enough for fourth. Meanwhile, Sebastian Vettel recorded just one timed lap, saving a set of tyres and was sixth. On his return to Toro Rosso, Kvyat was eliminated in 13th place, while teammate Sainz went through to Q3. Sergio Pérez advanced as well, demoting his teammate Hülkenberg into elimination in the process, who would line up eleventh on the grid. Joining him on the sidelines for Q3 were Jenson Button in twelfth, with Romain Grosjean, Kevin Magnussen and Esteban Gutiérrez lining up behind Kvyat.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg were the first out in Q3. Hamilton's early sector times put him on course to a new fastest lap of the weekend, but a brake lockup at turn ten ruined his lap and tyres. Nico Rosberg made no such mistake and claimed provisional pole position. As the two Ferrari drivers struggled to find pace, Max Verstappen claimed second place for the time being, before the drivers went out for their second laps.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Qualifying
Lewis Hamilton's second flying lap bested Rosberg's time by almost three-tenths of a second, and saw him take the fifty-second pole of his career. The two Red Bull cars of Ricciardo and Verstappen followed, with Räikkönen and Vettel for Ferrari in fifth and sixth respectively, both more than a second behind Hamilton. Valtteri Bottas was best of the rest ahead of Sainz, Pérez and Alonso. It was the first appearance in Q3 for McLaren since they resumed their association with Honda in 2015.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Race
At the start, Nico Rosberg got around the outside of Hamilton in turn one, while Räikkönen lost positions due to a slow getaway. Sebastian Vettel got past Verstappen, but was immediately repassed on the approach to turn four. At the front of the race, coming out of turn three, Hamilton tried to retake the position from Rosberg. As the latter defended his position, Hamilton went off the track and spun and they collided at turn 4, ending the race of both Mercedes drivers.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Race
The collision resulted in a safety car period, with the order standing: Ricciardo, Verstappen, Sainz, Vettel and Räikkönen. The safety car came in at the end of lap four. Vettel got past Sainz on lap eight and Räikkönen tried to follow suit two laps later, but was forced off track into turn two. He completed the move one lap later at the same spot.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Race
Sainz and Button were the first to come into the pit lane for new tyres on lap 12, followed by race leader Ricciardo one lap later, making Verstappen the first Dutchman to lead a Grand Prix, before he came in another lap later. When Vettel made a pit stop on lap 16, he emerged third behind the two Red Bull drivers, all on the medium compound tyre.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Race
By lap 20, Sebastian Vettel was closing the gap to the two Red Bulls ahead of him, coming within three seconds of Verstappen. On lap 22, Nico Hülkenberg retired when his power unit caught fire and he had to stop on the sidelines. While Massa had fought from 18th on the grid into tenth, his teammate Bottas was lying fifth by lap 25, ahead of Sainz. On lap 28, Ricciardo was again the first of the front runners to pit, taking on the soft compound. Vettel came in two laps later, making the same choice in tyres.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Race
This left Verstappen to lead Kimi Räikkönen, as it emerged that both would run on a different strategy, pitting only twice in contrast to the three stopping Vettel and Ricciardo. On lap 34, the gap between the two leaders was 2.1 seconds, before Verstappen came in on the following lap. Räikkönen responded one lap later, emerging behind Verstappen. On lap 39, Vettel came in for his third and final stop, while Ricciardo stayed out for another four laps. When he returned to the track, he was behind Vettel, but on fresher tyres.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Race
While Räikkönen closed on Verstappen at the front, Fernando Alonso's home race ended on lap 47, pulling over to the side of the track at turn three. Räikkönen managed to get into the one-second window to activate the drag reduction system (DRS), as Vettel was eight seconds behind him with Ricciardo closing on him in fourth place. By lap 57, Ricciardo was close enough to use DRS as well, but unable to pass. Three laps later, Ricciardo made an attempt at overtaking into turn one, but braking too late left him running wide, allowing Vettel back through.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Race
As the front runners lapped backmarkers, Kvyat, after scoring the first fastest lap for himself and Toro Rosso, overtook Gutiérrez for tenth place. Two laps from finish, Ricciardo suffered a puncture and was forced to pit, but retained fourth place ahead of Bottas. On the last lap, Renault drivers Kevin Magnussen and Jolyon Palmer collided, but both made it to the finish. As Verstappen crossed the finish line, he became the youngest ever and first Dutch race winner in Formula One.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
At the podium interviews, conducted by singer Plácido Domingo, Verstappen expressed delight about a "great race", crediting his team with giving him a good car. Kimi Räikkönen said that while he was happy for Verstappen, he was disappointed not to have won. He blamed the lack of downforce while following as the reason why he had been unable to pass Verstappen. Vettel congratulated the winner as well, but lamented that his different strategy had not worked out in his favour.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
During the post-race press conference, Räikkönen stressed that had anyone offered the team two podium positions after their poor performance in qualifying, they would have taken it "happily". Fourth placed Ricciardo expressed bitterness over Red Bull's decision to switch him to a three-stop strategy, which eventually lost him a podium position, saying: "I'm a bit devastated. A big part of me is happy the team are on winning form but it's hard to celebrate". His team later explained their decision, declaring that they had focused their strategy on Vettel, who they had considered the biggest threat.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
In the Grand Prix, Max Verstappen broke several records: apart from being the youngest ever driver to win a race at 18 years and 228 days, he also was the youngest to stand on a Formula One podium, in both instances breaking Sebastian Vettel's record set at the 2008 Italian Grand Prix by more than two years. Vettel had been 21 years and 2 months at the time. Verstappen also became the youngest driver to lead at least one lap of a Grand Prix, again overcoming a record set by Vettel, at the 2007 Japanese Grand Prix.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
Verstappen also was the first driver born in the 1990s to win a Grand Prix. He received considerable praise after the race, with Sky Sports F1's David Croft saying that he "has shown he has everything to be a world champion". His father Jos Verstappen, himself a former Grand Prix driver, declared that he considered his son a better driver than himself, as race wins had eluded him during his own career in the sport. French sport newspaper L'Équipe declared Verstappen to be "already a great" and "in the big leagues". Verstappen was also the first Dutchman to win a race, with the Netherlands becoming the 22nd country to produce a race winner. He was the tenth different winner of the Spanish Grand Prix in as many past editions.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
Following their collision, Hamilton and Rosberg were summoned to the stewards after the race but neither received a penalty, as the stewards rated their crash as a racing incident, with no driver in particular to blame. It emerged that Rosberg had chosen the wrong engine mode for the start, being down on power which led to Hamilton going for a passing manoeuvre. However, Rosberg remained convinced that he had done nothing wrong, saying: "I made it very clear I wasn't going to leave any space on the inside and I was very surprised he went for the gap".


