"Change is possible, this time yes", said ex-minister Reyes Maroto yesterday at the presentation of the socialist candidacy for the mayor of Madrid that he leads in the municipal elections of 28- M. Although the management of PSOE recognize themselves as less optimistic than Maroto, they all agree that the current mayor of the PP, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, is now "more vulnerable". And that the electoral result could make viable a left-wing majority that would threaten the revalidation of the position he holds since, in 2019, he kicked Manuela Carmena out of Plaça de Cibeles thanks to the coalition agreement he sealed with Ciutadans, with support from Vox.
Maroto trusts in a double carom at the polls so that a left-wing majority will effectively unseat the PP in the capital. The formula favored by the socialists is that Ciutadans, with a candidacy once again led by vice-mayor Begoña Villacís, fails to pass the threshold of 5% of the vote and, therefore, fails to enter the City Council, even though in 2019 it was the third political force in the capital. All the ballots still obtained by the orange formation would, therefore, go "to the bin", if Villacís does not reach this minimum of 5% of the votes to obtain municipal representation, leaving seats for the bloc on the right of the PP and Vox .
At the same time, the socialists trust that the candidacy of Podemos, led by Roberto Sotomayor, will indeed exceed the bar of 5% and obtain a representation in the City Council that will help add, with PSOE and Més Madrid, a left-wing majority that surpasses those on the right.
Even so, Maroto herself is well aware that the comeback that would have to be certified at the polls to lead the left-wing bloc and surpass Més Madrid in votes is steep. With Carmena still as headliner, this formation became the first political force in the capital in 2019. In those last municipal elections, the candidacy of the PSOE, headed by Pepu Hernández – the former national basketball coach signed by Pedro Sánchez–, obtained its worst historical record: with 13.7% of the votes, it sank to the fourth position, behind Més Madrid, the PP and Ciutadans.
Despite having been Minister of Industry, Tourism and Commerce for five years (2018-2023), Maroto still has a significant degree of ignorance among the people of Madrid, but her team assures that she already has a better assessment in the polls than the current candidate of More Madrid, Rita Maestre. And they trust the electoral campaign so that Maroto gains recognition and the PSOE continues to rise in vote intention.
At yesterday's event in Plaza de la Villa together with Minister Margarita Robles and the leader of the Madrid Socialists, Juan Lobato, Maroto warned against the "backsliding" that in his opinion represents for Madrid an Almeida "that will need Vote to govern". And he also displayed his management experience in the Government against "other parties that live on the illusion". "Transformation yes, but with management", he defended, referring to Més Madrid.
