Reyes Maroto defeats Enma López by over 200 votes in the socialist primaries for the Mayor of Madrid, with 1,045 ballots against 841. The municipal spokesperson claims the party emerges "strengthened" and promises to integrate all sensitivities.
Reyes Maroto repeats as the PSOE candidate for the Mayor of Madrid after winning the primaries held this Sunday. The municipal spokesperson received 1,045 votes compared to 841 for her rival, Enma López, a difference of over 200 ballots that consolidates her at the forefront of the socialist project for 2027.
In the press conference prior to the Cibeles Plenary, Maroto thanked the party members for their participation in a process that, according to her, "always strengthens the PSOE." "I want to thank the socialist members who went to the People's Houses to vote yesterday in an exercise of internal democracy that always reinforces the PSOE," she conveyed.
A "collective" project for all sensitivities
Maroto defended that the socialist candidacy is "decided by the members" and emphasised that the party emerged yesterday "strengthened" with "a project of unity" and "collective". "We will continue working on a project that broadens our electoral spectrum, that reaches all majorities, and above all, on a transformative project with a single goal, which is to win the elections in 2027," she stated.
When asked about the future of Enma López in the municipal group, the candidate avoided personalising and stressed that the socialist project is above names. "We are not talking about people here, we are talking about projects," she pointed out, before defending that the project she began to lead in 2023 is "a project of majorities", "with roots" and in which "all sensitivities" fit.
More than 25 years without repeating a candidate
Maroto highlighted that it has been "more than 25 years" since the PSOE last repeated a candidate for the Mayor of Madrid. In this sense, she defended that she arrived in Madrid in 2023 with "a lot of enthusiasm" and with the aim of making the members feel "proud" of the project. "We are a plural party, a party that dialogues, that incorporates the best and, above all, the best proposals," she added.
The candidate insisted that internal democracy "suits the PSOE very well" and assured that the socialists emerge from this process "more united" and "more strengthened", with the goal of winning in 2027. "Only by governing can we change people's lives," she emphasised.
Criticism of the PP and a challenge to hold primaries
Maroto also took the opportunity to advocate for the PSOE's model of primaries against the PP. "The internal democracy of the PSOE is good not only for the PSOE but also for the citizens," she argued. In this sense, she encouraged the PP to also exercise that "internal democracy". "Today we emerge stronger and I encourage the Popular Party to also exercise this internal democracy when we have a candidate who found out he was going to be a candidate through the media," she said, referring to the mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida.
The socialist described the primaries as a "wonderful" and "extraordinary" exercise that she recommends to all political parties, "especially the Popular Party". Regarding the mayor, she criticised that "instead of working for the people of Madrid, he works for the PP" and makes the City Council "his estate". "We have ten months left to reach Cibeles and we do so with responsibility and enthusiasm," she stated.
Participation and next steps
Regarding the participation figures, Maroto downplayed the numbers — 1,886 valid votes — and defended that any mobilization of the members is positive. "Just having one member go to vote in the primaries I think is very positive, because it is a member who is committed," she asserted. The candidate insisted that, "beyond participation", what is relevant is that the party "emerges strengthened" and that it is the grassroots members who decide the socialist candidacy for the Mayor.
With this result, Maroto will face the current mayor, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, in 2027 in a contest that promises to be competitive. The Madrid PSOE is confident that internal unity and the experience of their candidate will be key to recovering a government that has eluded them for over two decades.
You may also like
