Next Catalan regional election

Election in the Spanish region of Catalonia From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A regional election will be held in Catalonia no later than 26 June 2028 to elect the 16th Parliament of the autonomous community. All 135 seats in the Parliament will be up for election.

Quick facts All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia 68 seats needed for a majority, Leader ...
Next Catalan regional election
← 2024
No later than 26 June 2028
All 135 seats in the Parliament of Catalonia
68 seats needed for a majority
Opinion polls
 
Leader Salvador Illa Carles Puigdemont Oriol Junqueras
Party PSC–PSOE Cat–Junts+ ERC
Leader since 30 December 2020 21 March 2024 14 December 2024
Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona —
Last election 42 seats, 28.0% 35 seats, 21.6% 20 seats, 13.7%
Current seats 42 35 20
Seats needed Increase 26 Increase 33 Increase 48
 
Leader Alejandro Fernández Ignacio Garriga Jéssica Albiach
Party PP Vox Comuns Sumar
Leader since 10 November 2018 10 August 2020 18 September 2018
Leader's seat Barcelona Barcelona Barcelona
Last election 15 seats, 11.0% 11 seats, 8.0% 6 seats, 5.8%
Current seats 15 11 6
Seats needed Increase 53 Increase 57 Increase 62
 
Leader TBD Sílvia Orriols
Party CUP–DT Aliança.cat
Leader since — 28 October 2020
Leader's seat — Girona
Last election 4 seats, 4.1% 2 seats, 3.8%
Current seats 4 2
Seats needed Increase 64 Increase 66
Incumbent President

Salvador Illa
PSC


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The previous election saw the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) emerge as the largest party in a regional election—in both vote share and seat count—for the first time in history which, together with left-from-centre parties commanding a parliamentary majority (most particularly, the PSC together with Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Comuns Sumar), allowed Salvador Illa to become the new regional president at the helm of a single-party minority cabinet. The government's minority status posed challenges for Illa, with a political deadlock in the negotiations of the 2026 budget between PSC and ERC sparking speculation of an imminent snap election call.

Overview

Under the 2006 Statute of Autonomy, the Parliament of Catalonia is the unicameral legislature of the homonymous autonomous community, having legislative power in devolved matters, as well as the ability to grant or withdraw confidence from a regional president.[1] The electoral and procedural rules are supplemented by national law provisions.[2]

Date

The term of the Parliament of Catalonia expires four years after the date of its previous election, unless it is dissolved earlier. The election shall be called no later than 15 days before the scheduled expiration date of parliament, with election day taking place between 40 and 60 days from the call.[3] The previous election was held on 12 May 2024, which means that the chamber's term will expire on 12 May 2028. The election shall be called no later than 27 April 2028, setting the latest possible date for election day on 26 June 2028.

The regional president has the prerogative to dissolve the Parliament of Catalonia at any given time and call a snap election, provided that no motion of no confidence is in process and that dissolution does not occur before one year after a previous one under this procedure.[4] In the event of an investiture process failing to elect a regional president within a two-month period from the first ballot, the Parliament is to be automatically dissolved and a fresh election called.[5]

Difficulties in budget negotiations between the PSC and ERC throughout 2026 saw the media suggest that President Illa was considering calling a snap election to break the political deadlock, with 20 March—date on which the amendments to the entirety of the Catalan budget would be voted on—speculated as the deadline for Illa to take a decision on the issue.[6][7][8] Castilian-Manchegan president Emiliano García-Page hinted at the possibility of a joint call of the Catalan, Andalusian and national elections in June 2026.[9][10]

Electoral system

Voting for the Parliament is based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered in Catalonia and with full political rights, provided that they have not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence.[11]

The Parliament of Catalonia has a minimum of 100 and a maximum of 150 seats, with electoral provisions fixing its size at 135. All are elected in four multi-member constituencies—corresponding to the provinces of Barcelona, Girona, Lleida and Tarragona, each of which is assigned a fixed number of seats—using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a three percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each constituency.[12] The use of this electoral method may result in a higher effective threshold depending on district magnitude and vote distribution.[13]

As a result of the aforementioned allocation, each Parliament constituency is entitled the following seats:[14]

More information Seats, Constituencies ...
Seats Constituencies
85 Barcelona
18 Tarragona
17 Girona
15 Lleida
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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 will be filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes.[15]

Current parliament

The table below shows the composition of the parliamentary groups in the chamber at the present time.[16][17][18]