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
While Hamilton apologised to the team after the incident, he refused to accept blame for it. Opinions about the incident varied: While Mercedes's executive chairman Niki Lauda blamed Hamilton for the crash, former F1 driver Anthony Davidson said on Sky Sports F1 that Rosberg's move was "very aggressive". Three-time world champion Jackie Stewart said after the race that Mercedes should fine Hamilton for the crash: "Hamilton is to blame. Rosberg was allowed to protect himself. You don't go for it on the first lap."


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
Mercedes's head of motorsport Toto Wolff stressed after the race that the team would continue to let their drivers race against each other freely, a decision praised by former world champion Alain Prost. While Rosberg said after the race that he contemplated having a talk with Hamilton about the situation, Mercedes later decided that they did "not need clear-the-air talks". However, it later emerged that the pair did have a conversation about the incident before the next race in Monaco, which, according to Hamilton, was marked by "pure respect". It was Mercedes's first double retirement since the 2011 Australian Grand Prix, and the first time they failed to score a point since the 2012 United States Grand Prix, ending a 62-race long streak, the third longest in Formula One history.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
For his last lap collision with teammate Jolyon Palmer, Kevin Magnussen received a ten-second time penalty, dropping him one place to 15th. He also received two penalty points to his licence. Carlos Sainz received a reprimand from the stewards for leaving the pit lane one minute before it was allowed. He escaped a more severe penalty because he stopped shortly afterwards, thereby not gaining an advantage. Upon his return to Toro Rosso, Daniil Kvyat recorded the first fastest lap of his career, and the first for the Italian team in their 190th Grand Prix.


2016 Spanish Grand Prix, Report, Post-race
With 100 points from the first four races, Nico Rosberg remained on top of the Drivers' Championship, while Hamilton's retirement dropped him behind Räikkönen, who now trailed Rosberg by 39 points, four points ahead of Hamilton. Sebastian Vettel and Daniel Ricciardo were level on points with 48, while Verstappen's victory moved him into sixth on 38. In the Constructors' standings, Mercedes retained their lead on 157 points, but Ferrari closed the gap to 48 points, with Red Bull in third on 94. Toro Rosso moved ahead of Haas into fifth, while Force India took seventh from McLaren.


