14 January: The election decree is issued with the countersign of the Prime Minister after deliberation in the Council of Ministers, ratified by the King. 15 January: Formal dissolution of the Cortes Generales and official start of ban period for the organization of events for the inauguration of public works, services or projects. 18 January: Initial constitution of provincial and zone electoral commissions. 25 January: Deadline for parties and federations intending to enter in coalition to inform the relevant electoral commission. 4 February: Deadline for parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates to the relevant electoral commission. 6 February: Submitted lists of candidates are provisionally published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). 9 February: Deadline for citizens entered in the Register of Absent Electors Residing Abroad (CERA) and for citizens temporarily absent from Spain to apply for voting. 10 February: Deadline for parties, federations, coalitions and groupings of electors to rectify irregularities in their lists. 11 February: Official proclamation of valid submitted lists of candidates. 12 February: Proclaimed lists are published in the BOE. 22 February: Official start of electoral campaigning. 28 February: Deadline to apply for postal voting. 4 March: Official start of legal ban on electoral opinion polling publication, dissemination or reproduction and deadline for CERA citizens to vote by mail. 5 March: Deadline for postal and temporarily absent voters to issue their votes. 7 March: Last day of official electoral campaigning and deadline for CERA citizens to vote in a ballot box in the relevant consular office or division. 8 March: Official 24-hour ban on political campaigning prior to the general election (reflection day). 9 March: Polling day (polling stations open at 9 am and close at 8 pm or once voters present in a queue at/outside the polling station at 8 pm have cast their vote). Counting of votes starts immediately. 12 March: General counting of votes, including the counting of CERA votes. 15 March: Deadline for the general counting of votes to be carried out by the relevant electoral commission. 24 March: Deadline for elected members to be proclaimed by the relevant electoral commission. 3 April: Deadline for both chambers of the Cortes Generales to be re-assembled (the election decree determines this date, which for the 2008 election was set for 1 April). 3 May: Maximum deadline for definitive results to be published in the BOE. Campaign Party slogans Although