Who won where in Spain's regional elections?
With Spanish politics having several dramatic plot twists over the last few days, the results of the regional polls last weekend have been somewhat glossed over. But which party won in each region? Here's what you need to know.
Spanish politics has always had a flare for the dramatic. With its decentralised, coalition-laden electoral systems, seemingly non-stop scandals, and big political personalities, politics here in Spain can shock and surprise.
But on Monday 29th May, just hours after his party had received an electoral drubbing in local and regional elections, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pulled perhaps the greatest plot twist of all by calling an unexpected snap general election for July 23rd.
READ ALSO: Spanish PM calls snap election for July
With his back against the wall Sánchez has, according to political pundits, taken the least of the bad options available to him. The political logic of the decision, which may seem counterintuitive following such heavy defeats, is to not allow PP to enjoy its victories at the regional and local level, and with their coalitions with far-right Vox in several parts of Spain, to shock voters into action with a now or never, 'fascism or socialism' vote.
Sánchez's aim of distracting from the electoral losses suffered by his Socialists (PSOE) has worked, it seems, because with all the drama of the last few days, the actual results of the regional polls have largely been ignored, or moved on from, at least.
In the highly-regionalised, decentralised nature of Spanish politics, the governments in each autonomous community have a big say in how things are run in the region, particularly when it comes to education and healthcare. As a result, regional (and local) results may have more of a direct impact than in other countries.
On Sunday May 28th, voters in Madrid, Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón, Navarre, Extremadura, Murcia, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Asturias, Cantabria and La Rioja all headed to the polls, as well as in Spain's North African autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
But who actually won where?
Madrid - PP
Partido Popular (PP) strengthened their grip on the Madrid region, with the darling of the Spanish right Isabel Díaz Ayuso sweeping an absolute majority in the regional executive and bypassing the need to rely on far-right Vox for legislative support.
Ayuso's party won six more seats than the last regional poll in Madrid in 2021 when she established herself as a firm fixture on the national scene with a campaign centred around reopening the hospitality sector during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
PP gained 71 deputies out of 135 in the Madrid Assembly. The result was also notable for left-wing party Más Madrid outperforming PSOE.
Results (Absolute Majority: 68)
- PP - 71 seats (47.34 percent)
- Más Madrid - 27 (18.35)
- PSOE - 27 (18.19)
- Vox - 10 (7.31)
Valencia - PP/Vox
In Spanish politics, Valencia is seen as somewhat of an electoral litmus test for the country at large, and the south-eastern region firmly rejected the leftist block that had been governing in coalition.
PSOE candidate and regional President Ximo Puig, who, like Ayuso, has been a vocal figure at the national level, was ousted by a so-called 'blue wave' of PP voters despite slightly improving his party's vote share on the last set of elections in 2019, winning 5 more seats.
Despite that, the PP candidate, Alicante native Carlos Mazón, led his party to 40 seats, 21 more than in 2019.
However, the fall of the regional party Compromís, which lost three seats, and the trouncing of Podemos, mean the left-wing Botánic block no longer has the numbers to form a coalition. Instead, Valencia is now ruled by a right-wing block, with PP relying on the 13 seats won by Vox (three more than in 2019) to gain a majority.
Results (Absolute Majority: 50)
- PP - 40 seats (35.37 percent)
- PSOE - 31 (28.35)
- Compromís - 15 (14.30)
- Vox - 13 (12.41)
READ ALSO: Five key takeaways from Spain's regional and local elections
Navarre - UPN (PSOE form govt)
The Navarrese People's Union (UPN) won the most seats, taking 15, but will not govern in the northern region.
Incumbent PSOE President María Chivite won 11 seats, and looks likely to rely on the controversial EH Bildu, the so-called 'post-ETA' party that caused outrage when it included 44 convicted terrorists on its candidate lists, which won a surprise 9 seats in the regional assembly.
PSOE and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's pacts with radical and separatist parties at the national level were a focus of PP's regional campaigns and undoubtedly will be for the general election on July 18th.
Results (Absolute Majority: 26)
- UPN - 15 seats (27.92 percent)
- PSOE - 11 (20.70)
- EH Bildu - 9 (17.28)
- Geroa Bai - 7 (13.29)
- PPN - 3 (7.19)
- Contigo Zurekin 3 (6.08)
- Vox - 2 (4.28)
Aragón - PP/Vox
Like Valencia, PP is also seen as a political bellwether for the wider country. It is often referred to as the 'Spanish Ohio' in that its results can often be extrapolated to the wider electorate and give an idea of the political picture nationally.