More information Groups, Parties ...
Current parliamentary composition
Groups Parties Legislators
Seats Total
Socialists' and United to Advance
Parliamentary Group		 PSC 41 42
Els Units 1
Together's Parliamentary Group JxCat 34 35
DC 1
Republican Left of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group ERC 20 20
People's Party of Catalonia's Parliamentary Group PP 15 15
Vox's Parliamentary Group in Catalonia Vox 11 11
Commons Parliamentary Group CatComú 5 6
SMR 1
Mixed Group CUP 4 6
Aliança.cat 2
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Parties and candidates

The electoral law allows for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, alliances 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 at least one percent of the electorate in the constituencies for which they seek election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list. Concurrently, parties, federations or alliances that have not obtained a parliamentary mandate at the preceding election are required to secure the signature of at least 0.1 percent of electors in the aforementioned constituencies.[19] Amendments in 2024 required a balanced composition of men and women in the electoral lists through the use of a zipper system.[20]

Below is a list of the main parties and alliances which will likely contest the election:

More information Candidacy, Parties and alliances ...
Candidacy Parties and
alliances		 Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Gov. Ref.
Vote % Seats
PSC–PSOE
List
 Salvador Illa Social democracy 28.0% 42 Yes
Cat–Junts+
List
 Carles Puigdemont Catalan independence
Populism		 21.6% 35 No [21]
ERC
List
 Oriol Junqueras Catalan independence
Left-wing nationalism
Social democracy		 13.7% 20 No [22]
[23]
PP
List
 Alejandro Fernández Conservatism
Christian democracy		 11.0% 15 No
Vox
List
 Ignacio Garriga Right-wing populism
Ultranationalism
National conservatism		 8.0% 11 No
Comuns
Sumar
List
 Jéssica Albiach Left-wing populism
Direct democracy
Eco-socialism		 5.8% 6 No [24]
CUP–DT
List
 TBD Catalan independence
Anti-capitalism
Socialism		 4.1% 4 No
Aliança.cat
List
 Sílvia Orriols Catalan independence
Anti-immigration
Hispanophobia		 3.8% 2 No [25]
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Opinion polls

The tables below list opinion polling results in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a poll.

Graphical summary

Local regression trend line of poll results from 12 May 2024 to the present day, with each line corresponding to a political party.

Voting intention estimates

The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 68 seats are required for an absolute majority in the Parliament of Catalonia.

