The Secretary General of the Andalusian Socialist Party, María Jesús Montero, confirmed on Tuesday in Seville that she will not run as a candidate for the Congress of Deputies for Seville in Spain's upcoming general elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the party's regional headquarters just one day after the formal announcement of the election call, Montero announced that she will instead continue her role leading the political opposition in Andalusia while retaining her seat in the Senate.
By keeping her seat in the upper house of parliament, Montero will maintain her parliamentary legal immunity, known in Spanish law as aforamiento, while preserving direct political contact with Madrid. Her decision marks a departure from the 2023 general elections, when she stood as a parliamentary candidate for Seville in the lower house.
Montero leads the regional branch of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, known as PSOE-A, in Andalusia. The regional socialist organization governed southern Spain's most populous autonomous community for nearly four decades before moving into opposition in the regional Parliament of Andalusia, which sits in Seville. Montero also serves as a prominent national figure within the broader Spanish socialist movement.
Under the Spanish constitution, members of the national parliament in Madrid enjoy parliamentary immunity. This legal protection, known as aforamiento, ensures that any judicial proceedings involving sitting senators or deputies can only be heard by the Supreme Court of Spain. The Congress of Deputies serves as the primary legislative chamber responsible for electing the Prime Minister and voting on national legislation.
Trade union general strike threats
During her appearance before reporters, Montero addressed pressing issues in national politics, focusing on a potential general strike currently being evaluated by major trade union organizations. Union leaders began considering the nationwide protest following the rejection and repeal of two government decrees linked to housing policy in the Congress of Deputies.
Montero described the prospective strike call as unprecedented because the protest action is directed against opposition parties in parliament. She pointed out that general strikes in Spain are traditionally called to oppose policies enacted by governing administrations rather than legislative blocks mounted by opposition groups.
She stated that the situation highlights how union representatives, acting on behalf of the working majority, feel compelled to use their collective power to express rejection and anger at the defeat of the housing measures. Although Montero did not explicitly endorse or oppose the strike call, she remarked that it appeared logical for trade unions to feel called upon to take action.
Trade union organizations in Spain, including major labor confederations such as the Workers' Commissions and the General Union of Workers, frequently engage in public demonstrations over social policy and worker welfare. Executive decrees issued by the national government require parliamentary ratification within thirty days, making housing and social legislation key battlegrounds between governing coalitions and opposition parties in Madrid.
Sánchez pre-campaign launch in Dos Hermanas
Turning to electoral preparations, Montero confirmed that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez will officially launch his party's pre-campaign next Saturday in Dos Hermanas, a major municipality in the province of Seville.
Montero expressed her expectation that voters will see Sánchez in Andalusia many times throughout the upcoming campaign. While she voiced her desire for frequent visits by the head of government, she did not specify the exact number of campaign rallies in which Sánchez will participate.
Dos Hermanas holds deep political symbolism for the Prime Minister and the socialist party. The Andalusian town was the exact location where Sánchez announced in 2017 that he would stand in primary elections to reclaim the general secretariat of the PSOE, having resigned from the leadership position a year earlier during intense internal party disputes in 2016.
Located just south of Seville, Dos Hermanas has long served as a key electoral stronghold for the PSOE in southern Spain. Andalusia contains the largest voting population of any Spanish region, making its parliamentary constituencies critical for any political party seeking to secure a governing majority in the national Congress of Deputies.
