Reyes Maroto and Enma López have gathered the necessary endorsements to run in the PSOE primaries for the Mayor of Madrid. Both will face off in the vote on July 19.
Reyes Maroto, spokesperson for the Socialist Municipal Group in the Madrid City Council, and Enma López, her deputy spokesperson, have passed the endorsement process to present themselves for the Madrid PSOE primaries. Both have achieved the minimum required support, as confirmed by the party on Saturday afternoon.
The deadline for collecting endorsements ended at 12:00 on Saturday, following an intense week of contacts with the socialist groups in the capital. At 16:30, the Madrid PSOE reported that both candidates had surpassed the necessary minimum, although the validation of the physical endorsements will continue in the coming hours.
Two styles for the same goal
The contest pits two councillors against each other who shared a campaign in 2023, when Maroto was the candidate for Mayor and López served as campaign director and number three on the list. Now, each defends her own project: Maroto appeals for continuity based on "commitment, perseverance, and trust," while López promotes a message of renewal with the slogan "it's time" and the need to "take a step further" to inspire and reach the neighbourhoods.
Maroto has balanced her role as municipal spokesperson with gathering endorsements. During these days, she has insisted that her "place is in Madrid" and that she is fulfilling the promise made in 2023, when she committed to the party members and the people of Madrid to lead an alternative to change the municipal government. She highlights her visit to the Fuencarral group, where she appeared wearing the Spanish national team shirt coinciding with Portugal's elimination in the World Cup.
The spokesperson has been supported by most of the councillors in the municipal group and by figures such as the PSOE spokesperson in the Assembly of Madrid, Mar Espinar, who accompanied her at events and endorsed her candidacy on social media.
On her part, Enma López has launched a campaign with strong social media presence and visits to groups in the form of an "endorsement marathon." Even during the heavy summer storm that hit Madrid this week, López shared a video with an umbrella in hand to encourage party members. She also recalled Iniesta's goal in the 116th minute against the Netherlands that gave Spain its first World Cup, urging supporters to submit their endorsements until the "last minute."
López has released a poster with the message 'I like that chulapa for Madrid', where she appears dressed in the city's traditional attire, in a visual nod to New York Mayor, Zohran Mamdani.
Decisive primaries for the future of the PSOE in Madrid
Once the endorsement process is completed, the PSOE enters the information campaign phase, ahead of the vote scheduled for Sunday, July 19. That day it will be known who aspires to take the mayoral baton from José Luis Martínez-Almeida (PP).
For the residents of Madrid, these primaries will define the socialist alternative in the upcoming municipal elections. The chosen candidate must articulate a project that connects with the districts of the capital, from the centre to the outskirts, where the party seeks to regain support.
The internal process comes at a crucial moment for the Madrid PSOE, which seeks to consolidate a governing option against Almeida's PP. The party members will have the final say on July 19.
"My place is in Madrid and I am fulfilling the promise made in 2023," Maroto reiterated during the endorsement campaign.
"It's time to take a step further to inspire and reach the neighbourhoods," López defended at her events.
The voting day will take place in the socialist groups of the capital, with times and locations to be communicated soon. Members will be able to exercise their right to vote in person.
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