2016 Spanish Indoor Athletics Championships
The 2016 Spanish Indoor Athletics Championships was the 52nd edition of the annual indoor track and field competition organised by the Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA), which serves as the Spanish national indoor championship for the sport. A total of 26 events (divided evenly between the sexes) were contested over two days on 5 and 6 March at the Centro Deportivo Municipal Gallur in Madrid, Community of Madrid.


2016 Spanish Quidditch Cup
The 2016 Spanish Quidditch Cup was the first edition of this tournament. It was played on the February 6th and 7th, 2016 in Campo Grande football fields in Rivas-Vaciamadrid, Madrid. 8 teams from Andalusia, Basque Country, Galicia and Madrid joined for this event where the locals, Madrid Wolves, won the championship beating Bizkaia Boggarts in the final 140-70*.


2016 Spanish Quidditch Cup, Sistema de competición
The teams were divided into two groups seeding by their position in Asociación Quidditch España's regional tournaments. It was tried to avoid that teams from the same region were assigned to the same group. In each group teams would play against each other to qualify to semifinals. First and second from each group would qualify.


2016 Spanish Quidditch Cup, Sistema de competición
In the knockout phase, the first of group A will play against the second in group B and the first in group B against the second in group A. Winners went to the final and losers to the consolation match.


2016 Spanish general election
The 2016 Spanish general election was held on Sunday, 26 June 2016, to elect the 12th Cortes Generales of the Kingdom of Spain. All 350 seats in the Congress of Deputies were up for election, as well as 208 of 266 seats in the Senate.


2016 Spanish general election
No party had secured a majority in the 2015 election, resulting in the most fragmented parliament since 1977. Ensuing negotiations failed to produce a stable governing coalition, paving the way for a repeat election on 26 June. The political deadlock marked the first time that a Spanish election was triggered due to failure in the government formation process. Podemos and United Left (IU) joined forces ahead the election to form the Unidos Podemos alliance, along with several other minor left-wing parties. Opinion polling going into the election predicted a growing polarisation between this alliance and the People's Party (PP), which would be fighting to maintain first place nationally.


2016 Spanish general election
The Unidos Podemos alliance suffered a surprise decline in votes and vote share compared to the previous election, while the PP increased its number of votes and seats as well as its margin of victory. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) clung to second place despite losing votes and seats, scoring a new historical low. Albert Rivera's Citizens (C's) suffered from the electoral system as well as from tactical voting to the PP and fell to 32 seats. Overall, a potential PP–C's bloc secured 6 more seats than before, but remained short of an overall majority. With the political deadlock settling in, commentators suggested that a new, third election could be eventually needed.


2016 Spanish general election
Electoral setbacks for the PSOE in the Basque and Galician regional elections held on 25 September 2016 unleashed a party crisis which led to Pedro Sánchez's ouster as leader on 1 October. An interim party leadership was appointed, which chose to abstain to allow government formation and prevent a third general election.


2016 Spanish general election
As a result, Mariano Rajoy was re-elected as prime minister for a second term in office on 29 October amid public outcry and protest at PSOE's U-turn, which was also met with opposition from within the party—15 MPs eventually not complying with the party's directive and voting against Rajoy nonetheless.


2016 Spanish general election
Rajoy's government would only last for 20 months until 2018, as public outcry at the emergence of new corruption scandals and judicial blows to the ruling party would prompt Sánchez—who would secure re-election as PSOE leader in June 2017—to bring down the PP government in the first successful motion of no confidence since the Spanish transition to democracy.


2016 Spanish general election, Overview, Electoral system
The Spanish Cortes Generales were envisaged as an imperfect bicameral system. The Congress of Deputies had greater legislative power than the Senate, having the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from a prime minister and to override Senate vetoes by an absolute majority of votes. Nonetheless, the Senate possessed a few exclusive, yet limited in number functions—such as its role in constitutional amendment—which were not subject to the Congress' override. Voting for the Cortes Generales was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over eighteen and in full enjoyment of their political rights. Additionally, Spaniards abroad were required to apply for voting before being permitted to vote, a system known as "begged" or expat vote (Spanish: Voto rogado).


2016 Spanish general election, Overview, Electoral system
For the Congress of Deputies, 348 seats were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional representation, with an electoral threshold of three percent of valid votes—which included blank ballots—being applied in each constituency. Seats were allocated to constituencies, corresponding to the provinces of Spain, with each being allocated an initial minimum of two seats and the remaining 248 being distributed in proportion to their populations. Ceuta and Melilla were allocated the two remaining seats, which were elected using plurality voting. The use of the D'Hondt method might result in a higher effective threshold, depending on the district magnitude.


