Junta of Extremadura
To the president of the Junta de Extremadura, María Guardiola (PP)
The Popular Party of Spain won the elections in the Spanish region of Extremadura, while the Socialists, led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, had the worst result ever in this autonomous region. The far right doubled votes.
When more than 91% of the votes were counted in this Sunday’s elections in Extremadura, the People’s Party (PP), right-wing, won with 42.96% and 29 deputies, one more than it currently had, but below the 33 required for an absolute majority in the autonomous parliament of Extremadura.
Already the Socialist party (PSOE) had 25.87% of the votes and 18 deputies, around 14 percentage points less and minus ten deputies than it achieved in the previous elections, in May 2023.
This is the worst result ever and a historic defeat of the PSOE in Extremadura, region considered a socialist fiefdomthat the party governed in nine of the 11 autonomous legislatures, seven of which with an absolute majority, and in which only in one of the elections (those in 2011) had it not received the most votes.
A The third most voted force today was Voxfar-right, with 17% of the votes and 11 deputies, in both cases more than double the vote which he had in 2023 (8.13%) and of those elected two years ago (five).
Never had the right and the extreme right had a such a great representation in the parliament of Extremadura, after having managed, for the first time, in 2023, surpass the group of all left-wing parties.
In addition to the PP, PSOE and Vox, yet another party managed to elect deputies to the autonomous parliament of Extremadura, the United for Extremaduraa platform for forces to the left of the socialistswhich had 10.22% of the votes (4.5 percentage points more than in 2023) and seven deputies (three more).
These early elections in Extremadura, on the eve of Christmas, were called at the end of October by the president of the autonomous government since 2023, Maria Guardiolafrom the PP, after having seen the budgets for 2026 that he sent to the regional parliament failed.
Guardiola, who ran again, has been heading the Extremadura Board since the summer of 2023. That year, the PSOE was the most voted and the PP the secondbut they obtained the same number of deputies (28), with a according to Vox to dictate that the right would be left with the government.
Elections in Extremadura mark the beginning of the new electoral cycle in Spain and these autonomics will be followed by others in February 2026 in Aragon, in March in Castile and Leon and in June in Andalusia; municipal and regional elections in most regions in May 2027 and, finally, national legislative elections in July of the same year.
The importance of these elections for the national structures of the parties became clear in the last two months and throughout the electoral campaign period, in which there were unusual presence of leaders in Extremadurain several initiatives, including Pedro Sánchez.
The elections coincided with a moment of and for Pedro Sánchez, with party leaders involved in suspected corruption and other court cases, as well as accusations of sexual harassment.
One of these legal cases has its epicenter, precisely, in Extremadura and as its protagonist the PSOE candidate, Miguel Angel Gallardowho will be tried in May 2026 with the prime minister’s brother, David Sanchezfor influence peddling.
With little more than one million inhabitants in 2024 and 41,635 km² in Extremadura, on the border with Portugal — with Alentejo and Beira Interior.
It’s the fifth largest autonomous region in Spain in surface area and, along with Castile and León, the one with the lowest population density, with 25.30 inhabitants per km², forming part of the so-called “Empty Spain“.
80,985 voters were called to vote, 30,610 of which were registered abroad.
