Spain - May 2023

Poor results for the ruling Socialist party (PSOE) in local and regional elections led Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to call for snap elections, which have been set for 23 July. The Council of Ministers subsequently approved a royal decree to dissolve Parliament. The opposition conservative People’s party won 31.5 per cent of the vote in the local elections (a 9 per cent increase from the 2019 elections) covering over 8,000 municipalities, and secured an absolute majority in both the Madrid region and in the city council. The ultra-conservative Vox party also made gains, and came in third place with 7.2 per cent of the municipal vote. There were also cases of arrests for alleged vote buying in Mojácar and Albudeite, two towns in the Southeast, and in the Spanish North African enclave of Melilla, with investigations ongoing.

Sources: The Guardian, The Financial Times, Reuters, El País, La Moncloa, Euractiv, The Local