2016 Spanish general election, Overview, Electoral system
For the Senate, 208 seats were elected using an open list partial block voting, with electors voting for individual candidates instead of parties. In constituencies electing four seats, electors could vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts.


2016 Spanish general election, Overview, Electoral system
Each of the 47 peninsular provinces was allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, districts were the islands themselves, with the larger—Majorca, Gran Canaria and Tenerife—being allocated three seats each, and the smaller—Menorca, Ibiza–Formentera, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma—one each. Ceuta and Melilla elected two seats each. Additionally, autonomous communities could appoint at least one senator each and were entitled to one additional senator per each million inhabitants.


2016 Spanish general election, Overview, Election date
The term of each chamber of the Cortes Generales—the Congress and the Senate—expired four years from the date of their previous election, unless they were dissolved earlier. The election decree was required to be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of the Cortes in the event that the prime minister did not make use of his prerogative of early dissolution. The decree was to be published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE), with election day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication.


2016 Spanish general election, Overview, Election date
The previous election was held on 20 December 2015, which meant that the legislature's term would expire on 20 December 2019. The election decree was required to be published in the BOE no later than 26 November 2019, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible election date for the Cortes Generales on Sunday, 19 January 2020.


2016 Spanish general election, Overview, Election date
The prime minister had the prerogative to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence was in process, no state of emergency was in force and that dissolution did not occur before one year had elapsed since the previous one. Additionally, both chambers were to be dissolved and a new election called if an investiture process failed to elect a prime minister within a two-month period from the first ballot. Barred this exception, there was no constitutional requirement for simultaneous elections for the Congress and the Senate. Still, as of 2021 there has been no precedent of separate elections taking place under the 1978 Constitution, with governments having long preferred that elections for the two chambers of the Cortes take place simultaneously.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Election aftermath
The 2015 election resulted in the most fragmented Congress of Deputies in recent times. This raised the possibility that, for the first time since the Spanish transition to democracy, parliamentary deadlock over the investiture of a prime minister would require a new election to be held. According to Article 99.5 of the Spanish Constitution, "if within a period of two months from the first investiture vote no candidate has obtained the confidence of Congress, the King shall dissolve both chambers and call a new election, with the endorsement of the President of the Congress of Deputies."


