Spain's Right-Wing PP Wins in Andalusia but Falls Short of Majority, Rejects Coalition with Far-Right
In the Andalusian regional parliamentary election held on the 17th, the conservative right-wing People's Party (PP) won the most seats but failed to secure an absolute majority. Its leader, Juan Manuel Moreno, has rejected forming a coalition with the far-right Vox party, intending to govern alone. The election, seen as a bellwether for next year's national election, resulted in a historic defeat for the ruling left-wing Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) in the region.
📋 Article Processing Timeline
- 📰 Published: May 20, 2026 at 09:26
- 🔍 Collected: May 20, 2026 at 09:31 (5 min after Published)
- 🤖 AI Analyzed: May 20, 2026 at 09:41 (9 min after Collected)
The regional parliamentary election in the Andalusia autonomous community, seen as a bellwether for next year's Spanish national general election, was held on the 17th, with left- and right-wing parties competing for the 109 seats in the assembly.
The People's Party (PP), which has been in power in the region for seven years, won a total of 53 seats, becoming the largest party in the parliament. However, this is five seats fewer than in 2022 and falls short of the 55 seats required for an absolute majority, potentially forcing it to seek a coalition with the far-right Vox party in the future.
The far-right Vox party, running on a "Spaniards first" campaign slogan and advocating for prioritizing public services and social aid for Spaniards over immigrants, captured 15 seats, one more than in 2022.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, the biggest winner of this local election, incumbent regional president Juan Manuel Moreno of the People's Party, acknowledged that because the result was two seats shy of the absolute majority threshold, he will have to engage in inter-party negotiations in parliament to reach policy agreements.
However, Moreno insisted on honoring his pre-election promise to exclude the far-right from his governing team. He emphasized, "A result of nearly a majority gives the People's Party maneuvering room to govern alone."
He did not specify whether he would accept Vox's "Spaniards first" demands in parliament, only stressing, "We will defend the priorities of Andalusia."
Moreno stated that he supports controlled immigration because "populism" grows when social integration problems arise. He asserted that the so-called "Spaniards first" is merely a campaign slogan used by Vox for votes, but Andalusia's "Statute of Autonomy" is the fundamental law for regional governance.
Following the regional victory, the People's Party plans to follow its pre-written script, using the momentum to boost the campaign of party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and prepare for next year's national election.
Feijóo told high-ranking party members at the PP headquarters yesterday: "The campaign to bring change to Spain officially begins today."
Meanwhile, the left-wing Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), led by incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, suffered a major setback in the Andalusia region, winning only 28 seats, two fewer than in 2022. This is the PSOE's worst performance in the autonomous community since Spain's transition to democracy.
Leftist ally Adelante Andalucía won 8 seats, a gain of six from 2022, while the left-wing coalition Por Andalucía maintained its 5 seats, the same as in 2022.
The total number of seats for all left-wing parties is 41, far from a majority.
Although Sánchez avoided self-criticism after the election, arguing that the regional results do not represent the national electoral landscape, a senior regional figure in the Socialist Workers' Party pointed out that the party's problem is not just the loss in Andalusia but being "disconnected from society." They noted that the central government's cooperation with Catalan separatist parties has dissatisfied many left-wing voters, calling for serious introspection within the party to reconnect with society.
The People's Party (PP), which has been in power in the region for seven years, won a total of 53 seats, becoming the largest party in the parliament. However, this is five seats fewer than in 2022 and falls short of the 55 seats required for an absolute majority, potentially forcing it to seek a coalition with the far-right Vox party in the future.
The far-right Vox party, running on a "Spaniards first" campaign slogan and advocating for prioritizing public services and social aid for Spaniards over immigrants, captured 15 seats, one more than in 2022.
According to the Spanish newspaper El Pais, the biggest winner of this local election, incumbent regional president Juan Manuel Moreno of the People's Party, acknowledged that because the result was two seats shy of the absolute majority threshold, he will have to engage in inter-party negotiations in parliament to reach policy agreements.
However, Moreno insisted on honoring his pre-election promise to exclude the far-right from his governing team. He emphasized, "A result of nearly a majority gives the People's Party maneuvering room to govern alone."
He did not specify whether he would accept Vox's "Spaniards first" demands in parliament, only stressing, "We will defend the priorities of Andalusia."
Moreno stated that he supports controlled immigration because "populism" grows when social integration problems arise. He asserted that the so-called "Spaniards first" is merely a campaign slogan used by Vox for votes, but Andalusia's "Statute of Autonomy" is the fundamental law for regional governance.
Following the regional victory, the People's Party plans to follow its pre-written script, using the momentum to boost the campaign of party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo and prepare for next year's national election.
Feijóo told high-ranking party members at the PP headquarters yesterday: "The campaign to bring change to Spain officially begins today."
Meanwhile, the left-wing Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), led by incumbent Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, suffered a major setback in the Andalusia region, winning only 28 seats, two fewer than in 2022. This is the PSOE's worst performance in the autonomous community since Spain's transition to democracy.
Leftist ally Adelante Andalucía won 8 seats, a gain of six from 2022, while the left-wing coalition Por Andalucía maintained its 5 seats, the same as in 2022.
The total number of seats for all left-wing parties is 41, far from a majority.
Although Sánchez avoided self-criticism after the election, arguing that the regional results do not represent the national electoral landscape, a senior regional figure in the Socialist Workers' Party pointed out that the party's problem is not just the loss in Andalusia but being "disconnected from society." They noted that the central government's cooperation with Catalan separatist parties has dissatisfied many left-wing voters, calling for serious introspection within the party to reconnect with society.