The PSOE’s top brass in Andalusia has intervened to prevent primaries in Jaén, the region’s only socialist-led capital. The move secures Julio Millán’s candidacy and signals a tightening grip on local party control.
The Andalusian leadership of the PSOE has stepped in to stop a primary contest in Jaén, the only provincial capital in the region still led by a socialist mayor. María Jesús Montero led the move, which guarantees Julio Millán will be the party’s candidate in the next municipal elections and avoids the internal competition that had started to take shape.
According to party rules, primaries are required in towns with more than 20,000 residents, but sitting mayors are usually exempt unless more than half the local membership demands a vote—a threshold rarely met. Even so, Millán himself had called for primaries, a move some saw as a show of independence and a challenge to the provincial leadership’s control over the candidate list. His only challenger was Carlos Alberca, a fellow PSOE member and current fifth deputy mayor, whose candidacy surprised the regional leadership.
Carlos Alberca officially registered his alternative candidacy against incumbent mayor Julio Millán in early September 2026, as confirmed by several national and local media outlets.
Montero made her position clear: fewer primaries mean less internal conflict. Her directive, delivered both publicly and through party channels, was followed in Sevilla, Málaga, Granada, and Cádiz, but Almería, Huelva, Córdoba, and Jaén initially resisted. In Jaén, the situation was especially tense, as Millán’s decision to open the process to a contest was seen as a rare act of independence in a party known for tight control.
Party insiders now expect Alberca to withdraw before the September 16 deadline for collecting endorsements, making a formal contest unlikely. Montero has openly backed Millán, praising his work stabilizing the city’s finances and advancing key projects. She left no doubt that Millán is to remain both candidate and mayor, reinforcing the PSOE’s hold on one of its last urban strongholds in Andalusia.
The internal party calendar for the primaries was set: candidate registration and verification, signature collection from September 9–16, and voting scheduled for September 26. This timeline, reported by multiple sources, is crucial for assessing the likelihood of a real primary race in Jaén.
Elsewhere, the primary process is still open. Almería and Huelva will have two-way contests, while Córdoba faces a three-way race unless candidates step aside. The stakes are high for the PSOE ahead of the 2027 municipal elections, as the party tries to defend its positions in Jaén and Sevilla and to win back Cádiz, where alliances with other left groups and independent mayors could be decisive.
Montero’s announcement came just before a joint meeting between the Andalusian executives of UGT and PSOE, signaling renewed cooperation on issues like housing and public services. UGT’s Oskar Martín warned that parts of the PP-Vox coalition threaten workers’ rights, referencing a recent letter urging parties to avoid alliances with anti-democratic forces. This letter, which indirectly called for PSOE support of the conservative Juan Manuel Moreno, caught many in the socialist leadership off guard and highlighted the complicated relationship between unions and party politics in the region.
The PSOE’s move in Jaén is not unique. Similar top-down decisions have shaped candidate selection in other Spanish cities, as seen in the Madrid leadership dispute. The pattern is clear: party leaders are increasingly willing to override local dynamics to secure strategic positions, especially where electoral margins are tight.
This episode in Jaén shows the PSOE’s determination to limit internal dissent and keep control over its few remaining urban bases in Andalusia. By sidelining the primary process, the leadership signals that unity and predictability now take priority over grassroots participation. While this may bring short-term stability, it risks alienating local activists and reinforcing the sense that the party is more focused on internal order than on democratic renewal. In the current climate, these moves may secure the next candidacy, but they do little to address the deeper challenges facing Spain’s traditional parties.