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Election aftermath
A crisis developed within the PSOE after the December election result, with critics accusing Secretary-General Pedro Sánchez of lack of self-criticism ahead of PSOE's spring leadership election. While Sánchez favoured trying to reach an agreement with Podemos, regional party leaders refused to accept Podemos' negotiation terms and instead favoured allowing the PP to try to form a government on its own, and the possibility of a PSOE-Podemos pact faded. President of Andalusia Susana Díaz, who was reported to be leading an open rebellion within the party, was said to be seeking to replace Sánchez as party leader and to eventually lead the PSOE into a new general election in 2016.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Election aftermath
As neither of the two possible pacts between the major parties (PP–C's or PSOE–Podemos) had enough deputies to command a majority on their own, attention focused on the PSOE as it underwent a leadership crisis. The PP wanted the Socialists to either abstain in Rajoy's investiture vote or join them in a grand coalition, C's put pressure on the PSOE to abstain and avoid a snap election, while Podemos suggested that Sánchez had lost control of his party. PSOE and C's feared that a new election could harm them and benefit both PP and Podemos.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, PP scandals
A persistent wave of corruption scandals struck the PP throughout the negotiation process. On 22 January, the PP became the first party ever to be charged in a corruption case, after being accused of destroying Bárcenas' hard drives in 2013, which had allegedly contained information related to the party's illegal funding. The same day, a key member of Deputy PM Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría's staff was forced to resign from his post after it was discovered that he had been involved in a scandal involving the fraudulent awarding of public contracts.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, PP scandals
"Operation Taula", a major police operation in Valencia that took place on 26 January 2016, resulted in the arrest of several former and incumbent high-ranking members of the regional PP branch, as part of the ongoing investigation into PP corruption in the region during its time in government. By early February, a massive illegal financing network had been uncovered connected with PPCV, with dozens of party officials and city councillors indicted or arrested.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, PP scandals
The judicial investigation also implicated long-serving former Mayor of Valencia Rita Barberá in the scandal; her arrest or indictment was only prevented due to the fact she had legal immunity as an incumbent senator. A few days later, on 1 February, all PP city councillors in the city of Valencia, including new local party leader Alfonso Novo, were charged with a possible money laundering offence, along with most members of Barberá's previous government. The party found itself at risk of losing its municipal group in the city of Valencia—the third largest in Spain, which had seen 24 years of PP rule under Barberá's command—and rumours circulating of a reformation of the party in the region.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, PP scandals
On 11 February, the scandal spread to Madrid when the Civil Guard was sent to search PP's main headquarters as part of the ongoing investigation resulting from the Operation Punica scandal, uncovered in October 2014. Evidence suggested that the public work contract kickbacks from the Punica case could also involve possible illegal financing of the PP branch in the region.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, PP scandals
Esperanza Aguirre, former President of Madrid from 2003 to 2012 and president of the party's regional branch since 2004, resigned as regional leader on 14 February as a consequence of the scandal's political fallout, emphasising her lack of "direct responsibility" for the scandal but "assuming [her] political responsibility" both as party leader and former regional premier.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, PP scandals
In April, an urban planning corruption scandal was revealed to involve Granada's mayor and his government, all from PP. Meanwhile, the Spanish Treasury fined former prime minister José María Aznar for evading tax payments through a society. On 15 April, caretaker Industry Minister José Manuel Soria stepped down from his post as a result of his involvement in the Panama Papers scandal and his confusing and inconsistent statements on the issue.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Economy
While negotiations to form a government were underway, Spain's public deficit for 2015 was announced as 5.2%, well above the 4.2% target agreed with the European Union and even exceeding the European Commission (EC) forecast of 4.8%. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) demanded that the large 2015 deficit translate into "substantial fiscal tightening", blaming the deficit on the PP government's 2015 decision to cut taxes for the election year. On 16 April, the government lowered its economic growth forecast for 2016 from 3% to 2.7%.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Economy
As a result, Finance Minister Cristóbal Montoro announced €2 billion of spending cuts in order to curb the public deficit, while also demanding that the 12 autonomous communities agree their own austerity plans within 15 days to freeze public spending. Other economic data for the first quarter of 2016 showed the Spanish economy growing by 0.8% on the previous quarter, but with unemployment increasing slightly by 11,900, to 21%.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Economy
As a result of Spain not meeting its deficit target, the EC gave the country an additional year to meet its deficit requirements, but proposed a €2 billion fine, while demanding additional spending cuts worth €8 billion. Despite the government's denial that new cuts would be needed, a letter leaked on 23 May revealed that Rajoy would be willing to impose additional spending cuts "once a new government was formed" after 26 June election, sparking criticism from opposition parties, who accused the PP of lying to the public.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Economy
On 24 June, the IBEX 35—the benchmark stock market index of Spain's stock exchange—plummeted by 12.3%, the largest fall in its history, as a result of the 'Leave' choice winning in the 2016 United Kingdom European Union membership referendum.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Government formation failure
On 22 January, Mariano Rajoy turned down King Felipe VI's invitation to form a government after Podemos offered a coalition proposal to the PSOE, also including IU, with Sánchez as prime minister and Pablo Iglesias as his deputy. This offer shocked the PSOE—which suddenly found itself at the mercy of Iglesias' party—with prominent PSOE figures describing the proposal as an "insult" and "blackmail". The next day, Sánchez also declined to run for the investiture until Rajoy had clarified whether he would make his own attempt at government formation or step back definitely. Corruption scandals concerning the PP caused other parties to reject them and withdraw from negotiations with Rajoy. This situation lasted for a week until, on 2 February, the King invited Pedro Sánchez to form a government.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Government formation failure
After several weeks of negotiations between parties, the PSOE announced a surprise government deal with C's on 24 February. However, the form and content of the agreement met with criticism from parties both on the left and right of the spectrum, including PP and Podemos. The PP stated its opposition to the PSOE–C's pact, refusing to cede to C's demands to abstain in the investiture on an agreement they described as "a farce".


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Government formation failure
On the other hand, Podemos and other left-wing parties felt betrayed and broke off negotiations with PSOE, viewing the deal as an unholy alliance between the two formerly opposed parties. Other minor parties, such as the ERC, DL, PNV and EH Bildu, also announced their opposition. As a result, Pedro Sánchez's investiture was rejected on 4 March by an overwhelming majority of 219 to 131 in the Congress of Deputies, Sánchez thus becoming the first candidate ever to fail an investiture vote.


2016 Spanish general election, Background, Government formation failure
Negotiations continued throughout March and April, but antipathy between Podemos and C's made any three-party pact between PSOE, Podemos and C's impossible. The PP pressured the PSOE to join a grand coalition, a scenario which the latter rejected. A final round of talks on 25–26 April proved inconclusive, with King Felipe VI failing to nominate a candidate for prime minister. On 3 May 2016, the King exercised the constitutional mandate and triggered an election—with the endorsement of President of the Congress Patxi López—by issuing a royal decree dissolving the Parliament. This marked the first time since the transition to democracy that an election was called under Article 99.5 of the Constitution, wherein initiative for the Cortes' dissolution belonged to the King and not to the prime minister.


