Spain election: 929 lists as Senate bids plunge

Spain’s 29 November election draws 929 candidate lists for Congress and the Senate — 161 fewer than in 2023. Parties and coalitions have filed 556 lists for Congress and 373 for the Senate, according to figures published in Spain’s Official State Gazette on Wednesday, 28 October. The lists are not final: election boards must check them first.

Why Senate lists have fallen

Congress has six more lists than in 2023, but the Senate has 167 fewer. That brings the total down by 14.77%. The main reason is that PSOE and Frente Amplio are running together as Senado de Progreso in most constituencies. PP and Vox are also not standing for the Senate in some provinces.

One more Senate seat is at stake this year, despite the drop in lists. The island of Formentera will elect its own senator after a constitutional change, taking the number of seats being contested to 209.

What happens before the lists are final

Provincial election boards will check candidates’ order and the supporting signatures required from parties that won no seats in the previous general election. For the first time in a general election, lists for both chambers must alternate between women and men.

The boards have two days to flag problems. Parties then have 48 hours from notification to fix them. The boards have until Monday to confirm the candidates, with the final lists due in the Official State Gazette on 3 November.

Topics: Politics

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com