Spain’s main opposition party, the right-wing People’s Party (PP) has reached a coalition agreement with the far-right Vox party to continue governing the southern region of Andalusia, securing Juanma Moreno (left, main image) a third term as regional president in a deal widely viewed as a potential rehearsal for Spain’s next general election.
The agreement, announced just hours before a decisive parliamentary vote on Thursday, returns Moreno to office after he secured the backing of Vox’s regional MPs, ending weeks of negotiations following May’s regional election. ALSO READ: PP wins Andalusia election but loses majority, leaving it reliant on far-right Vox.
The pact carries significance beyond Andalusia, Spain’s most populous autonomous region. Under the country’s decentralised political system, the Andalusian regional government has extensive powers over areas including healthcare, education and housing.
It also marks the fourth PP–Vox governing agreement in recent months, following similar coalition deals in Extremadura, Aragón and Castilla y León, reinforcing a political alliance that could be replicated nationally if Spain’s next general election again produces a hung parliament. ALSO READ: PP wins Castilla y León election, but needs far-right’s support – and PSOE improves its result.
Moreno’s PP emerged as the largest party in the 17 May election, winning 53 seats – two short of an overall majority in the 109-seat regional parliament in Seville. Vox secured 15 seats, placing it in a kingmaker position. ALSO READ: Far-right Vox rejoins Extremadura government in ‘national priority’ deal with PP.
Initially unable to secure enough parliamentary support, Moreno’s first bid for re-election failed during a vote on Tuesday while negotiations with Vox continued behind closed doors. ALSO READ: PP secures Aragón leadership with Vox in renewed ‘national priority’ pact.
Before that unsuccessful vote, Moreno acknowledged that only Vox was prepared to help form a government.
‘I am in talks with Vox, the only party willing to reach an agreement. I hope and trust that we can reach a deal as soon as possible and that it will lead to a productive parliamentary term,’ he said.
Following several more days of negotiations, the two parties reached agreement just two hours before Thursday’s second investiture vote, when only a simple majority was required.
Moreno was subsequently re-elected with 68 votes in favour.
Shortly before the vote, he defended the agreement, saying: ‘Instead of fresh elections that would paralyse our region for six months, an agreement has been reached which I think is positive for Andalusia.’
As part of the coalition, Vox will formally enter the regional government. Its Andalusian leader, Manuel Gavira (right, main image), will become vice-president and head a newly created super-ministry responsible for tourism, deregulation, local administration and justice.
Moreno said the portfolio was broadly comparable to the ministry previously held by former Ciudadanos leader Juan Marín following the 2019 coalition agreement that first brought him to power.
The coalition agreement spans 150 policy commitments and includes one of Vox’s flagship demands: the introduction of a ‘national priority’ principle.
Under the proposal, applicants would generally need five years’ residence in Andalusia before becoming eligible for certain public assistance and welfare benefits, while access to some public services would also depend on what the agreement describes as a ‘real attachment’ to the region.
The proposal has been strongly criticised by left-wing parties, which describe it as xenophobic. ALSO READ: Spain’s PSOE moves to block ‘national priority’ policy, warning of ‘first- and second-class citizens’.
Gavira defended the measures, calling them ‘common sense’.
‘We have reached an agreement to form a government that defends common sense and works to improve the lives of Andalusians,’ he said. He also thanked Moreno and the PP for ‘their willingness to reach this agreement’.
He added that the coalition’s priority would be ‘to create solutions, not problems’, while also serving as ‘a bulwark against Pedro Sánchez’s mafia’, referring to Spain’s socialist-led national government currently plagued by corruption investigations.
The result represents another setback for Sánchez’s PSOE, which recorded its worst-ever election result in Andalusia – a region the party governed for almost four decades. The socialists have been weakened nationally by a series of corruption scandals and have now suffered four consecutive defeats in regional elections. ALSO READ: Spanish PM denies any knowledge of suspected scheme targeting corruption probes.
The PP has repeatedly declined to rule out forming a similar coalition with Vox after Spain’s next general election, currently due in 2027, should no party secure an outright parliamentary majority – an outcome that opinion polls suggest remains a strong possibility amid the country’s increasingly fragmented political landscape. ALSO READ: Andalusia leaves Sánchez politically weakened as Spain edges further towards a PP-Vox era.
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Hoy comienza una nueva etapa para Andalucía.
— Manuel Gavira 🇪🇸 (@GaviraVox) July 2, 2026
Hemos alcanzado un acuerdo para formar un Gobierno que defienda el sentido común y mejore la vida de los andaluces.
Quiero agradecer a @JuanMa_Moreno su disposición para hacerlo posible y por haber sabido escuchar el mandato de las… pic.twitter.com/2k0cNNjKr5
#Andalucía supera el bloqueo.
— Juanma Moreno (@JuanMa_Moreno) July 2, 2026
Tenemos un gran acuerdo y lo vamos a desarrollar con diálogo, respeto mutuo, lealtad y transparencia.
No voy a cambiar mi forma de pensar ni de hacer política. Siempre prevalecerá el interés general de los andaluces. pic.twitter.com/eUCLd4C3E2
El nuevo Gobierno de Andalucía va a defender los intereses de todos los andaluces. Que nadie lo dude.
— Juanma Moreno (@JuanMa_Moreno) July 3, 2026
Espero y deseo que sea una legislatura estable, fructífera y cordial, y vamos a poner todo nuestro empeño en ello.#Andalucía va a seguir compitiendo con los mejores. pic.twitter.com/rdHFeeH7IJ
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