18th May 2026
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PP wins Andalusia election but loses majority, leaving it reliant on far-right Vox

The right-wing People’s Party (PP) has once again emerged victorious in Andalusia’s regional elections, but the loss of its overall majority means regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno will now have to depend on support from the far-right Vox party to remain in power.

With all votes counted following Sunday’s election, the PP secured 53 seats in the 109-member Andalusian parliament — five fewer than the 58 it won in the 2022 regional election and two short of the 55 seats needed for an outright majority.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s socialist party (PSOE) remained the second-largest political force in the region with 28 seats, down from 30 four years ago, in another disappointing result for the Spanish leader amid continuing domestic political pressure.

Vox strengthened its position slightly, increasing its representation from 14 to 15 seats, potentially placing the far-right party in a kingmaker role similar to arrangements already seen in other Spanish regions such as Extremadura and Aragón. ALSO READ: PP secures Aragón leadership with Vox in renewed ‘national priority’ pact.

The election had been closely watched nationally as a possible indication of the political mood ahead of Spain’s next general election, expected in 2027. ALSO READ: Far-right Vox rejoins Extremadura government in ‘national priority’ deal with PP.

Andalusia, Spain’s most populous autonomous community and long considered a socialist stronghold, had been governed by the PSOE for almost 40 years before the PP took control in 2019.

The battle on the left of the PSOE was won by the anti-capitalist party Adelante Andalusia (AA), which overtook the Por Andalusia alliance. AA increased its parliamentary presence to eight seats — six more than in the previous regional election — while the Podemos and United Left (IU) coalition retained its five seats.

The publication of the first official counting results was delayed until 8.43 pm local time because of incidents at several polling stations that forced electoral authorities to extend voting hours in parts of the region.

In Seville, the Andalusian Electoral Board ordered voting at the CEIP Los Azahares school to continue until 8.43 pm after voting stations there were not formally opened until 9.43 am. Similar delays affected polling stations in El Puerto de Santa María in Cádiz province and in Málaga, where voting was extended by several minutes after late openings earlier in the day.

More than 6.8 million Andalusians were eligible to vote in the election, an increase of 2.5% compared with the previous regional vote in June 2022. Of those, just over 302,000 were registered overseas residents, while around 368,000 voters were able to participate for the first time after turning 18 since the last election.

Voters elected the 109 deputies who will form Andalusia’s new regional parliament in what were the 13th regional elections held in the region since Spain’s return to democracy.

Seats in the chamber are distributed across Andalusia’s eight provinces, with Seville allocated 18 representatives, Málaga 17, Cádiz 15, Granada 13, Almería and Córdoba 12 each, and Huelva and Jaén 11 each.

During the campaign, the PP sought to frame the election as a referendum on Sánchez’s national government, pointing to corruption investigations involving members of the prime minister’s inner circle and accusing the PSOE of economic mismanagement.

At a final rally before polling day, PP national leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo declared that a vote for Moreno “’is worth double: to ensure Andalusia wins and to change the government of Spain’. ALSO READ: PP wins Castilla y León election, but needs far-right’s support – and PSOE improves its result.

Sánchez, meanwhile, urged voters to support socialist candidate María Jesús Montero, his former deputy prime minister and finance minister, warning against Vox entering government alongside the PP. He described Montero during the campaign as ‘a tenacious, committed, hard-working woman with convictions’. 

Although Moreno remains the clear winner of the election, the loss of the absolute majority he achieved in 2022 marks a setback for the Andalusian PP leader and opens the door to negotiations with Vox over the formation of the next regional government. ALSO READ: Spain’s PSOE moves to block ‘national priority’ policy, warning of ‘first- and second-class citizens’.

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