Campaign Launch in Castile and León: PP Leads in Polls, PSOE Fights for a Breakthrough

The official start of the election campaign in Castile and León marks the beginning of an intense battle for votes in Spain's largest autonomous community. The elections scheduled for March 15, 2026, will take place in an atmosphere of polarization between the center-right bloc and the left. The current regional president, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco of the People's Party (PP), launched his campaign with a series of rallies in Burgos, Palencia, Valladolid, and Salamanca. While polls give his party the lead and predict it will win around 33 seats, this result is far from an absolute majority, which in the 82-seat Cortes of Castile and León requires 42 votes. This means the PP may be forced to renew its agreement with the right-wing party Vox, which according to forecasts could secure 15 seats. The Socialists (PSOE) have fielded Carlos Martínez, the long-serving and popular mayor of Soria, as their candidate. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has personally engaged in the campaign, participating in a rally in Burgos. The left's strategy is based on building an image of PSOE as a "dam holding back" the return of a coalition between the right and the far-right. Sánchez used the start of the campaign to announce that the Council of State has backed a project to enshrine the right to abortion in the constitution, aiming to mobilize female voters concerned about a regression of civil rights. However, the situation on the left is complicated by divisions – Podemos and the IU-Sumar coalition are running separately, which, under an electoral system favoring larger parties, could weaken their chances of winning seats. Castile and León has been a bastion of the Spanish center-right since 1987. The region also became a testing ground for Spain's first-ever coalition government between the PP and Vox, which lasted over two years before Vox broke the agreement in 2024 in protest against migration policy. Regional parties, such as the Unión del Pueblo Leonés (UPL) and Soria ¡YA!, will be a significant factor in the upcoming elections. These local formations build their political capital by criticizing the traditional PP-PSOE duopoly, accusing the main parties of years of neglect towards the provinces and a lack of effective action against the region's depopulation. The PP candidate consistently rejects proposals for one-on-one debates with the Socialist candidate, advocating for a format that includes the three main political forces. The election result in Castile and León will be a key indicator of the social mood in Spain following earlier Socialist defeats in Extremadura and Aragon. „Castilla y León necesita un gobierno que consolide derechos, refuerce los servicios públicos y garantice igualdad de oportunidades en todo el territorio.” (Castile and León needs a government that consolidates rights, strengthens public services, and guarantees equal opportunities across the entire territory.) — Pedro Sánchez „Nasze słowo jest święte, to kontrakt, i dotrzymamy go poprzez fakty.” (Our word is sacred, it's a contract, and we will keep it through actions.) — Alfonso Fernández Mañueco