2014 PSOE federal party congress

This Federal Congress was the first held at a national level in which all party members and affiliates (around 200,000) had the possibility to be consulted, several days before the Congress was held, about which person they wanted to become the new party leader. While not a legally binding ballot, the results were likely to be respected by the 1,000 party delegates which finally elected the new party's Secretary-General.^[1] Party members wishing to contend the election were required to gather the endorsement of at least 5% of the party membership before June 27.

The 2011 general election had resulted in a landslide victory for Mariano Rajoy's People's Party (PP), a result of the financial crisis which had been hurting the country's economy since 2008. The ruling Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE), amidst a climate of high unpopularity, was ousted from power with the worst election result since the first post-Francoist electoral process in 1977. Then prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero had decided to stand down as PM candidate in early 2011 and as party leader once the quadrennial party congress due for early 2012 was held. Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, PSOE candidate for the 2011 election and former Deputy Prime Minister, was elected new Secretary-General in a tight fight against former Minister of Defence Carme Chacón.^[2]

However, as the new Rajoy's government was forced to pass new austerity measures and spending cuts, including a harsh labor reform and a very austere state budget for 2012, the new Government's ratings plummeted in opinion polls as it met with widespread protests and two general strikes.^{[3][4][5][6][7]} Little over 6 months of government had seen support for the PP government plummet from 45% in the general election to 34% in mid-to late 2012 polls, the most support lost by a political party in its first months of government in the country's history.

However, despite the PP's falling ratings, the PSOE found itself unable to regain lost support, suffering from the memory on Zapatero's last government and his economic management, as well as the emergence of major corruption scandals in both parties, regarding possible illegal financing on both the People's Party and the Socialist Party regional government of Andalusia. A series of negative regional election results throughout 2012, coupled with an internal crisis in 2013 and the threat of rupture from the party's Catalonia partner, the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC), further weakened the PSOE, with Rubalcaba's leadership being put into question as his popularity ratings plummeted.^[8][9] The crisis was temporarily settled after the party's political conference in November 2013, with the question on the party's leadership being initially postponed for late 2014.^[10][11]

After the European Parliament election, 2014 culminated in a major election crash for the party, coupled with a spectacular rise in support for newly created Podemos party, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba announced his intention not to run as his party's candidate for the 2015 general election and to have the party hold an extraordinary Congress for July 2014.^[12]

The key dates are listed below:^[13]

• 26 May: Official announcement and census closure.
• 6–9 June: Communication of provisional census and period of correction of census incidents.
• 10 June: Communication of definitive census.
• 10–13 June: Presentation of pre-candidates.
• 13–28 June: Endorsement collection period (until 27 June) and provisional candidate proclamations.
• 29 June–2 July: Allegation and definitive candidate proclamations.
• 3–12 July: Information campaign.
• 13 July: Primary election (to elect the Secretary-General).
• 13–19 July: Provincial and insular congresses. Election of delegates and amendment period.
• 26–27 July: Extraordinary federal congress.

Candidates seeking to run were required to collect the endorsements of at least 5% of party members.^[24]

Poll results are listed in the tables below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first, and using the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. If such date is unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the candidate's colour. In the instance of a tie, the figures with the highest percentages are shaded. Polls show data gathered among PSOE voters/supporters as well as Spanish voters as a whole, but not among party members, who were the ones ultimately entitled to vote in the primary election.

