MADRID – The president of the Madrid region, Isabel Díaz Ayuso (PP), has achieved an absolute majority in the regional elections held last Sunday. This consolidates her dominance and allows her to govern the region alone.
With nearly 100% of the votes counted, the Partido Popular (PP) has secured 71 seats in the Madrid Parliament (Asamblea de Madrid) – three more than the 68 required for an absolute majority – and 47.31% of the votes. Más Madrid remains the second most popular party (27 seats and 18.37% of the votes), followed by the PSOE (27 seats and 18.21%) and Vox (10 seats and 7.3%).
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This overwhelming victory strengthens Ayuso’s position, as she took a bold gamble in 2021 by ending her alliance with Ciudadanos and forcing new elections. Two years later, she has gained five seats in the Asamblea de Madrid and does not require any agreements to implement her program.
Más Madrid and Podemos
Más Madrid, led by Mónica García, remains the second-largest party, securing 27 seats, three more than in the previous elections, benefiting from the decline of Podemos. With Alejandra Jacinto as their candidate, Podemos failed to secure any seats in the Puerta del Sol, falling short with only 4.75% of the votes – below the required 5% threshold to enter the Asamblea – thus losing the 10 seats that Pablo Iglesias achieved two years ago.
PSOE Madrid
The PSOE, led by Juan Lobato, has also improved its results compared to 2021, gaining three additional seats. However, they have not been able to reverse the “surprise” by Más Madrid and remain the third-largest party, albeit by only a handful of votes compared to Mónica García’s party.
Vox
Vox, with Rocío Monasterio as their candidate, has lost three seats, securing a total of 10 seats, without the possibility of entering into agreements that could influence Ayuso’s position at the head of the Madrid government.
Ayuso celebrates an “undeniable” result
Around midnight, Isabel Díaz Ayuso appeared on the balcony of the PP’s national headquarters on Calle Génova in Madrid to celebrate the victory in front of approximately 3,500 people who greeted her with chants of “presidenta, presidenta”.
Supported by the leader of her party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and the Mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida – who also won with an absolute majority in the capital – Ayuso emphasised the “undeniable” result of the PP in these elections. “The impressive result of May 2021 has not only been repeated, but it has grown even further, and that means we have not disappointed, and this great path has widened so that we can govern for all Madrileños, for the vast majority of Spaniards, and most importantly, to do it in freedom,” said the President of the Madrid region.
She also sent a message to Feijóo: “President, this is your moment. Decisive months are coming for Spain.”
PP also secures a majority in Madrid city
The celebration at the PP in Madrid was two-fold as the party also achieved an absolute majority in the Madrid City Council. José Luis Martínez-Almeida will therefore, govern alone for the next four years.
Almeida secured the 29 seats required for an absolute majority, 14 more than in 2019 when he became mayor through a coalition with Ciudadanos. The formation led by Begoña Villacís failed to secure any seats and is left out of the Palacio de Cibeles.
Más Madrid and PSOE
Más Madrid, led by Rita Maestre, is the second-largest party with 12 seats, but it lost seven compared to 2019. The PSOE, under the leadership of former minister Reyes Maroto, gained three new seats, totalling 11 seats and remaining the third-largest party in the city.
Vox
Vox, led by Javier Ortega Smith, secured five seats, one more than before, but it will not influence the municipal government due to Almeida’s overwhelming victory.
Podemos
Podemos, which presented former athlete Javier Sotomayor as its candidate, failed to secure any seats as it fell just below the 5% threshold of votes required for representation.
With Ayuso and Martínez-Almeida’s victories, the PP has established a strong presence in both the Madrid region and the capital, ensuring their significant role in the Spanish political landscape in the coming years. The resounding success of the PP in the region reflects a broader trend of right-wing parties gaining ground in local and regional elections across Spain, signalling a shift in the country’s political landscape.