The blue wave washed over Aragón, with PP candidate Jorge Azcón leading his party to 28 seats, an increase of 12 compared to 2019. This wasn't enough for a majority, however, and PP will likely rely on Vox, though Azcón is reportedly exploring other pacts in order to govern.
Results: (Absolute Majority: 34)
- PP - 28 seats (35.5 percent)
- PSOE - 23 (29.51)
- Vox - 7 (11.25)
- Chunta Aragonesista - 3 (5.11)
- Aragón Existe - 3 (4.99)
- Podemos - 1 (3.98)
Regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso won an absolute majority in Madrid. Photo: JAVIER SORIANO / AFP
Asturias - PSOE/Left block
PSOE came out on top in Asturias, winning 19 seats (down 1 on its 2019 result). PP came in second, with 17 seats, a jump of 7 seats on their last result in the northern principality.
Vox is the third largest party in the regional assembly, with 4 deputies, and the left-wing electoral block (made up of Izquierda Unida, Más País and IAS) won 3 seats, and Podemos 1, meaning that PSOE will rely on both to govern.
Regional party Foro Asturias won 1 seat.
Results (Absolute Majority: 23)
- PSOE - 19 seats (36.60 percent)
- PP 17 (32.65)
- Vox 4 (10.07)
- IU/Más - 3 (7.61)
- Podemos 1 (3.90)
- Foro Asturias 1 (3.70)
La Rioja - PP
In La Rioja PP won 17 seats and therefore an absolute majority, meaning they do not need Vox. The far-right party won two seats.
PSOE lost three seats, falling from 15 to 12 deputies, meaning it does not have the number to form a coalition with Podemos to govern.
Results (Absolute Majority: 17)
- PP 17 seats (45.44 percent)
- PSOE 12 (31.92)
- Vox 2 (7.57)
- Podemos 2 (5.07)
Extremadura -TBC
The results in Extremadura, a long-held Socialist stronghold led by Guillermo Fernández Vara, were incredibly close, and negotiations on potential coalition configurations continue this week.
PSOE and PP both won 28 seats, 5 short of the 33 necessary for an absolute majority in the southwestern region. Both major parties theoretically have a path to power, with Vox and Podemos (in a leftish electoral block) both plausibly able to provide working majorities.
Vara's PSOE lost its absolute majority and dropped six seats, and Vox broke into the regional assembly for the first time, coming in third place with five seats and 8.2 percent of the vote share.
Results (Absolute Majority: 33)
- PSOE 28 seats (39.39 percent)
- PP 28 (38.85)
- Vox - 5 (8.12)
- Podemos/IU/AV - 4 (5.98)
Canary Islands - TBC
The somewhat complicated electoral system of the Canary Islands (that weighs the number of seats proportional to the population of each island) means that negotiations are still ongoing for the regional executive.
The results were close, which compound the uncertainty.
Results (Absolute Majority: 31)
- PSOE - 19 seats (27.17 percent)
- CCA - 17 (21/84)
- PP 13 (19.40)
- NC-BC 5 (8.07)
- VOX 3 (7.85)
- ASG 3 (0.69)
- AH - 1 (0.18)
Murcia - PP/Vox
PP leader in Murcia Fernando López Miras strengthened his grip on the region, winning 21 of the 45 seats in the Murcian assembly, but leaving the party two deputies from an absolute majority.
Miras will rely on Vox, which won 9 seats, five more than in 2019, something already established in the region, but not within its internal tensions.
Results (Absolute Majority: 23)
- PP - 21 seats (42.84 percent)
- PSOE - 13 (25.60)
- Vox - 9 (17.72)
- Podemos/IU/Verdes/AV - 2 (4.68)
Balearic Islands - PP/Vox
A PP-Vox pact has ended the rule of a leftist block (PSOE, regional party Més per Mallorca and Podemos) on the Balearic Islands.
PP improved by 9 seats, going from 16 to 25, and Vox went from 3 to 8 seats, completely changing the political makeup of the islands.
PSOE lost 1 seat.
