Spain calls early general election for Nov. 29

Spain's Official Gazette on Tuesday published a royal decree dissolving parliament and formally calling for an early general election on Nov. 29, setting in motion a 54-day electoral process that will see voters head to the polls nearly eight months ahead of schedule. The decree, issued by King Felipe VI at the proposal of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez following a Cabinet meeting on Monday, dissolved the Congress of Deputies and Senate elected in July 2023 and called for elections for both chambers.

Campaign period and constituencies

The official campaign will run for 15 days, beginning at midnight on Nov. 13 and ending at midnight on Nov. 27, two days before the election, according to the gazette. Voters will elect 350 members of the Congress of Deputies across 52 constituencies, comprising Spain's 50 provinces and the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

Madrid will elect the largest delegation with 38 deputies, followed by Barcelona with 32 and Valencia with 16. A total of 209 senators will also be directly elected — each provincial constituency will send four senators, while Gran Canaria, Mallorca and Tenerife will elect three each, and smaller island territories will elect one apiece, with Ceuta and Melilla returning two senators each.

New legislative term

The newly elected chambers are scheduled to hold their constitutive sessions on Dec. 23, completing the transition to the new legislative term. The early election call cuts short the parliamentary term that began following the July 2023 general election, which had produced a coalition government under Sanchez's leadership.