PSOE's preparations for the 2027 municipal elections in Madrid are already marked by internal conflict in several of the region's most influential cities. The recent removal of Enma López from the leadership of the Madrid City Council group, after her defeat to Reyes Maroto in the primaries, has exposed tensions within the party. In Móstoles, the decision to support Juana López Pagán, a politician from Murcia with no previous local ties, has left many party members uneasy about bringing in an outsider to challenge current PP mayor Manuel Bautista, who is under investigation for alleged harassment.
The regional leadership, led by Óscar López, maintains that these disputes are part of normal party life. On the ground, though, the mood is different. In Alcalá de Henares, the cancellation of primaries has drawn open criticism. Local PSOE councillor Miguel Castillejo Calvo and three colleagues have publicly objected, saying party members learned of the decision only through the media. He describes the situation as discouraging: the local group is still run by a caretaker committee, months after the previous secretary general resigned.
PSOE Madrid has officially launched the candidate selection process for all municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, with primaries set to begin in September 2026.
In Leganés, two long-standing party figures will compete directly: Miguel Recuenco, the city's PSOE secretary general, and Sara Oviedo, a current councillor. Oviedo, who lost her deputy spokesperson role last year, has accused Recuenco of breaking earlier agreements meant to unify the party ahead of the elections. Their dispute has spilled into public view, exposing fragile alliances within the local organization.
Back in Móstoles, Juana López Pagán's selection has surprised local activists and raised doubts about her ability to connect with voters. She has the support of local leader Alejandro Martín and a polite endorsement from former mayor Noelia Posse, but some insiders question whether an external candidate can energize the city's electorate. As one party figure put it, Móstoles is a major battleground, and bringing in a little-known outsider is a risky move.
The internal restructuring in Móstoles is also linked to the aftermath of the ITV case, which involved current councillors Noelia Posse and Álex Martín. That context has fueled skepticism among some activists about the party's choice of an 'imported' candidate from outside the city.
Elsewhere, Coslada is preparing for its own leadership transition, with primaries scheduled for September. Candidates have until the 7th to register, followed by a short campaign and a first-round vote on the 26th. If needed, a second round will take place in early October. The result will determine who leads the party's challenge in a city where PSOE wants to improve on its previous results.
Pilar Sánchez Acera, the party's regional organisation secretary, insists that PSOE is united and focused on offering new projects to Madrid's citizens. The evidence, but, suggests the party is struggling to hold together. The regional leadership's decision to skip primaries in Alcalá de Henares, citing unresolved issues and the need for a caretaker committee, has deepened frustration among local members. Officially, only Alcalá will skip primaries; all other municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants will proceed as planned. Still, many activists are dissatisfied with the lack of transparency and the top-down approach.
These internal disputes come as PSOE tries to regain ground lost to Isabel Díaz Ayuso's PP, which dominated the region in 2023. The party aims to challenge the PP's hold on Madrid's largest municipalities, but infighting and controversial candidate choices threaten that goal. As reported earlier, Madrid's political climate remains tense, with high-profile decisions and internal disagreements shaping the run-up to the next elections.
PSOE's internal struggles in Madrid reflect a deeper challenge for a party trying to balance central control with grassroots participation. Disputes over primaries in Alcalá de Henares and the public fallout in Leganés, alongside the outsider candidacy in Móstoles, point to a leadership willing to take risks at the cost of alienating parts of its own base. With the municipal elections less than a year away, the party's ability to present a united front is in doubt. Unless these fractures are resolved soon, PSOE's chances of unseating the PP in Madrid's basic cities remain uncertain.
