2027 Spanish local elections
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23 May 2027
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All councillors in 8,132 municipal councils[a] All 1,424 provincial/island seats in 44 provinces[b] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Local elections will be held in Spain on 23 May 2027 to elect all councillors in the 8,132 Spanish municipalities (including 50 seats in the assemblies of the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla),[1] all 1,191 provincial seats in 41 provinces (including 38 indirectly-elected provincial deputations and the three foral deputations in the Basque Country) and 233 seats in ten island councils (seven Canarian and four Balearic ones). They will be held concurrently with regional elections in at least seven autonomous communities.
Local government
Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain is centered on the figure of city councils (Spanish: ayuntamientos), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly.[2] The mayor is indirectly elected by the local assembly, requiring an absolute majority; otherwise, the candidate from the most-voted party automatically becomes mayor (ties are resolved by drawing lots).[3] The concejo abierto system (English: open council), under which voters directly elect the local mayor by plurality voting, is reserved for some minor local entities.[4]
Provincial deputations are the governing bodies of provinces in Spain—except for single-province autonomous communities—having an administration role of municipal activities and composed of a provincial president, an administrative body, and a plenary.[5] For insular provinces, such as the Balearic and Canary Islands, deputations are replaced by island councils in each of the islands or group of islands. For Gran Canaria, Tenerife, Fuerteventura, La Gomera, El Hierro, Lanzarote and La Palma, this figure is referred to in Spanish as cabildo insular, whereas for Mallorca, Menorca, Ibiza and Formentera, its name is consejo insular (Catalan: consell insular).[6] The three Basque provinces had foral deputations instead (called General Assemblies, or Juntas Generales).[7]
Date
The term of local assemblies in Spain expires four years after the date of their previous election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years (as of 2026, this has been the year before a leap year). The election decree shall be issued no later than 54 days before the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE).[8] The previous local elections were held on 28 May 2023, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which is 23 May 2027.
Local assemblies can not be dissolved before the expiration of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harm the public interest and imply a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers can—optionally—decide to call a by-election.[9]
Electoral system
Voting for local assemblies and island councils is based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality or council and with full political rights (provided that they have not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence), as well as resident non-national European citizens, and those whose country of origin allows reciprocal voting by virtue of a treaty.[10]
Local councillors are elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each constituency.[11] Each municipality or council is a multi-member constituency, with a number of seats based on the following scale:[12]
| Population | Councillors | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Municipalities | Canary Islands | Balearic Islands[c] | |
| <100 | 3 | No island below 5,000 inhabitants |
Fixed number: Ibiza: 13 Menorca: 13 Mallorca: 33 Formentera: Same as municipality |
| 101–250 | 5 | ||
| 251–1,000 | 7 | ||
| 1,001–2,000 | 9 | ||
| 2,001–5,000 | 11 | ||
| 5,001–10,000 | 13 | 11 | |
| 10,001–20,000 | 17 | 13 | |
| 20,001–50,000 | 21 | 17 | |
| 50,001–100,000 | 25 | 21 | |
| >100,001 | +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction +1 if total is an even number | ||
Councillors in municipalities below 250 inhabitants are elected using open-list partial block voting, with voters in constituencies between 101 and 250 inhabitants choosing up to four candidates; and in those below 100, up to two.[14]
Most provincial deputations are indirectly elected by applying the D'Hondt method and a three percent-threshold of valid votes to municipal results—excluding candidacies not electing any councillor—in each judicial district. Seats are allocated to provincial deputations based on the following scale (with each judicial district being assigned an initial minimum of one seat and a maximum of three-fifths of the total number of provincial seats, with the remaining ones distributed in proportion to population):[15]
| Population | Seats |
|---|---|
| <500,000 | 25 |
| 500,001–1,000,000 | 27 |
| 1,000,001–3,500,000 | 31 |
| >3,500,001 | 51 |
The General Assemblies of Álava, Biscay and Gipuzkoa are directly elected by voters under their own, specific electoral regulations.[16]
The law does not provide for by-elections to fill vacant seats; instead, any vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term are filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes.[17]
Parties and candidates
The electoral law allows for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, coalitions and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance are required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors need to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they seek election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list:[18]
- At least one percent of the electors in municipalities with a population below 5,000 inhabitants, provided that the number of signers is more than double that of councillors at stake.
- At least 100 signatures in municipalities with a population between 5,001 and 10,000.
- At least 500 signatures in municipalities with a population between 10,001 and 50,000.
- At least 1,500 signatures in municipalities with a population between 50,001 and 150,000.
- At least 3,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 150,001 and 300,000.
- At least 5,000 signatures in municipalities with a population between 300,001 and 1,000,000.
- At least 8,000 signatures in municipalities with a population over 1,000,001.
Amendments in 2024 required a balanced composition of men and women in the electoral lists through the use of a zipper system.[19]
Present situation
Municipal
Current control
The following table lists party control in provincial capitals, as well as in municipalities with a population above or around 75,000.[20]
Autonomous cities
The following table lists party control in the autonomous cities. Gains for a party are highlighted in that party's colour.
| City | Population[21] | Current control | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ceuta | 84,222 | People's Party (PP) | |
| Melilla | 86,971 | People's Party (PP) | |
Provincial and island
Indirectly-elected
The following table lists party control in the indirectly-elected provincial deputations.[22]
Island councils
The following table lists party control in the island councils.[23][24]
| Island | Population[25] | Current control | |
|---|---|---|---|
| El Hierro | 12,133 | Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) | |
| Formentera | 11,943 | Sa Unió de Formentera (Sa Unió) | |
| Fuerteventura | 130,977 | Canarian Coalition (CCa) | |
| Gran Canaria | 879,456 | New Canaries (NCa) | |
| Ibiza | 166,020 | People's Party (PP) | |
| La Gomera | 22,208 | Gomera Socialist Group (ASG) | |
| La Palma | 86,984 | Canarian Coalition (CCa) | |
| Lanzarote | 168,958 | Canarian Coalition (CCa) | |
| Mallorca | 978,465 | People's Party (PP) | |
| Menorca | 103,117 | People's Party (PP) | |
| Tenerife | 972,018 | Canarian Coalition (CCa) | |
Foral deputations
The following table lists party control in the foral deputations.[26]
| Province | Population[21] | Current control | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Álava | 344,665 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | |
| Biscay | 1,172,830 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | |
| Gipuzkoa | 735,235 | Basque Nationalist Party (EAJ/PNV) | |