2016 Spanish general election, Parliamentary composition
The Cortes Generales were officially dissolved on 3 May 2016, after the publication of the dissolution decree in the Official State Gazette. The tables below show the composition of the parliamentary groups in both chambers at the time of dissolution.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form a coalition ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant Electoral Commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties, federations or coalitions that had not obtained a mandate in either chamber of the Cortes at the preceding election were required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
In Asturias, Asturias Forum announced its intention to continue their electoral coalition with the People's Party, due to the PP–FAC tandem obtaining 3 out of the 8 seats at stake in the December election. Meanwhile, in Navarre, both Navarrese People's Union and PP were likely to maintain their alliance ahead of the upcoming general election, aiming at keeping their status as the first political force in the region.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
Izquierda-Ezkerra started talks with Podemos ahead of an alliance, whereas Geroa Bai and EH Bildu were open to "exploring" coalition possibilities after failing to make headway in the Congress in the region after the 2015 election. After Podemos and I-E rejected their offer of building a common platform, both parties studied the option of running together, but ended up discarding such a possibility. Both PSOE and NCa announced their intention of continuing their alliance in the Canary Islands, whereas the PP offered to maintain its alliance with PAR in Aragon.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
CDC—which contested the 2015 election under the Democracy and Freedom (DL) banner—made an offer to ERC to resurrect the unitary coalition in which they both contested the 2015 Catalan regional election. Former Catalonia President Artur Mas offered himself to lead such a coalition into the election if it was eventually formed. ERC, however, rejected the offer and chose to run alone instead. Subsequently, debate arose within CDC on the opportunity to continue the DL alliance or to opt for alternative formulas to contest the election. Democrats of Catalonia and Reagrupament, CDC's allies within DL, suggested rebranding the alliance as "Together for Catalonia" (JxCat) and demanded it to be led by an independent. CDC leaders rejected this proposal and announced on 9 May that they were contesting the election on their own.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
On 10 May, the newly formed Podemos-IU alliance offered a nationwide alliance with PSOE to contest the Senate election, in an effort to prevent a new PP absolute majority in that chamber. Pedro Sánchez rejected such a possibility as negotiations were already underway in Aragon, Balearic Islands and the Valencian Community. However, the party's Valencian branch, which advocated for an alliance with Compromís and Podemos for the Senate under the "Valencian Accord" label (In Valencian: Acord Valencià), refused to acknowledge Sánchez's command, threatening a schism in PSOE ranks as the party's national leadership tried to override their regional counterpart. After several days of conflict, the PSPV acquiesced to Sánchez's demand on 13 May, reluctantly rejecting the alliance with Compromís-Podemos.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
Podemos aimed at enlarging its alliance system from December, seeking to conglomerate all forces to the left of PSOE in a single, unitary alliance for the 2016 election. Both En Comú Podem and En Marea had already announced their intention to continue their successful coalitions, while Compromís' leaders expressed their will to renew their alliance with Podemos but also seeking to include EUPV, which had been left out of the coalition for the previous election.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
Talks between Podemos and Més had also started in the Balearic Islands ahead of a prospective election alliance, aiming at forming a "grand coalition of the left" in the islands. Podemos tried to probe PACMA for a common nationwide list for the 2016 election, but this was rejected by the latter as it perceived that Podemos was "not clear enough on the issue of banning bullfighting".


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
Already from 20 April, both Podemos and IU-UPeC started exploring the possibility of forming a joint list for a likely fresh election. By 30 April, as the new election was confirmed, both parties acknowledged that talks had formally started and that an agreement was expected to be reached throughout the next week. On 9 May, Pablo Iglesias (Podemos) and Alberto Garzón (IU) officially announced that a formal alliance had been reached and that their parties would be running together in the upcoming general election. Equo, which had already supported the continuation of its coalition with Podemos, announced it would also participate in the newly formed alliance. The Podemos-IU national accord paved the way for United Left to join the És el moment alliance in the Valencian Community as well.


2016 Spanish general election, Parties and candidates
On 13 May, it was announced that the alliance name for the election would be "Unidos Podemos" (Spanish for United We Can).


