PP seizes control of Andalusia Parliament with Vox abstention, coalition talks still stuck

Opening of the legislature

The thirteenth Andalusian legislature began this Thursday with the constituent session of the regional Parliament. Three weeks after the May 17 elections in which the PP won 53 seats but lost its absolute majority, no coalition deal had been reached with Vox, the potential kingmaker. The parliamentary arithmetic forced the PP to rely on its own votes to shape the chamber's governing body, the Mesa, while Vox opted not to give explicit support.

The Mesa vote

The PP's Jesús Aguirre was re-elected president of the Parliament in a second-ballot vote, securing the 53 PP votes. Vox deputies voted blank, denying the popular candidate the explicit backing he had sought. The PP also claimed two vice-presidencies (for Ana Mestre and Manuel Andrés González) and two secretary posts (for José Ramón Carmona and Julia Ibáñez). The PSOE obtained one vice-presidency (Fernando López Gil) and one secretary (Olga Manzano). Vox, Adelante Andalucía and Por Andalucía were left without full voting seats on the Mesa; they will be represented only by non-voting members.

Negotiation limbo

Contacts between the two right-wing parties got off to a slow start. Juanma Moreno did not reach out to Vox until earlier this week, more than three weeks after the election. A chance encounter between Moreno and Santiago Abascal at the Royal Palace reception for Pope Leo XIV on June 6 was followed by a first formal meeting on Monday, June 8, at the Parliament between the acting president and Vox's Andalusian spokesperson, Manuel Gavira. The atmosphere was described as "cordial," but the substance remained unresolved. Vox insists on negotiating the government program and policy measures first, with cabinet posts coming later—the same approach it used in other regions.

The most important things are the measures and what the Andalusian government should promote. The rest doesn't matter to us right now.

Arriving at the chamber, Gavira responded to reporters' questions about a possible pact with a laugh and the exclamation "¡Qué bueno!" ("That's a good one!").

What's next

With no agreement in place, the investiture of Moreno as president remains uncertain. The PP, which has resisted Vox's demand for a "national priority" clause similar to those signed in Extremadura, Aragón and Castilla y León, aims to govern alone if possible. Vox is prepared to negotiate "measure by measure," but the gap between the two parties suggests that a quick deal is unlikely. The next few weeks will determine whether Moreno can secure the necessary support for a third term or whether the legislature begins in a more fragile position than the Mesa vote suggests.