THE conservative Partido Popular (PP) came out on top in Sunday’s crunch regional election in Andalucia, but lost its majority in a result that will likely force incumbent president Juanma Moreno to strike a deal with far-right Vox.
“We didn’t graduate with first-class honours, but we did get an outstanding grade,” Moreno told supporters at a press conference in the capital Sevilla as votes trickled in on Sunday evening.
As of midnight, with more than 99% of ballots counted, the PP were set to claim 53 seats in the regional parliament.
That represents a loss of five seats since the last election held in 2022, and also falls short of the 55 representatives required to command a majority in the regional chamber.
The PP, who were hoping to seize a thumping majority to provide a welcome momentum boost ahead of the next general election in 2027, won 41.6% of the vote share, decreasing 1.5 percentage points from the previous vote.
That result means Moreno, typically seen as belonging to the centrist wing of the party, will likely have to form a pact with far-right Vox to secure power, as other PP candidates have previously done in regions including Valencia, Aragon and Castilla y Leon.
Vox, who stood on the platform of their controversial ‘national priority’ policy, won 15 seats, one more than four years ago.
“Andalucians have spoken clearly and they have told the Andalucian government what they want – they want national priority,” said the party’s candidate for president, Manuel Gavira.
The proposal seeks to prioritise locals and those with what the party describes as ‘Spanish roots’ when accessing public services, such as healthcare facilities or education.
The big winners of the night were Adelante Andalucia, an insurgent hard-left regionalist party who increased their share of the vote by five percentage points.
They secured eight seats in the regional chamber, cashing in on losses suffered by the PP and the Socialist PSOE, the latter of which registered its worst-ever result in Andalucia.
The party of prime minister Pedro Sanchez recorded just 28 seats, down from 30 four years ago.
“These are not good results for us. We take note of what Andalucians have told us at the ballot box,” said a despondent Maria Jesus Montero, the Socialist candidate for regional president.
Elsewhere, the left-wing Por Andalucia coalition, headed by Communist candidate Antonio Maillo, secured 5 seats.
Turnout in Sunday’s vote was up to 62%, representing an increase of nearly six percentage points from 2022.
