The socialist spokesperson in the Madrid City Council challenges her rival in the primaries to a debate to confront projects. Maroto accuses López of disloyalty for announcing her candidacy at a delicate moment for the party.
The war for the PSOE candidacy for the Madrid City Hall has erupted openly. The municipal spokesperson, Reyes Maroto, has publicly challenged her rival in the primaries, Enma López, to a face-to-face debate so that party members can compare their projects ahead of the 2027 elections.
In a message shared on social media, Maroto argued that there are "two ways to understand how the PSOE should approach the upcoming municipal elections" and that the best way to contrast them is through "a serious, honest debate focused on Madrid". Her team clarifies that there is no date yet and that the decision lies with the organizing committee of the primaries.
Accusations of disloyalty and internal unrest
Maroto did not hide her displeasure at the timing chosen by Enma López to announce her candidacy. In her view, doing so days before the Federal Executive of the PSOE and just a few days before the State of the City Debate, where the municipal group was supposed to show unity against the mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida, constitutes a gesture of "disloyalty".
In response, the spokesperson asserted that hers is "a team project" and called for unity at a time when, she said, the PSOE is being attacked "from land, sea, and air". The call for a debate comes with a political reproach that highlights the internal fracture.
The underlying battle between Sánchez and Bolaños
Behind this personal confrontation lies a deeper struggle. In Madrid socialism, Reyes Maroto is seen as the candidate aligned with Pedro Sánchez, while various sources place Enma López in the orbit of the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños, one of the leaders with the most organic influence in the PSOE of Madrid.
The rivalry is not so much about ideological differences as it is about a struggle for control of the project with which the socialists will try to reclaim a City Hall they have not governed since 1989. The primaries will require candidates to gather the support of 12% of the party membership to compete, a requirement that makes the process a very demanding race.
Maroto starts with the advantage of her position as municipal spokesperson and support within the hard core of Ferraz. However, Enma López's move shows that a part of the party considers the current leadership exhausted and believes that with the former minister it is practically impossible to close the gap with Almeida.
A divided PSOE facing the challenge of Almeida and Ayuso
While José Luis Martínez-Almeida remains firmly in the City Hall and Isabel Díaz Ayuso maintains a strong position at the helm of the Community, the socialists are once again focusing much of their attention on an internal battle that threatens to monopolise the coming weeks.
For the socialist voter in Madrid, this tussle between the two candidates defines the future of the party in the capital. The debate that Maroto demands could serve to confront projects, but it also confirms that the war for control of the PSOE in Madrid has already begun. What happens in the primaries will determine whether the party can present a credible alternative to Almeida in 2027 or if internal division will weaken it even further.
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