End of the unknowns and speculations in the Madrid PSOE. Reyes Maroto, socialist leader in the City Council since 2023, will run again as a candidate for mayor in the 2027 elections, the party announced this Sunday. Maroto received 1,045 votes and her deputy spokesperson, Enma López, 841. There is a difference of 204 votes between the two. López, a councilor in Cibeles for eight years, surprisingly presented her candidacy three weeks ago, which angered the regional executive and the federal leadership. After this primary day, the Madrid formation already has the name of who will face José Luis Martínez-Almeida (PP), the current mayor, next year.
Read more Russia launches the largest ballistic missile attack against Ukraine since the beginning of the war
From 9:30 to 19:30 ―the closing of the polls was moved forward due to the World Cup final―, members and affiliates have passed through the PSOE groups in the city to cast their ballots. Maroto did so around 10:00 at the Centro group. “Whoever wins, tomorrow [Monday], the Socialist Party will come out stronger because our only goal is to win in 2027 and all Madrid socialism is working towards that goal. We will leave aside any element of differentiation because it is a project of unity, so that everyone feels part of it,” she said to the media.
Half an hour later, López did so in Entrevías (Puente de Vallecas), where she is a member. “Very proud of the work done, very proud of the whole team that has accompanied me these days, who have given their all as much or more than I have and without whom this would never have been possible. I don’t have enough lives to thank them for what they have done and thanks to all those militants who have been excited, who have accompanied us, who have joined during these days and who have made this a campaign we will never forget,” she said. After the result was known, she congratulated her colleague on X: “Congratulations to Reyes Maroto for the result. Many thanks to all the militants for making these weeks incredible. Now it’s time to focus on beating Almeida at the polls in 2027. Together,” she wrote.
Congratulations to @marotoreyes for the result. Many thanks to all the militants for making these weeks incredible. Now it’s time to focus on beating Almeida at the polls in 2027. Together. ♥️
— Enma López (@EnmaLopez) July 19, 2026
Until 25 days ago, the Madrid PSOE was approaching the end of the political term at cruising speed. There was barely a month left until the holidays and everything seemed clear. The socialist candidates for regional presidency and mayor were, in principle, clear: Óscar López to face Isabel Díaz Ayuso ―as it ended up being― and Maroto, who would run again, against Almeida. A minister and former minister tandem designed by the federal executive to face the Madrid PP. And a bet that has earned the formation numerous criticisms from those who doubt the strategy of placing figures brought from Moncloa in local and regional governments, parachutists without connection or roots in the place. This already happened with Maroto in 2023, when she landed in Cibeles from the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism.
In the previous elections, the socialists, led in the capital by Pepu Hernández, had recorded their worst result in a progressive trend of losing seats: eight councilors. With Maroto, they slightly recovered ―11 councilors and 50,000 votes regained― and remained the third force in the City Council. The goal, besides reviving the party in one of the main strongholds of the right, was that the new candidate would not flee as most of her predecessors had in the last two decades.
Read more Spain — Argentina live: the 2026 World Cup final live
Then, López’s name also sounded strongly. She had already been in the City Council for four years and was comfortable on television programs and social networks. After months of speculations and almost daily predictions, it was finally Maroto, who had Moncloa’s backing. And her campaign director, López. “Reyes has worked a lot, but I think another boost is needed and to connect more with Madrilenian identity,” the candidate told EL PAÍS the day she announced her decision.
That has been the central message of her campaign: that the PSOE in Madrid needs “fresh air” and “enthusiasm,” and that it is necessary to appeal to those who feel disenchanted with politics in general and to those who feel rejection or weariness towards the Socialist Party in particular. Voices within the party considered this discourse an attack on Maroto’s work, because if something new is needed, it means the previous approach does not work. “Enma has to explain why she abandoned this project we started together. And she did it in a way that was not loyal. She did not respect the timing or the procedure and wanted to be the protagonist,” Maroto said in an interview with EL PAÍS.
Others disagreed and did not see López’s move as a personal affront to her colleague, but as a questioning of the socialists’ strategy in the capital and an “opportunity” to unblock the formation, which has not governed Madrid since 1989, with Juan Barranco. Within the party, the socialist leader of Castilla y León, Carlos Martínez, and councilor Antonio Giraldo have shown their support for López’s candidacy this campaign week. Also other left-wing figures outside the PSOE, such as Roberto Sotomayor, who was Podemos’ candidate for mayor in 2023, or the historic neighborhood leader and former number two of Más Madrid in Cibeles, Félix López-Rey.
In the City Council, most councilors have supported the former minister. And her bet was the other side of the coin: there is already a team. Maroto has emphasized throughout the month that she stayed in Madrid when everyone thought that, as had happened with other socialist hopefuls in the capital, she would abandon ship. She did not, and that project she has built over three years ―together with López― had to be consolidated and strengthened, and that would not be achieved, she has reiterated, “by changing the candidate every four years.”
Read more Azcón, on the Orés fire: “Today is the first day we breathe”
