Spain’s ruling Socialist party suffered a significant defeat on Sunday in regional elections in the autonomous community of Extremadura, as the far-right Vox party made notable gains and the conservative Popular Party (PP) maintained its lead.
The Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE), led nationally by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, won 18 of the 65 seats in the regional assembly, down sharply from the 28 seats it secured in the 2023 election. According to reports, this marks the party’s worst-ever result in Extremadura, a region it governed for decades.
The Popular Party emerged as the largest political force with 29 seats but fell short of the absolute majority it had hoped to achieve after calling the election. As a result, the PP will once again need the support of the Vox party, which expanded its representation from five to 11 seats, to pass legislation in the regional parliament.
The PP first took power in Extremadura in July 2023 after forming a coalition government backed by Vox, ending long-standing Socialist control of the region. Maria Guardiola of the PP was sworn in as regional president at the time.
Extremadura’s regional government holds authority over key policy areas such as health care, education, culture, and infrastructure. The vote was widely viewed as an important test of the PSOE’s broader electoral standing as it leads a minority coalition government at the national level.
