With the June 29 and 30 investiture vote approaching, Juan Manuel Moreno and Vox remain in confidential negotiations, but no agreement has been reached. The Andalusian Parliament has 109 seats, so 55 votes are needed for an absolute majority. Vox’s 15 deputies so held decisive use in talks over Moreno’s investiture and the terms of a new government.
Moreno has said he intends to use every available minute to reach a deal, underlining the urgency of forming a government. He has also acknowledged that the outcome does not depend on his party alone. The Partido Popular (PP) leader has repeatedly said in public that, as of now, “there is no agreement.” The phrase has become a refrain since formal talks with Vox began on June 9.
The negotiations have involved shifting timelines and strategic maneuvering. After the elections, Vox was caught off guard when Moreno, despite warning during the campaign about the dangers of a prolonged deadlock, did not immediately open talks. The PP argued there was no rush before the new Parliament was constituted on June 11. The two parties met for the first time two days earlier but agreed on no concessions or power-sharing arrangements. For now, the PP controls the basic positions in the parliamentary bureau, holding the presidency and four other posts, split between two vice presidencies and two secretariats.
Once Parliament was in place, Moreno’s team pushed for a swift investiture session, aiming to have a government ready in the first half of July and present the regional budget on schedule after the summer break. The renewed urgency surprised Vox, especially after the PP had delayed negotiations for two weeks. When parliamentary president Jesús Aguirre scheduled the investiture debate for June 29 and 30, no deal had been reached. During the mandatory consultation round, Vox spokesperson Manuel Gavira said that, despite ongoing talks, his party would vote against Moreno’s candidacy if the vote were held immediately.
Sources within the PP said the chosen date did not mean an agreement was imminent, contrary to claims from left-wing opposition groups. Instead, the date was intended to speed up the process and reduce the risk of a prolonged stalemate. If Moreno failed to secure the necessary votes in the first round, a two-month countdown would begin. If no agreement were reached within that period, Parliament would be dissolved and new elections called within 54 days. Moreno dismissed that scenario, reiterating his intention to appoint his cabinet as soon as possible. On Friday, he repeated that Andalusia “cannot wait a minute” for a new government while speaking at the traditional saca de las yeguas event in Almonte, Huelva. He was there at the same time as Vox’s Gavira, who was visiting the Virgen del Rocío shrine.
Both parties have kept communication channels open, and talks are expected to continue through the weekend and up to the last possible moment. Some insiders believe a deal is unlikely before Monday but could be finalized later that day or during the second round of voting, scheduled 48 hours after the first. In that scenario, Moreno would need only a simple majority.
Vox warns that, after two weeks of silence from the PP, it will not accept a rushed agreement dictated by the PP’s preferred timeline. The PP believes that prolonging the process could hurt Vox, pointing to the party’s experience in Extremadura, where delays reportedly led to electoral setbacks in later regional contests.
Moreno’s investiture speech on Monday may offer clues about the terms of any agreement, though the negotiations have been unusually opaque. The PP says there is impressive common ground, citing the 2018 investiture pact, which it claims was 80% fulfilled. Vox disputes that account, arguing the PP failed to deliver on its promises. That is one reason Vox may demand a place in the government. Moreno’s team expects such a request but says it has not yet been formally made. Antonio Repullo Milla, the PP-A secretary-general, was among the party’s leading voices in negotiations with Vox.
Another point of contention is the inclusion of “national priority” policies. Moreno plays down concerns, calling the term an “electoral slogan” and noting that similar measures have been implemented in other regions, including some governed by the Socialist Party, without breaching constitutional limits.
The negotiations culminated in a PP-Vox government agreement signed at San Telmo Palace on July 2, 2022. Vox’s 15 deputies backed Moreno’s investiture, and the agreement brought the party into the Andalusian executive. The negotiations had produced more than a parliamentary vote arrangement.
The standoff in Andalusia comes amid wider instability in Spain’s political field. Recent developments, including Leire Díez’s decision to testify independently, have added pressure on PSOE leadership and reflect the unpredictable dynamics of Spanish politics. For more on shifting alliances and internal party tensions, see the report on Leire Díez’s move to testify without party backing.
Andalusia, Spain’s most populous region, has often set the tone for national politics. The negotiations determined the immediate future of the regional government and could influence the broader balance of power across Spain. The eventual agreement avoided a new electoral cycle and established a governing partnership between the PP and Vox.