2016 Spanish general election, Timetable
The key dates are listed below (all times are CET. Note that the Canary Islands use WET (UTC+0) instead):


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Campaign cost
One of the main themes going into the June election was the economic cost that a new campaign would mean for the budget. During the final round of talks, King Felipe VI—anticipating a fresh election—had asked parties to run austere campaigns.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Campaign cost
The PP proposed that the party avoid large scale rallies, aiming at running a "simpler" campaign—with smaller events in medium-sized cities and towns—while also suggesting reducing the campaign's length to 10 days and removing external advertising—namely that involving advertising through billboards and flags. The PSOE suggested reducing campaign spending by 30%, cutting mailing spending and removing external advertising. Podemos and C's proposed unifying party mailing, with C's being favourable to cutting party spending by 50%. Podemos went further and suggested limiting parties' spending to 3 million each.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Campaign cost
All three PSOE, Podemos and C's were against PP's proposal of making a shorter campaign or for cuts to affect election debates. As some of these proposals required changes in the electoral law—something which could not happen as the Cortes would be dissolved—parties called for reaching a gentlemen's agreement; in Albert Rivera's words, "a political pact through which changing the law wouldn't be necessary". However, negotiations held to discuss the reduction of electoral spending failed to produce an agreement, with parties expected to cut their spending at will.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
As parties geared up for the upcoming election campaign, the PP faced the fresh election looking back at the corruption scandals under judicial investigation in which the party was involved. Some of such scandals, involving senior party members such as Rita Barberá, stirred up debate as to whether it was best to maintain these people within party ranks or force their withdrawal. C's, on its part, discarded its pact with the PSOE after it was announced that a new election would be held, with party leaders stating that it "won't be in force anymore" once the Cortes were dissolved.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
However, they wanted to use the accord as a showing of the party's "willingness to negotiate" with forces both to the left and right of the spectrum. The party's main aim was to prevent that a possible campaign polarization could cast "fearful" voters away to the PP to prevent Podemos' rise. Albert Rivera said that the PP was "controlled by its 'old guard'" and that his party would not negotiate with the PP so long as Rajoy remained as leader.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
The PSOE suffered from the end of the negotiations period. Carme Chacón—former Defence Minister under José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero—and Irene Lozano—an independent, formerly aligned to UPyD, personally enlisted into PSOE by Pedro Sánchez for the December election—both announced their withdrawal from PSOE lists ahead of the June election. Concurrently, PSOE leaders had tried to pressure IU into avoiding an electoral alliance with Podemos out of fear of being pushed into third place nationally, with some commenting that the party's actions had been erratic and confusing throughout negotiations.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
Coupled with growing pessimism within PSOE ranks, this was said to potentially be able to harm them going into the campaign. On 30 April, Sánchez tried to stir up morale among party members and asked for "unity and trust" around him ahead of the new election. Susana Díaz, Sánchez's rival for the party's leadership, warned him that she would only accept "a PSOE win". Once the hegemonic party of the Spanish left, the PSOE had been pushed out of the left and into the centre, with some fearing it could run down the path of the Greek PASOK.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
As the newly formed Unidos Podemos alliance was announced on early May, the PSOE found itself under threat of being marginalised as both PP and UP sought to polarise the campaign between the two. Sánchez tried to remain in the spotlight and cast off the phantom of party internal division by releasing a series of key announcements throughout the first weeks of May.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
Margarita Robles—a judge from the Spanish Supreme Court and former Interior State Secretary under Felipe González—and Josep Borrell—former Public Works Minister—were announced to be signing up for Sánchez's campaign; concurrently, Susana Díaz accepted to officially present Sánchez's proclamation as PSOE candidate, in a move seen as an act of apparent "reconciliation" between the two leaders ahead of the election. Sánchez was also expected to announce his "shadow cabinet" on 15 May, and tried to appeal to centrist voters that a vote for him would be a "vote for change".


