Next Spanish general election

← 2023 No later than 22 August 2027
← outgoing members
All 350 seats in theCongress of Deputies and 208 (of 266) seats in theSenate 176 seats needed for a majority in the Congress of Deputies
Opinion polls
Leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo Pedro Sánchez Santiago Abascal Party PP PSOE Vox Leader since 2 April 2022 18 June 2017 20 September 2014 Leader's seat Madrid Madrid Madrid Last election 137 seats, 33.1% 121 seats, 31.7% 33 seats, 12.4% Current seats 137 120 33 Seats needed 39 56 143   Leader Yolanda Díaz Gabriel Rufián Míriam Nogueras Party Sumar ERC Junts Leader since 2 April 2023 14 October 2019 12 March 2021 Leader's seat Madrid Barcelona Barcelona Last election 31 seats, 12.3% 7 seats, 1.9% 7 seats, 1.6% Current seats 26 7 7 Seats needed 150 N/A[a] N/A[b]
Constituencies for theCongress of Deputies
IncumbentPrime Minister Pedro Sánchez PSOE

Ageneral election will be held inSpain no later than Sunday, 22 August 2027, to elect the members of the 16thCortes Generales under theSpanish Constitution of 1978. All 350 seats in theCongress of Deputies will be up for election, as well as 208 of 266 seats in theSenate.

Following the2023 election,Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez was able to form athird government—formed by theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) andSumar—with the support ofTogether for Catalonia (Junts), in exchange for acontroversial amnesty law. Tensions with the oppositionPeople's Party (PP) and far-rightVox dominated Sánchez's third term, as well as an unraveling international situation—with theMiddle Eastern crisis, theGaza genocide, thetariff policy of thesecond Trump administration and the ongoingwar in Ukraine—economic growth amid a risingcost of living, a number ofscandals affecting both PP and PSOE and the alleged mismanagement of a number ofenvironmental disasters by PP-controlled administrations (particularly, theValencian floods in October 2024 and thewildfires in July and August 2025).

While Sánchez has admitted to having twice hesitated whether to resign—once in April 2024, amid a judicial probe intohis wife; and then in July 2025, after his second-in-command in the party,Santos Cerdán, resigned over theKoldo case—he has voiced his intention to run for a new term as prime minister in the next general election, which he has scheduled for 2027.

The2023 election had seenPrime MinisterPedro Sánchez and hisruling coalition—formed by theSpanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) andSumar—being re-elected with the support ofTogether for Catalonia (Junts), in exchange for acontroversial amnesty law for thosetried and convicted for events related to the2017–2018 Spanish constitutional crisis and the2019–2020 Catalan protests.^[1][2] This deal sparkedprotests, which were particularly violent in the days before Sánchez's investiture as demonstrators stormed the PSOE's national headquarters inMadrid with the involvement offar-right organizations.^[3][4]

Sánchez's third term was dominated by a boomingeconomy and a decline inunemployment, albeit amid a risingcost of living and anaffordable housing crisis;^[5][6] but also by growing tensions with thePeople's Party (PP) and far-rightVox—both accused by the government of staging "lawfare",disinformation andharassment campaigns^[7]—which saw Sánchez to briefly consider his resignation in April 2024,^[8] after a controversial judicial probe into his wife,Begoña Gómez, for allegedinfluence peddling andmisuse of public funds charges presented by the far-right proxy trade unionManos Limpias.^[9][10][11] The quality and condition of public services also came under public scrutiny, particularly following amajor blackout in the Iberian Peninsula in April 2025 and mounting breakdowns inrail transport in Spain.^[12][13]On the international stage, Sánchez's government had to deal with the ongoingwar in Ukraine,^[14] theMiddle Eastern crisis,^[15] thetariff policy of thesecond Trump administration,^[16][17] and Spain's role withinNATO.^[18] Its vocal opposition to theGaza genocide sawSpanish recognition of Palestine and a hardening of relations withIsrael,^[19][20][21] as well aspro-Palestinian protests condemning the latter's participation in sports competitions (such as the2025 Vuelta a España)^[22][23] and the country'sRTVE joiningothers' bid to withdraw from theEurovision Song Contest 2026 if Israel's presence was confirmed.^[24][25]

Severalpolitical scandals affected both PSOE and PP during this period: theKoldo case—seeing the involvement of formerTransport ministerJosé Luis Ábalos and PSOE's organization secretarySantos Cerdán^[26][27]—judicial probes into Sánchez's brother for allegedcronyism,^[28] andAttorney GeneralÁlvaro García Ortiz for an allegeddata leakage in a judicial investigation affectingMadrilenian presidentIsabel Díaz Ayuso's partner.^[29] For the PP, scandals affected Ayuso's partner for allegedtax fraud,forgery andorganized crime;^[30] allegedcash-for-favours, influence peddling,lobbying,police misconduct anddeep state networks operated by theFinance andInterior ministries underCristóbal Montoro andJorge Fernández Díaz during thepremiership of Mariano Rajoy;^[31][32][33] andresume padding involving a large number of politicians.^[34]

