Sánchez Opens Reelection Bid in Andalusia, Where Socialists Have Lost Ground

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Thursday formally launched his campaign for the Nov. 29 general election in Seville, in Andalusia, the southern region that for decades served as the political heartland of his Socialist party. Even there, however, the center-left is in trouble, a sign of how slim his chances of winning currently appear.

Supporters waving red party banners and Andalusian flags shouted “¡Guapo!” at the rally. Sánchez told them: “We’re here to vote, we’re here to win, we’re here to govern.” The crowd had earlier been shown videos of him reciting poems by Federico García Lorca, the Andalusian poet and playwright killed by Francoist forces in 1936.

From stronghold to setback

The Socialists dominated Andalusian politics for 36 years, running the regional government and many of its largest cities. Their rule ended in 2018 after declining support and corruption scandals, when the center-right People’s Party took over. Juanma Moreno, regional president since 2019, won a landslide in 2022 and secured the most votes in snap elections earlier this year.

The latest GAD3 poll shows the People’s Party ahead of the Socialists in most Andalusian provinces, including Seville, where Sánchez’s party has never lost a general election. Andalusia elects 60 of the 350 seats in parliament, so a poor result there would narrow his path to reelection further.

Why support eroded

The Socialists first won power in the region in 1982, when Andalusia was among Spain’s poorest areas. Using EU structural funds, their governments boosted development, including funding the Madrid–Seville high-speed railway. Prime Minister Felipe González, a Seville native, helped secure investment between 1982 and 1996 and backed the Expo ’92 World’s Fair.

Ángel Cazorla, a political scientist at the University of Granada, described a “paradox of satisfaction”: living standards improved, but expectations rose with them. He said this year’s two deadly train accidents on the Madrid–Seville line reflect a social-democratic project that ran out of steam. He also pointed to a generational gap, with younger voters feeling little attachment to the Socialists and possibly turning to the regionalist party Adelante Andalucía.

Socialist congressional candidate Francisco Toscano acknowledged management shortcomings in recent years but said he remained hopeful voters would back the party.