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
Pablo Iglesias blamed the PSOE for the failure in negotiations and commented that Podemos' aim in the June election would be to directly face the PP as equals, in what he referred to as a "second round" of the December run. Iglesias offered to explore the possibility of an accord with PSOE after the election, expressing his will to form a "progressive" government, but condemned the way the PSOE had—in his view—treated his party up until that point.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
During an interview held a few days later, Iglesias took for granted that his party had already surpassed the PSOE nationally and stated he would offer Sánchez be his deputy in a Podemos-led cabinet. Once his electoral coalition with IU had been formalized, Iglesias again reiterated his wish to see the PSOE "as an ally"—despite the Socialists having rejected Podemos' offer for an alliance to the Senate—and put overtaking the PP as his target.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
For the first time since 2011, the anniversary of the 15-M Movement came marked by the pre-electoral campaign of a general election. UP, self-declared as the Movement's political heir, intended to use the event as a launching point for its campaign. Various nods to 15-M were made: the announcement of the Podemos–IU alliance was staged on 9 May at Puerta del Sol, long-regarded as a symbol and focal point for 15-M. Concurrently, Podemos launched an "accountability" campaign under the 'Congress in your square' label "to regain the connection with the streets". On 15 May, thousands gathered at Puerta del Sol to commemorate the 15-M anniversary; the crowd shouting some of the Movement's most featured slogans, such as the "Yes we can!" warcry—which had also served as Podemos' party slogan ever since its inception.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Pre-campaign period
As UP struggled to gain momentum, PP, PSOE and C's turned their attacks on the newborn alliance, trying to corner it to the far-left side of the spectrum. Andalusian President Susana Díaz said of it that it was "the reunion of the Communist Youth"; the PP described it as "the old-fashioned communists but with another name". C's leader Albert Rivera commented that his party offered itself "without sickles, hammers nor corruption", in reference both to UP and the PP.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Election debates
After the success of election debates in the 2015 election, the organizing of new debates for the incoming campaign started after the Cortes' dissolution. As in the previous election, the first debate was organised by the Demos Association, to be held in the Charles III University of Madrid on 6 June. The leaders of the four main parties were invited, with Pablo Iglesias and Albert Rivera confirming their presence but making it conditional on Rajoy and Sánchez attending as well.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Election debates
Atresmedia also announced the group's intention to have a four-way debate, scheduled for 16 June, similar to the one held on 7 December. This time, Mariano Rajoy was willing to attend a four-way leaders' debate—unlike the previous election campaign, in which his party sent Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría instead. The PP was, however, unconvinced of holding another two-way debate with Pedro Sánchez, with Rajoy displeased with the format of 14 December debate—allegedly after a harsh confrontation with Sánchez following the latter referring to Rajoy as "indecent".


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Election debates
The PSOE announced that Sánchez would not attend a debate with Iglesias and Rivera if Rajoy was not present as well. C's made Rivera's presence conditional on either Rajoy attending or having an empty lectern put in his place, but would not accept the PP sending another person instead.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Election debates
Podemos did not take a firm stance on the issue but Íñigo Errejón stated that his party would "go to all debates, always sending spokespeople at the same level as those sent by other political forces", thus opening the door for Iglesias not attending debates if other parties did not send their prime ministerial candidates.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Election debates
As neither Rajoy nor Sánchez confirmed their presence at the Charles III debate, the Demos Association announced its cancellation on 30 May. A four-way debate was announced to be held on 13 June to be organised by the TV Academy. All four main parties confirmed their presence, with the novelty that Rajoy accepted an invitation to attend as well.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Election debates
Unlike the previous campaign, the PP rejected a two-way debate between Rajoy and Sánchez, on grounds that, according to opinion polls, if a two-way debate was held "it was doubtful which party was to face Rajoy"—in reference to Unidos Podemos having overtaken the PSOE in opinion polling ahead of the election.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Election debates
Pablo Iglesias and Albert Rivera staged a two-on-two debate in the Salvados news show hosted by Jordi Évole. The debate was not broadcast live, but rather recorded on 28 May and intentionally delayed until 5 June. Évole had stated that the debate had been "specially harsh" between both candidates in comparison to previous similar events, and that C's had put a series of conditions in order to accept bringing Rivera to the debate.


2016 Spanish general election, Campaign, Other issues
Following the result of the Brexit vote three days before the election in Spain, the PP issued a statement saying the country needed "stability" in the face of "radicalism" and "populism." It was also read as an attack on the Unidos Podemos coalition that vowed to fight for the least well-off. Iglesias said that Europe had to "change course. No-one would want to leave Europe if it were fair and united."


2016 Spanish general election, Results, Outcome
The People's Party (PP) emerged as the largest party, securing the most seats—137—but just as in the previous election, failed to obtain an overall majority. The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) clung on to second place but fell to a new record low of 85, whereas Unidos Podemos, the alliance between Podemos and United Left (IU) remained at third place with 71 seats. The PP increased its seat count by a surprising 14, capitalising on losses by both PSOE and liberal Citizens (C's).


2016 Spanish general election, Results, Outcome
Unidos Podemos' second placed projection failed to materialise at the polls, although they maintained the same number of seats as in the previous election. Overall, the parliamentary deadlock remained, as neither bloc could gather an absolute majority of seats. However, the PP–C's bloc gained strength, climbing from 163 to 169, whereas the PSOE–Podemos–IU bloc was reduced from 161 to 156. The attempted PSOE–C's pact was reduced to 117 seats, now outnumbered by the PP alone.