Pedro Sánchez's Socialists Crushed in Andalusia as Far-Right Vox Emerges as Kingmaker

Spain's Socialist Party has suffered a historic defeat in Andalusia, a region it once dominated for nearly four decades. The election on Sunday, widely seen as a political barometer ahead of next year's general election, delivered a sharp blow to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's PSOE, which took just 28 out of 109 available seats. The main conservative Popular Party (PP) won 53 seats – two short of a majority. The far-right Vox party took 15 seats, making it the potential kingmaker.

The result opens the door for a PP–Vox coalition, a scenario that has played out before in other regions such as Extremadura, Aragon, and Castile and Leon. The PP has not ruled out collaboration at the national level if the next general election, expected in 2027, also fails to give it a majority.

Andalusia, Spain's most populous region with 9 million people, is a political heavyweight. Regions hold broad powers over healthcare, education, and housing, making this election a decisive test within Spain's decentralised system. A traditional socialist stronghold for almost four decades, the region has been governed since 2019 by the Popular Party. The PP went into the race as the favourite to retain power, and that is exactly what happened.

For the Socialists, the defeat is particularly significant. The PSOE candidate was María Jesús Montero, a former deputy prime minister and finance minister. The PP placed her at the centre of its attacks, linking her both to the management of the central government and to corruption cases engulfing the party. Montero cast her vote in Seville and told the media that the day was extremely important for deciding the future, adding that nobody should stay at home.

PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo urged voters to back his party on the grounds that a victory in Andalusia would have a double effect: consolidating political change in the region and strengthening the alternative to Sánchez's government. The PP's willingness to deal with Vox puts it in a different position from other European conservative parties that keep their distance from the far right.

Sánchez, for his part, called in recent days for the mobilisation of progressive voters to prevent Vox from entering the Andalusian government, presenting Montero's candidacy as a solid option. That appeal clearly did not resonate.

A total of 163,510 Andalusians voted in advance, according to official data. Other candidates also cast their ballots. José Ignacio García of Adelante Andalucía voted in Jerez de la Frontera accompanied by his mother, saying that today everyone is equal and has the same power, and they have to make the most of it.

The election took place in a context marked by fatigue with the national government and several corruption investigations involving the president's inner circle and former aides. For Sánchez, the result is a warning shot. For Feijóo, it is an opportunity. And for Vox, it is a familiar role: the party that everyone loves to hate but no one can govern without. Andalusia has spoken. The rest of Spain is now watching.