Madrid primary season opens: Más Madrid voting begins as PSOE-M closes candidate lists with last-minute surprise

Más Madrid voting underway

Más Madrid's membership began voting on Saturday in a primary that will decide whether Health Minister Mónica García continues to lead the party into the 2027 regional election. The telematic ballot runs from 4 to 6 July, with preliminary results expected on 8 July. García heads the list 'En Madrid hay partido', flanked by Assembly spokesperson Manuela Bergerot in second place and deputy spokesperson Emilio Delgado in third. Her campaign, which ran from 24 June to 2 July, closed with a video set to the 'Oliver y Benji' theme, calling on members to "work as a team" and "win" the regional presidency.

You are our team and you are essential to convince those who are missing. To reach every madrileño. From Aranjuez to Alpedrete. From Moratalaz to Carabanchel. To keep saying with our heads held high: I am from Más Madrid. Because yes, we can win Madrid.

The alternative candidacy, Más Madrid Abierto, defines itself as an internal movement based on mutual trust and effective participation. No single figurehead has been named in the articles, but the list presents a direct challenge to García's leadership.

PSOE-M: a last-minute challenger

On Friday, the deadline for precandidacies in the Madrid Socialist federation closed with an unexpected name. Óscar López, the regional secretary general and Minister for Digital Transformation and Public Function, will face Silvia López Quivira, a grassroots member from the Chamartín district and a lawyer by profession. Her candidacy, registered just before the noon cutoff, forces a primary that had appeared to be a coronation.

Madrid needs a change. Madrid needs us to be brave. After more than thirty years governed by an increasingly selfish, unjust and corrupt right that privatises public services to favour the business of a few.

López Quivira's chances are described as slim. The next phase, endorsement collection from 4 to 11 July, requires at least 12% support from a census of roughly 14,000 members. If she clears that hurdle, a campaign period runs from 12 to 18 July, with the first-round vote on 19 July and a possible runoff on 26 July. Former regional leader Juan Lobato, who had called for open primaries, did not enter the race.

City hall contest

In the capital, the Socialist primary pits the current municipal spokesperson and city party chief, Reyes Maroto, against her deputy spokesperson, Enma López. Maroto, a former minister, registered her candidacy on Friday morning, emphasising continuity. "My place is in Madrid," she said, arguing that the alternative to the PP's José Luis Martínez-Almeida requires "constancy" rather than "starting from scratch every four years." Enma López, who filed on Thursday, described her bid as a response to "a wave of enthusiasm" and a desire for change.

In politics it is important to keep your word because it generates trust and strengthens both the person and the political project.

Both candidates will now gather endorsements alongside the regional contenders, with the same 19 July voting date.

What comes next

Beyond Madrid, the Socialist primary calendar is also moving in other regions. Science Minister Diana Morant was the sole candidate registered for the Valencian presidency, while in the Balearics, Tourism Secretary of State Rosario Sánchez Grau takes over from Francina Armengol as the regional candidate. The Madrid contests, however, are the most crowded, with two-way races at both the regional and municipal levels now formally underway.