More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...
Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size Turnout PSC Junts ERC PP Vox CUP Aliança.cat Podem SALF Lead
GESOP/El Periódico[p 1] 16–22 Jul 2026 800 ? 25.0
34/37		 11.5
15/18		 16.0
24/27		 8.6
12/13		 9.2
11/13		 3.4
3/4		 3.2
0/4		 16.8
25/28		 – – 8.2
GESOP/CEO[p 2] 21 May–25 Jun 2026 2,000 ? 24.3
36/38		 11.8
16/18		 18.1
24/26		 9.6
12/13		 9.8
12/13		 4.9
4/5		 4.4
4/5		 15.1
23/25		 – – 6.2
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 3][p 4] 26 May–5 Jun 2026 1,631 ? 23.9
33/35		 14.2
20/24		 13.2
19/21		 10.2
13/15		 10.1
13/15		 5.5
5/6		 4.0
3/5		 13.8
19/22		 – – 9.7
EM-Analytics/Electomanía[p 5] 1–28 Apr 2026 1,500 ? 25.7
36		 15.3
22		 17.6
25		 9.2
13		 10.0
13		 3.7
4		 3.2
0		 14.3
22		 – – 8.1
YouGov/Ara[a][p 6][p 7] 8–21 Apr 2026 1,353 ? 27.0
36/42		 8.5
11/14		 18.5
27/30		 8.0
9/11		 11.5
14/17		 5.5
4/7		 4.0
3/5		 13.0
20/22		 – – 8.5
EM-Analytics/Electomanía[p 8] 1–28 Jan 2026 1,500 ? 25.3
35		 16.4
23		 18.1
26		 9.9
13		 9.7
13		 3.7
3		 3.5
3		 12.4
19		 – – 7.2
Opinòmetre/CEO[p 9] 13 Oct–11 Nov 2025 2,000 ? 25.7
38/40		 13.8
19/20		 15.6
22/23		 9.3
12/13		 9.8
13/14		 5.9
6		 4.7
3/4		 12.4
19/20		 – – 10.1
Ipsos/La Vanguardia[p 10] 11–17 Sep 2025 2,000 ? 25.1
36		 13.3
21		 14.7
21		 9.6
13		 12.1
16		 4.9
5		 4.2
4		 11.9
19		 1.1
0		 – 10.4
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 11] 1–11 Sep 2025 1,483 ? 26.1
37/39		 16.2
24/26		 15.0
20/21		 10.5
14/15		 9.5
12/13		 5.2
5/6		 4.6
4/5		 9.8
11/14		 – – 9.9
Vox[p 12] 2 Sep 2025 1,000 ? 23.9
36		 18.4
29		 15.8
23		 10.1
15		 10.6
16		 6.2
7		 3.2
3		 6.0
6		 – – 5.5
Opinòmetre/CEO[p 13] 30 May–28 Jun 2025 2,000 ? 26.8
40/42		 17.5
28/30		 14.5
21/23		 10.3
14/15		 9.6
12/14		 5.8
5/6		 4.5
3/4		 7.6
10/11		 – – 9.3
NC Report/La Razón[p 14] 16–31 May 2025 500 54.2 ?
44		 ?
31		 ?
18		 ?
16		 ?
12		 ?
5		 ?
3		 ?
6		 – – ?
The Objective[p 15] 30 Apr 2025 1,000 ? 29.4
43/45		 17.2
27/29		 13.2
17/19		 10.7
15/17		 9.8
13/15		 4.6
4/5		 2.7
2/3		 6.3
8/9		 – 1.1
0		 12.2
Opinòmetre/CEO[p 16] 14 Feb–14 Mar 2025 2,000 ? 27.2
41/43		 17.0
27/29		 14.4
21/23		 10.9
14/16		 8.4
10/12		 7.0
6/7		 4.1
3/4		 6.2
8/10		 – – 10.2
GESOP/CEO[p 17] 11 Oct–24 Nov 2024 2,000 ? 27.4
39/42		 18.7
30/32		 13.8
20/21		 10.6
15/16		 7.5
10/11		 6.6
6/7		 5.7
5/6		 5.0
6/7		 – – 8.7
NC Report/La Razón[p 18] 5–12 Jul 2024 1,000 56.5 29.5
44/45		 22.4
35/36		 11.1
15/16		 11.9
15/16		 6.8
9		 4.1
3		 3.7
3		 4.0
5		 2.2
2		 2.1
2		 7.1
GESOP/CEO[p 19] 10 Jun–8 Jul 2024 2,000 ? 28.0–
32.0
39/45		 19.0–
23.0
31/36		 13.0–
16.0
19/24		 10.0–
13.0
13/18		 6.0–
8.0
7/11		 5.0–
7.0
5/8		 3.0–
5.0
1/6		 2.0–
4.0
1/4		 – – 9.0
Hamalgama Métrica/Vozpópuli[p 20] 1–4 Jul 2024 1,000 ? 29.4
44		 22.8
36		 11.6
17		 11.7
16		 8.3
11		 5.0
5		 3.6
3		 3.9
3		 – – 6.6
Demoscopia y Servicios/The Objective[p 21] 22–24 Jun 2024 1,000 ? 28.8
43		 22.7
36		 11.9
17		 11.7
16		 6.6
10		 5.1
5		 3.5
3		 4.0
5		 – – 6.1
EM-Analytics/GMG[p 22] 9–13 Jun 2024 1,150 ? 30.9
43		 23.4
36		 11.2
16		 12.2
15		 8.0
11		 5.1
5		 3.5
3		 4.5
6		 – – 7.5
NC Report/La Razón[p 23] 8–10 Jun 2024 1,000 54.4 29.3
44/45		 21.8
34/35		 11.5
17/18		 11.5
15/16		 7.6
10/11		 5.4
5		 3.8
4		 4.1
2/3		 – 2.4
0/2		 7.5
2024 EP election 9 Jun 2024 N/a 43.5 30.6
(46)		 18.0
(30)		 14.8
(23)		 13.8
(20)		 6.2
(8)		 4.3
(4)		 – – 4.6
(4)		 2.8
(0)		 12.6
2024 regional election 12 May 2024 N/a 55.3 28.0
42		 21.6
35		 13.7
20		 11.0
15		 8.0
11		 5.8
6		 4.1
4		 3.8
2		 – – 6.4
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Voting preferences

The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

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

The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become president of the Government of Catalonia.

All candidates
More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...
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Illa vs. Puigdemont
More information Polling firm/Commissioner, Fieldwork date ...
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Predicted President

The table below lists opinion polling on the perceived likelihood for each leader to become president.

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

  1. [a]
    Percentages are approximate.
  2. [b]
    Does not include non-resident citizens.
  3. [c]
    Responses denoting a party's generic candidate are aggregated to that party's main candidate/leader at the time of the poll.

References

Bibliography

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