PSOE voters

More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size													Other /None	?	Lead
			Rubalcaba (Inc.)	Madina	Sánchez	Tapias	Sotillos	Chacón	Díaz	López	Page	Gómez	González	Griñán
Primary election	13 Jul 2014	—N/a[b]	–	36.0	48.3	15.0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	0.7	—N/a	12.3
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 1]	8–10 Jul 2014	500	–	34.8	31.5	10.6	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	23.1	3.3
NC Report/La Razón[p 2]	6 Jul 2014	?	–	34.0	21.5	8.3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	24.4	12.2	12.5
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 3]	30 Jun–3 Jul 2014	500	–	27.0	30.8	8.3	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	33.9	3.8
Metroscopia/El País[p 4]	30 Jun–1 Jul 2014	121	–	40.0	27.0	12.0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	21.0	13.0
Metroscopia/El País[p 4]	25–26 Jun 2014	161	–	35.0	28.0	9.0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	28.0	7.0
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 5]	23–26 Jun 2014	500	–	35.1	18.8	6.7	3.7	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	35.7	16.3
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 6]	16–19 Jun 2014	500	–	35.5	16.7	6.2	4.7	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	36.9	18.8
Metroscopia/El País[p 4]	16–17 Jun 2014	159	–	43.0	24.0	6.0	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	–	27.0	19.0
GESOP/El Periódico[26]	27–31 May 2014	1,000	–	22.0	4.4	–	–	31.9	14.3	16.5	–	–	–	–	2.2	8.8	9.9
NC Report/La Razón[p 7][p 8]	26–31 May 2014	400	–	8.8	3.3	–	–	9.5	15.3	4.8	3.8	–	–	–	8.3	46.2	5.8
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 9]	28–30 May 2014	?	–	26.7	7.6	–	–	24.8	20.0	–	–	–	–	–	9.5	7.7	1.9
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 10]	26–28 Dec 2013	?	5.3	15.9	–	–	–	28.7	16.1	13.0	2.8	–	–	–	1.9	16.4	12.6
TNS Demoscopia[p 11]	14–21 Nov 2013	?	15.1	18.3	–	–	–	27.1	7.3	24.8	0.3	–	–	–	3.2	3.9	2.3
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 12]	12–14 Nov 2013	?	13.8	13.7	–	–	–	27.2	15.6	9.2	2.9	–	–	–	3.8	13.9	11.6
GAD3/Antena 3[p 13]	13 Nov 2013	?	18.0	12.0	–	–	–	17.0	4.0	12.0	–	1.0	–	–	36.0		1.0
NC Report/La Razón[p 14][p 15]	10 Nov 2013	?	–	–	–	–	–	21.5	15.9	14.1	9.0	–	–	–	9.1	30.4	5.6
Intercampo/GETS[p 16]	16 Sep–14 Oct 2013	?	24.5	5.6	–	–	–	14.2	0.8	3.9	–	–	15.6	–	41.4	7.8	8.9
Feedback/La Vanguardia[p 17]	2–6 Sep 2013	?	17.3	18.0	–	–	–	29.0	–	16.0	–	–	–	–	19.7		11.0
TNS Demoscopia[p 18]	29–31 Jul 2013	?	14.1	22.0	–	–	–	24.6	1.1	21.0	0.2	–	–	–	8.9	8.1	2.6
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 19]	8–10 May 2013	?	11.5	19.4	–	–	–	25.0	–	8.9	0.6	2.5	–	4.2	11.7	16.4	5.6
MyWord/Cadena SER[p 20]	2–8 May 2013	?	12.5	22.4	–	–	–	22.9	0.5	7.7	0.9	5.5	–	3.9	5.5	18.2	0.5

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Spanish voters

More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size										Other /None	?	Lead
			Rubalcaba (Inc.)	Madina	Sánchez	Chacón	Díaz	López	Page	Gómez	Griñán
GESOP/El Periódico[26]	27–31 May 2014	1,000	–	14.3	3.7	19.9	16.6	13.4	–	–	–	14.7	17.4	3.3
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 9]	28–30 May 2014	?	–	19.2	7.3	22.6	12.7	–	–	–	–	23.4	12.8	3.4
InvyMark/laSexta[p 21]	26–30 May 2014	?	–	13.9	5.3	22.5	15.9	8.9	–	–	–	33.5		6.6
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 10]	26–28 Dec 2013	?	4.9	11.6	–	23.2	13.2	12.3	2.3	–	–	4.4	28.0	10.0
TNS Demoscopia[p 11]	14–21 Nov 2013	?	7.5	8.1	–	22.1	7.0	12.2	1.3	–	–	17.8	24.0	9.9
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 12]	12–14 Nov 2013	?	8.5	8.4	–	24.4	11.0	11.1	2.6	–	–	7.0	26.9	13.3
GAD3/Antena 3[p 13]	13 Nov 2013	?	9.0	–	–	13.0	–	–	–	–	–	78.0		4.0
Feedback/La Vanguardia[p 17]	2–6 Sep 2013	1,500	17.5	17.4	–	23.8	–	16.8	–	–	–	24.5		6.3
TNS Demoscopia[p 18]	29–31 Jul 2013	?	6.2	10.5	–	16.9	0.9	7.6	0.8	–	–	22.0	35.1	6.4
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 19]	8–10 May 2013	?	7.2	13.3	–	20.2	–	10.6	2.0	2.7	2.9	10.8	30.3	6.9
MyWord/Cadena SER[p 20]	2–8 May 2013	?	8.7	10.7	–	17.9	0.4	7.4	0.7	4.0	1.6	5.9	42.7	7.2

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In his victory speech after being elected as secretary-general by party members, Pedro Sánchez proclaimed "the beginning of a new time in the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party" and that it was "the beginning of the end of Mariano Rajoy as prime minister".^[30][31] He was formally named to the post on 26 July succeeding Rubalcaba, who announced his intention to quit from active politics and to return to his post professor in the organic chemistry faculty, in the Complutense University of Madrid.

Upon his official proclamation as Secretary-General, Sánchez stated that "We [the PSOE] are the party of change, we are the left that will change Spain", urging all Socialists to "work for the millions of people that need a renewed PSOE" and to make the party "the most formidable instrument for making the country progress". Sánchez promised to be blunt with corruption cases within the party, to look forward the promotion of a federal amendment of the Spanish Constitution and that his executive will report in an open assembly to the militants once per year.^[32][33] Sánchez stated that he was inspired by the "modernization drives" of both Felipe González in the past as well as of Italian Democratic Party leader Matteo Renzi.^[34]