Antonio Garamendi secures third CEOE term as no rival registers by deadline

Candidacy closure and proclamation

Antonio Garamendi will secure a third consecutive four-year term as president of the Spanish Confederation of Business Organisations (CEOE) after the candidate registration window closed at midnight on 24 August 2026 without any rival submissions. Under CEOE statutes, the presence of a single candidate eliminates the requirement for a formal ballot at the electoral assembly. Garamendi will be officially proclaimed president on 1 October 2026. His candidacy collected formal endorsements from a broad roster of regional and sectoral federations across Spain. Confirmed backers include the Madrid business federation (CEIM), Catalonia's Foment del Treball, the Basque employers' group Confebask, the Valencian federation (CEV), Andalusia's CEA, Confemetal, the self-employed workers' association ATA, and the retail trade body Asedas.

Consolidation of internal alliances

The uncontested path contrasts with Garamendi's 2022 re-election, when Catalan employer group Foment del Treball sponsored a rival candidacy led by its vice president, Virginia Guinda. Following that contest, Garamendi moved to repair relations with Foment's leadership, specifically its president, Josep Sánchez Llibre. Garamendi appointed Sánchez Llibre as CEOE vice president for Relations with the Cortes and Public Administrations, a newly created role providing institutional leverage in parliamentary negotiations. Internal support was further reinforced during elections at the small-business group Cepyme, where Garamendi's ally Ángela de Miguel defeated his most prominent internal challenger, Gerardo Cuerva. Sánchez Llibre confirmed his support for Garamendi before the summer recess, pointing to the leadership demonstrated during the legislative cycle.

A management that has been very good in what has been a very hard legislature.

Regulatory changes and presidential terms

Garamendi, born in Getxo, is the fifth president of the confederation since its establishment in 1977, succeeding Carlos Ferrer Salat, José María Cuevas, Gerardo Díaz Ferrán, and Juan Rosell. He first ran for the presidency in 2014, losing to Rosell, before securing his first term without opposition in November 2018. During his second term, which began in November 2022, the CEOE executive committee approved a statutory amendment in 2023 that repealed the two-term restriction originally enacted under Rosell. That reform enabled Garamendi to seek a third mandate. Garamendi announced his plan to run during the APIE and UIMP Summer Seminar in Santander in June 2026, where he stated that numerous colleagues had urged him to continue.

Government relations and legislative policy

Garamendi's tenure coincided with regular policy negotiations and friction with the central government of Pedro Sánchez. The employers' confederation maintained a firm stance against the labour ministry's legislative agenda, led by Second Vice President and Minister of Work Yolanda Díaz. The primary legislative friction involved Díaz's statutory proposal to reduce the standard working week to 37.5 hours. The confederation opposed the measure, which ultimately stalled in parliament after facing a veto from Junts per Catalunya. Garamendi enters his third term with unified backing from key industrial and territorial constituents as the current legislature approaches its final year.