In the opposition, the allegedcrisis mismanagement by PP-controlledregional administrations—includingenvironmental disasters such as theOctober 2024 Valencian floods and theAugust 2025 Spanish wildfires,^[35][36] and public outrage at a mishandling inbreast cancer screening protocols by theAndalusian Health Service^[37][38][39]—was credited as fueling the rise of Vox at the expense of the PP, as the former took advantage of growinganti-political sentiment,denialism,conspiracist ideation andfake news.^[40][41][42] The issue ofimmigration (particularly following the2025 Torre-Pacheco unrest),^[43][44] as well as a renewed attempt to limitabortion,^[45][46][47] further dragged the PP into Vox's public discourse as doubts arose over the perceived weakness ofAlberto Núñez Feijóo's leadership.^[48][49][50] Particularly criticized was Feijóo's support ofValencian presidentCarlos Mazón after the latter's poordisaster response to the 2024 floods, with a death toll of 229 in theprovince of Valencia alone.^[51][52] After losing his party's support in November 2025,^[53][54][55] Mazón announced his resignation as regional president,^[56][57][58] but not before sparking an internal crisis which saw him challenging Feijóo for control of his succession while seekingimmunity from judicial prosecution.^[59][60][61]

Under the1978 Constitution, the SpanishCortes Generales are envisaged as animperfect bicameral system.^[62][63] TheCongress of Deputies has greater legislative power than theSenate, having the ability to vote confidence in or withdraw it from aprime minister and to override Senatevetoes by anabsolute majority of votes.^[64] Nonetheless, the Senate possesses a limited number of functions—such asratification ofinternational treaties, authorization of collaboration agreements betweenautonomous communities, enforcement ofdirect rule, regulation of interterritorial compensation funds, and its role inconstitutional amendment and in the appointment of members to theConstitutional Court and theGeneral Council of the Judiciary—which are not subject to the Congress's override.^[65]

Voting for each chamber of theCortes Generales is on the basis ofuniversal suffrage, which comprises all nationals over 18 years of age and in full enjoyment of their political rights, provided that they have not been sentenced—by a final court ruling—to deprivation of the right to vote.^[66][67]

TheCongress of Deputies is entitled to a minimum of 300 and a maximum of 400 seats, with the electoral law setting its size at 350. 348 members are elected in 50multi-member constituencies—corresponding to theprovinces of Spain, with each being allocated an initial minimum of two seats and the remaining 248 being distributed in proportion to their populations—using theD'Hondt method and aclosed listproportional voting system, with anelectoral threshold of three percent of valid votes (which includesblank ballots) being applied in each constituency. The two remaining seats are allocated toCeuta andMelilla assingle-member districts and elected usingplurality voting.^[68][69] The use of the electoral method may result in a highereffective threshold based on thedistrict magnitude and the distribution of votes among candidacies.^[70]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Congress multi-member constituency would be entitled the following seats (as of 12 December 2024):^[c]

208 seats in theSenate are elected using anopen listpartial block voting system: in constituencies electing four seats, electors can vote for up to three candidates; in those with two or three seats, for up to two candidates; and for one candidate in single-member districts. Each of the 47 peninsular provinces is allocated four seats, whereas for insular provinces, such as theBalearic andCanary Islands, districts are the islands themselves, with the larger (Mallorca,Gran Canaria andTenerife) being allocated three seats each, and the smaller (Menorca,Ibiza–Formentera,Fuerteventura,La Gomera,El Hierro,Lanzarote andLa Palma) one each. Ceuta and Melilla elect two seats each. Additionally,autonomous communities can appoint at least one senator each and are entitled to one additional senator per each million inhabitants.^[72][73][74]

The law does not provide forby-elections to fillvacated seats; instead, any vacancies that occur after the proclamation of candidates and into the legislative term will be covered by the successive candidates in thelist and, when required, by the designatedsubstitutes.^[75]

Spanish citizens of age and with the legal capacity to vote can run for election, provided that they are not sentenced to imprisonment by a final court ruling nor convicted, even if by a non-final ruling, to forfeiture of eligibility or to specific disqualification or suspension from public office under particular offences:rebellion,terrorism or othercrimes against the state. Other causes of ineligibility are imposed on the following officials:^[76][77]

• Members of theSpanish royal family and their spouses;
• The holders of a number of positions: the president and members of theConstitutional Court, theGeneral Council of the Judiciary, theSupreme Court, theCouncil of State, theCourt of Auditors and theEconomic and Social Council; theOmbudsman; theState's Attorney General; high-ranking members—undersecretaries, secretaries-general, directors-general and chiefs of staff—ofSpanish government departments, theOffice of the Prime Minister, theSocial Security and othergovernment agencies;government delegates and sub-delegates in the autonomous communities; thechair of RTVE; the director of the Electoral Register Office; thegovernor and deputy governor of theBank of Spain; the chairs of theOfficial Credit Institute and other official credit institutions; and members ofelectoral commissions and of theNuclear Safety Council;
• Heads ofdiplomatic missions in foreign states or international organizations (ambassadors andplenipotentiaries);
• Judges andpublic prosecutors in active service;
• Personnel of theArmed Forces (Army,Navy andAir and Space Force) andlaw enforcement corps in active service.