Results (Absolute Majority: 30)
- PP 25 seats (35.33 percent)
- PSOE 18 (26.50)
- Vox - 8 (13.90)
- Mes per Mallorca - 4 (8.33)
- MXME 2 (1.43)
- EUIB/Podemos 1 (4.40)
- Sa Unio/El Pi - 1 (0.39)
Castilla-La Mancha - PSOE
In a rare piece of good news for PSOE on election Day, Socialist President Emiliano García-Page held onto Castilla-La Mancha, winning 17 seats and an absolute majority.
PP won 12 seats, and Vox 4.
Results (Absolute Majority: 17)
- PSOE - 17 seats (45.06 percent)
- PP 12 (33.65)
- VOX 4 (12.83)
Ceuta - PP
There were also elections in Spain's autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla.
In Ceuta, the PP maintained control of the assembly, winning 9 seats and almost 35 percent of the vote. PSOE won 6 seats. The PP leader Juan Jesús Vivas lacks an absolute majority, however, and will need to form a pact with Vox in order to govern.
Vox won five seats, and local parties Movement for Dignity and Citizenship won 3, and Ceuta Ya! 2.
Results
- PP - 9 seats (34.37 percent)
- PSOE - 6 (20.96)
- Vox - 5 (20.64)
- MDyc 3 (11.24)
- Ceuta Ya - 2 (10.03)
Melilla - PP
In Melilla PP won an overall majority, winning 15 seats following an election campaign marred by controversy after alleged electoral fraud that saw 10,000 postal ballots being investigated ten arrests made.
Local party Coalition for Melilla won 5 seats, while PSOE won 3 and Vox 5.
Results
- PP 14 seats (52.67 percent)
- Coalición por Melilla 5 (18.81)
- PSOE - 3 (10.66)
- Vox 2 (9.94)
- SML - 1 (5.10)
Cantabria - PP
In Cantabria, PP jumped from 9 to 15 seats but fell short of an overall majority. The victory came at the expense of the Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC), which dropped from 14 to 8 seats and lost almost half of its vote share (falling from 37.64 percent to just 20.86).
PSOE came in joint second, with 8 seats, as did PRC, and Vox won 4 seats.
Former PRC regional President has said he would rather allow PP to govern alone, or support the party that forces it to enter into a pact with Vox. Negotiations continue.
Results (Absolute Majority: 18)
- PP 15 seats (35.80 percent)
- PRC - 8 (20.86)
- PSOE 8 (20.59 percent)
- Vox 4 (11.07)
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Spanish politics has always had a flare for the dramatic. With its decentralised, coalition-laden electoral systems, seemingly non-stop scandals, and big political personalities, politics here in Spain can shock and surprise.
But on Monday 29th May, just hours after his party had received an electoral drubbing in local and regional elections, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez pulled perhaps the greatest plot twist of all by calling an unexpected snap general election for July 23rd.
READ ALSO: Spanish PM calls snap election for July
With his back against the wall Sánchez has, according to political pundits, taken the least of the bad options available to him. The political logic of the decision, which may seem counterintuitive following such heavy defeats, is to not allow PP to enjoy its victories at the regional and local level, and with their coalitions with far-right Vox in several parts of Spain, to shock voters into action with a now or never, 'fascism or socialism' vote.
Sánchez's aim of distracting from the electoral losses suffered by his Socialists (PSOE) has worked, it seems, because with all the drama of the last few days, the actual results of the regional polls have largely been ignored, or moved on from, at least.
In the highly-regionalised, decentralised nature of Spanish politics, the governments in each autonomous community have a big say in how things are run in the region, particularly when it comes to education and healthcare. As a result, regional (and local) results may have more of a direct impact than in other countries.
On Sunday May 28th, voters in Madrid, Valencia, Castilla-La Mancha, Aragón, Navarre, Extremadura, Murcia, the Canary Islands, the Balearic Islands, Asturias, Cantabria and La Rioja all headed to the polls, as well as in Spain's North African autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.
But who actually won where?
Madrid - PP
Partido Popular (PP) strengthened their grip on the Madrid region, with the darling of the Spanish right Isabel Díaz Ayuso sweeping an absolute majority in the regional executive and bypassing the need to rely on far-right Vox for legislative support.
Ayuso's party won six more seats than the last regional poll in Madrid in 2021 when she established herself as a firm fixture on the national scene with a campaign centred around reopening the hospitality sector during the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
PP gained 71 deputies out of 135 in the Madrid Assembly. The result was also notable for left-wing party Más Madrid outperforming PSOE.
