The Partido Popular (PP) won the Andalusian regional election on Sunday, May 17, but failed to secure an absolute majority [1].
The result forces the center-right party to negotiate with the far-right Vox party to form a stable government. This dependency may shift the legislative priorities of the region as the PP seeks the remaining votes needed to govern.
Juan Manuel Moreno (PP) led his party to a victory that left them just two seats shy of the 55 required for an absolute majority [1], [2]. The PP obtained 53 seats in the regional parliament [1]. A CIS estimate placed the party's vote share at 43.6% [3].
Moreno described the result as a strong performance. "No hemos sacado una matrícula de honor, pero sí sobresaliente," Moreno said [1].
The opposition PSOE, led by María Jesús Montero (PSOE), finished with 28 seats [1]. Montero acknowledged the poor performance of her party. "No eran unos buenos resultados," Montero said [1].
Because the PP lacks the 55 seats necessary to pass legislation independently [1], the party must now enter talks with Vox. Reports indicate that the PP will need the support of Vox to achieve a governing majority [2].
This electoral outcome maintains the PP's dominance in the region but alters the power dynamic between the party leadership and its potential coalition partners.
“The PP obtained 53 seats, two short of the 55 needed for an absolute majority.”
The election results solidify the center-right's hold on Andalusia but increase the political leverage of Vox. By falling short of an absolute majority, Juan Manuel Moreno must now concede to certain policy demands from the far-right to secure the investiture, potentially moving the regional government's agenda further to the right.