Other causes of ineligibility for both chambers are imposed on a number of territorial-level officers in the aforementioned categories—during their tenure of office—in constituencies within the whole or part of their respective area of jurisdiction, as well as employees of foreign states and members of regional governments.^[76][77] Incompatibility provisions extend to the president of theNational Commission on Markets and Competition; members ofRTVE's board and of the offices of the prime minister, the ministers and the secretaries of state; government delegates inport authorities, hydrographic confederations and toll highway concessionary companies; presidents and other high-ranking members of public entities,state monopolies, companies with majority public participation and publicsaving banks; deputies and senators elected on candidacies subsequently declared illegal by a final court ruling; as well as the impossibility of simultaneously holding the positions of deputy and senator or regional legislator.^[78]

The electoral law allows forparties andfederations registered in theinterior ministry,alliances andgroupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance ahead of an election are required to inform the relevant electoral commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors need to secure the signature of at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they seek election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. Concurrently, parties, federations or alliances that have not obtained a mandate in either chamber of the Cortes at the preceding election are required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies.^[79] Amendments to the electoral law in 2024 increased requirements for a balanced composition of men and women in the electoral lists through the use of azipper system.^[80]

A special, simplified process is provided for election re-runs, including a shortening of deadlines, electoral campaigning, the lifting of signature requirements if these had been already met for the immediately previous election and the possibility of maintaining lists and alliances without needing to go through pre-election procedures again.^[81]

The term of each chamber of theCortes Generales—the Congress and the Senate—expires four years from the date of their previous election, unless they aredissolved earlier.^[82] The electiondecree shall be issued no later than the twenty-fifth day prior to the date of expiry of parliament and published on the following day in theOfficial State Gazette (BOE), withelection day taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication.^[83] Theprevious election was held on 23 July 2023, which means that the chambers' terms will expire on 23 July 2027. The election decree must be published in the BOE no later than 29 June 2027, with the election taking place on the fifty-fourth day from publication, setting the latest possible date for election day on Sunday, 22 August 2027.

The prime minister has the prerogative to propose the monarch to dissolve both chambers at any given time—either jointly or separately—and call asnap election, provided that nomotion of no confidence is in process, nostate of emergency is in force and that dissolution does not occur before one year has elapsed since the previous one.^[84] Additionally, both chambers are to be dissolved and a new election called if an investiture process fails to elect a prime minister within a two-month period from the first ballot.^[85] Barring this exception, there is no constitutional requirement for simultaneous elections to the Congress and the Senate.^[86] Still, as of 2025, there has been no precedent of separate elections taking place under the 1978 Constitution.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has repeatedly voiced his will for the next general election to be held when due in 2027,^[87][88] particularly following the resignation in June 2025 of his party's organization secretary, Santos Cerdán, amid corruption allegations.^[89][90] However, the government's political strategy, uncertainty over the 2026General State Budget, as well as Sánchez having previously promised to exhaust legislative terms before ultimately calling snap elections—in2019 and2023—has led to speculation that an early general election could be in the cards throughout 2026.^[91][92] The PP's aim to seek either an electoral "Super Sunday" or an election cascade by early 2026 by forcing several of their controlled autonomous communities to call early elections (withExtremadura,Castile and León,Andalusia andAragon as the most likely candidates),^[93][94][95] as well as uncertainty over the parliamentary support provided to Sánchez's government by Junts, were also commented as possible triggers of a snap general election.^[96][97]

The tables below show the composition of theparliamentary groups in both chambers at the present time.^[98][99]

Below is a list of the mainparties andelectoral alliances which will likely contest the election:

Candidacy		Parties and alliances	Leading candidate		Ideology	Previous result				Gov.	Ref.
						Congress		Senate
						Vote %	Seats	Vote %	Seats
	PP	List People's Party (PP)		Alberto Núñez Feijóo	Conservatism Christian democracy	33.1%	137	34.5%	120
	PSOE	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC)		Pedro Sánchez	Social democracy	31.7%	121	32.2%	72		[103]
	Vox	List Vox (Vox)		Santiago Abascal	Right-wing populism Ultranationalism National conservatism	12.4%	33	10.6%	0
	Sumar	List Unite Movement (SMR) More Madrid (MM) Greens Equo (VQ) Catalonia in Common (CatComú) –Barcelona in Common (BComú) –Green Left (EV) Commitment Coalition (Compromís) –Més–Compromís (Més) –Valencian People's Initiative (IdPV) –Greens Equo of the Valencian Country (VerdsEquo) More for Mallorca (Més) More for Menorca (MxMe) Aragonese Union (CHA) Drago Canaries Party (DRG) Asturian Left (IAS) Assembly (Batzarre) Andalusian People's Initiative (IdPA)		Yolanda Díaz	Progressivism Green politics Democratic socialism	12.3%	31	11.1%	0		[104] [105] [106]
	IU	List United Left (IU) –Communist Party of Spain (PCE) –The Dawn Marxist Organization (La Aurora (OM)) – Ecosocialists of the Region of Murcia (ESRM) – Initiative for El Hierro (IpH) –Republican Left (IR)		Antonio Maíllo	Socialism Communism						[107]
	Podemos	List We Can (Podemos) Green Alliance (AV)		Irene Montero	Left-wing populism Democratic socialism						[108] [109]
	ERC	List Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) Republican Left of the Valencian Country (ERPV)		Gabriel Rufián	Catalan independence Left-wing nationalism Social democracy	1.9%	7	—[f]
	Junts	List Together for Catalonia (JxCat) Democrats of Catalonia (DC) Left Movement (MES)		Míriam Nogueras	Catalan independence Sovereigntism Populism	1.6%	7	1.8%	1
	EH Bildu	List Basque Country Gather (EH Bildu) –Create (Sortu) –Basque Solidarity (EA) –Alternative (Alternatiba)		Mertxe Aizpurua	Basque independence Abertzale left Socialism	1.4%	6	—[f]
	EAJ/PNV	List Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV)		Maribel Vaquero	Basque nationalism Christian democracy	1.1%	5	1.3%	4		[110]
	BNG	List Galician Nationalist Bloc (BNG) –Galician People's Union (UPG) –Galician Movement for Socialism (MGS) –Abrente–Galician Democratic Left (Abrente–EDG) –Galician Workers' Front (FOGA)		Néstor Rego	Galician nationalism Left-wing nationalism Socialism	0.6%	1	0.8%	0
	CCa	List Canarian Coalition (CCa) Independent Herrenian Group (AHI) United for Gran Canaria (UxGC) United for Mogán (JPM) The Strength of Santa Lucía (La Fortaleza) Assembly of Neighbors of San Mateo (AVESAN) Socialist Group for Lanzarote (ASL) Tejeda for the Change (Tejeda por el Cambio) Local Platform for Santa Brígida (PVSB) Guía Now (AG) Democratic Centre Coalition (CCD)		Cristina Valido	Regionalism Canarian nationalism Centrism	0.5%	1	0.3%	0
	UPN	List Navarrese People's Union (UPN)		Alberto Catalán	Regionalism Conservatism Christian democracy	0.2%	1	0.3%	1
	ERC– EH Bildu	List Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) Basque Country Gather (EH Bildu)		Mirella Cortès	Left-wing nationalism	—		4.2%	7
	EFS	List Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) Unite Movement (SMR) United Left (EU) Now Ibiza (Ara Eivissa)		Juanjo Ferrer	Progressivism	—		0.0%	1
	ASG	List Gomera Socialist Group (ASG)		Fabián Chinea	Insularism Social democracy	—		0.0%	1
	AHI	List Independent Herrenian Group (AHI)		Javier Armas	Insularism Canarian nationalism Centrism	—		0.0%	1

The2024 European Parliament election in Spain saw the electoral breakthrough ofsocial media personalityLuis "Alvise" Pérez who, running on aright-wing populist platform with hisSe Acabó La Fiesta party (Spanish for "The Party is Over", SALF), secured 4.6% of the share.^[111] Alvise announced in July 2024 that he was considering to run in the next general election,^[112] but his public standing was damaged by an internal party crisis—which saw the defection of SALF's two otherMEPs, amid accusations ofbullying andblackmail^[113][114]—and several legal cases against him, including allegations of illegal financing, data leakage andharassment, which are the subject of ongoing investigations by theSupreme Court.^{[115][116][117]} On 12 October 2025, Alvise formally launched his candidacy to the next general election at thePalacio Vistalegre arena.^[118][119]

The PSOE and Sumar have reportedly been probing a prospective electoral alliance or cooperation agreement in over 30 of the smaller constituencies—mostly comprising those electing between three and five seats—where the latter's votes do not translate into seats but in which the former could compete for an additional seat with the PP or Vox.^[120]

Local regression trend line of poll results from 23 July 2023 to the present day, with each line corresponding to a political party.

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