Results (Absolute Majority: 68)
- PP - 71 seats (47.34 percent)
- Más Madrid - 27 (18.35)
- PSOE - 27 (18.19)
- Vox - 10 (7.31)
Valencia - PP/Vox
In Spanish politics, Valencia is seen as somewhat of an electoral litmus test for the country at large, and the south-eastern region firmly rejected the leftist block that had been governing in coalition.
PSOE candidate and regional President Ximo Puig, who, like Ayuso, has been a vocal figure at the national level, was ousted by a so-called 'blue wave' of PP voters despite slightly improving his party's vote share on the last set of elections in 2019, winning 5 more seats.
Despite that, the PP candidate, Alicante native Carlos Mazón, led his party to 40 seats, 21 more than in 2019.
However, the fall of the regional party Compromís, which lost three seats, and the trouncing of Podemos, mean the left-wing Botánic block no longer has the numbers to form a coalition. Instead, Valencia is now ruled by a right-wing block, with PP relying on the 13 seats won by Vox (three more than in 2019) to gain a majority.
Results (Absolute Majority: 50)
- PP - 40 seats (35.37 percent)
- PSOE - 31 (28.35)
- Compromís - 15 (14.30)
- Vox - 13 (12.41)
READ ALSO: Five key takeaways from Spain's regional and local elections
Navarre - UPN (PSOE form govt)
The Navarrese People's Union (UPN) won the most seats, taking 15, but will not govern in the northern region.
Incumbent PSOE President María Chivite won 11 seats, and looks likely to rely on the controversial EH Bildu, the so-called 'post-ETA' party that caused outrage when it included 44 convicted terrorists on its candidate lists, which won a surprise 9 seats in the regional assembly.
PSOE and Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's pacts with radical and separatist parties at the national level were a focus of PP's regional campaigns and undoubtedly will be for the general election on July 18th.
Results (Absolute Majority: 26)
- UPN - 15 seats (27.92 percent)
- PSOE - 11 (20.70)
- EH Bildu - 9 (17.28)
- Geroa Bai - 7 (13.29)
- PPN - 3 (7.19)
- Contigo Zurekin 3 (6.08)
- Vox - 2 (4.28)
Aragón - PP/Vox
Like Valencia, PP is also seen as a political bellwether for the wider country. It is often referred to as the 'Spanish Ohio' in that its results can often be extrapolated to the wider electorate and give an idea of the political picture nationally.
The blue wave washed over Aragón, with PP candidate Jorge Azcón leading his party to 28 seats, an increase of 12 compared to 2019. This wasn't enough for a majority, however, and PP will likely rely on Vox, though Azcón is reportedly exploring other pacts in order to govern.
Results: (Absolute Majority: 34)
- PP - 28 seats (35.5 percent)
- PSOE - 23 (29.51)
- Vox - 7 (11.25)
- Chunta Aragonesista - 3 (5.11)
- Aragón Existe - 3 (4.99)
- Podemos - 1 (3.98)
Asturias - PSOE/Left block
PSOE came out on top in Asturias, winning 19 seats (down 1 on its 2019 result). PP came in second, with 17 seats, a jump of 7 seats on their last result in the northern principality.
Vox is the third largest party in the regional assembly, with 4 deputies, and the left-wing electoral block (made up of Izquierda Unida, Más País and IAS) won 3 seats, and Podemos 1, meaning that PSOE will rely on both to govern.
Regional party Foro Asturias won 1 seat.
Results (Absolute Majority: 23)
- PSOE - 19 seats (36.60 percent)
- PP 17 (32.65)
- Vox 4 (10.07)
- IU/Más - 3 (7.61)
- Podemos 1 (3.90)
- Foro Asturias 1 (3.70)
La Rioja - PP
In La Rioja PP won 17 seats and therefore an absolute majority, meaning they do not need Vox. The far-right party won two seats.
PSOE lost three seats, falling from 15 to 12 deputies, meaning it does not have the number to form a coalition with Podemos to govern.
Results (Absolute Majority: 17)
- PP 17 seats (45.44 percent)
- PSOE 12 (31.92)
- Vox 2 (7.57)
- Podemos 2 (5.07)
Extremadura -TBC
The results in Extremadura, a long-held Socialist stronghold led by Guillermo Fernández Vara, were incredibly close, and negotiations on potential coalition configurations continue this week.
PSOE and PP both won 28 seats, 5 short of the 33 necessary for an absolute majority in the southwestern region. Both major parties theoretically have a path to power, with Vox and Podemos (in a leftish electoral block) both plausibly able to provide working majorities.
Vara's PSOE lost its absolute majority and dropped six seats, and Vox broke into the regional assembly for the first time, coming in third place with five seats and 8.2 percent of the vote share.
Results (Absolute Majority: 33)
- PSOE 28 seats (39.39 percent)
- PP 28 (38.85)
- Vox - 5 (8.12)
- Podemos/IU/AV - 4 (5.98)
Canary Islands - TBC
The somewhat complicated electoral system of the Canary Islands (that weighs the number of seats proportional to the population of each island) means that negotiations are still ongoing for the regional executive.
The results were close, which compound the uncertainty.
Results (Absolute Majority: 31)
- PSOE - 19 seats (27.17 percent)
- CCA - 17 (21/84)
- PP 13 (19.40)
- NC-BC 5 (8.07)
- VOX 3 (7.85)
- ASG 3 (0.69)
- AH - 1 (0.18)
Murcia - PP/Vox
PP leader in Murcia Fernando López Miras strengthened his grip on the region, winning 21 of the 45 seats in the Murcian assembly, but leaving the party two deputies from an absolute majority.
Miras will rely on Vox, which won 9 seats, five more than in 2019, something already established in the region, but not within its internal tensions.
Results (Absolute Majority: 23)
- PP - 21 seats (42.84 percent)
- PSOE - 13 (25.60)
- Vox - 9 (17.72)
- Podemos/IU/Verdes/AV - 2 (4.68)
Balearic Islands - PP/Vox
A PP-Vox pact has ended the rule of a leftist block (PSOE, regional party Més per Mallorca and Podemos) on the Balearic Islands.
PP improved by 9 seats, going from 16 to 25, and Vox went from 3 to 8 seats, completely changing the political makeup of the islands.
PSOE lost 1 seat.
Results (Absolute Majority: 30)
- PP 25 seats (35.33 percent)
- PSOE 18 (26.50)
- Vox - 8 (13.90)
- Mes per Mallorca - 4 (8.33)
- MXME 2 (1.43)
- EUIB/Podemos 1 (4.40)
- Sa Unio/El Pi - 1 (0.39)
Castilla-La Mancha - PSOE
In a rare piece of good news for PSOE on election Day, Socialist President Emiliano García-Page held onto Castilla-La Mancha, winning 17 seats and an absolute majority.
PP won 12 seats, and Vox 4.
Results (Absolute Majority: 17)
- PSOE - 17 seats (45.06 percent)
- PP 12 (33.65)
- VOX 4 (12.83)
Ceuta - PP
There were also elections in Spain's autonomous cities in North Africa, Ceuta and Melilla.
In Ceuta, the PP maintained control of the assembly, winning 9 seats and almost 35 percent of the vote. PSOE won 6 seats. The PP leader Juan Jesús Vivas lacks an absolute majority, however, and will need to form a pact with Vox in order to govern.
Vox won five seats, and local parties Movement for Dignity and Citizenship won 3, and Ceuta Ya! 2.
Results
- PP - 9 seats (34.37 percent)
- PSOE - 6 (20.96)
- Vox - 5 (20.64)
- MDyc 3 (11.24)
- Ceuta Ya - 2 (10.03)
Melilla - PP
In Melilla PP won an overall majority, winning 15 seats following an election campaign marred by controversy after alleged electoral fraud that saw 10,000 postal ballots being investigated ten arrests made.
Local party Coalition for Melilla won 5 seats, while PSOE won 3 and Vox 5.
Results
- PP 14 seats (52.67 percent)
- Coalición por Melilla 5 (18.81)
- PSOE - 3 (10.66)
- Vox 2 (9.94)
- SML - 1 (5.10)
Cantabria - PP
In Cantabria, PP jumped from 9 to 15 seats but fell short of an overall majority. The victory came at the expense of the Regionalist Party of Cantabria (PRC), which dropped from 14 to 8 seats and lost almost half of its vote share (falling from 37.64 percent to just 20.86).
PSOE came in joint second, with 8 seats, as did PRC, and Vox won 4 seats.
Former PRC regional President has said he would rather allow PP to govern alone, or support the party that forces it to enter into a pact with Vox. Negotiations continue.
Results (Absolute Majority: 18)
- PP 15 seats (35.80 percent)
- PRC - 8 (20.86)
- PSOE 8 (20.59 percent)
- Vox 4 (11.07)
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