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All 33 seats in the City Council of Valencia 17 seats needed for a majority | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Opinion polls | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Registered | 579,205 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turnout | 417,512 (72.1%) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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A municipal election was held in Valencia on Sunday, 28 May 2023, to elect the 12th City Council of the municipality. All 33 seats in the City Council were up for election. The election was held simultaneously with regional elections in twelve autonomous communities and local elections all throughout Spain.
Under the 1978 Constitution, the governance of municipalities in Spain—part of the country's local government system—was centered on the figure of city councils (Spanish : ayuntamientos), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly. [1] [2] In the case of Valencia, the top-tier administrative and governing body was the City Council of Valencia. [3] Elections to local councils in Spain were fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years (as of 2025, this has been the year before a leap year). [4]
The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly. [2] A legal clause required candidates to earn the vote of an absolute majority of councillors, or else the candidate of the most-voted party was to be automatically appointed to the post. In the event of a tie, the appointee was to be determined by lot. [5]
Voting for local assemblies was on the basis of universal suffrage, which comprised all nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality of Valencia and in full enjoyment of their political rights (provided that they were not sentenced—by a final court ruling—to deprivation of the right to vote), as well as resident non-national European citizens and those whose country of origin allowed Spanish nationals to vote in their own elections by virtue of a treaty. [2] [6] [7]
Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and a closed list proportional voting system, with an electoral threshold of five percent of valid votes (which included blank ballots) being applied in each municipality. [8] Each municipality constituted a multi-member constituency, entitled a number of seats based on the following scale: [9]
| Population | Councillors |
|---|---|
| <100 | 3 |
| 101–250 | 5 |
| 251–1,000 | 7 |
| 1,001–2,000 | 9 |
| 2,001–5,000 | 11 |
| 5,001–10,000 | 13 |
| 10,001–20,000 | 17 |
| 20,001–50,000 | 21 |
| 50,001–100,000 | 25 |
| >100,001 | +1 per each 100,000 inhabitants or fraction +1 if total is an even number |
The law did not provide for by-elections to fill vacated seats; instead, any vacancies that occurred after the proclamation of candidates and into the legislative term were to be covered by the successive candidates in the list and, when required, by the designated substitutes. [10]
The table below shows the composition of the political groups in the local assembly at the time of dissolution. [11] [12]
| Groups | Parties | Councillors | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats | Total | ||||
| Commitment to Valencia Municipal Group | Compromís | 10 | 10 | ||
| People's Municipal Group | PP | 8 | 8 | ||
| Socialist Municipal Group | PSPV–PSOE | 7 | 7 | ||
| Citizens–Party of the Citizenry Municipal Group | CS | 6 | 6 | ||
| Vox Municipal Group | Vox | 2 | 2 | ||
The electoral law allowed for parties and federations registered in the interior ministry, alliances and groupings of electors to present lists of candidates. Parties and federations intending to form an alliance ahead of an election were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within ten days of the election call, whereas groupings of electors needed to secure the signature of a determined amount of the electors registered in the municipality for which they sought election, disallowing electors from signing for more than one list of candidates. In the case of Valencia, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required. [13] Additionally, a balanced composition of men and women was required in the electoral lists, so that candidates of either sex made up at least 40 percent of the total composition. [14]
Below is a list of the main parties and electoral alliances which contested the election:
| Candidacy | Parties and alliances | Leading candidate | Ideology | Previous result | Gov. | Ref. | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vote % | Seats | ||||||||
| Compromís | List
| | Joan Ribó | Valencian nationalism Eco-socialism Green politics | 27.4% | 10 | [15] | ||
| PP | List
| | María José Catalá | Conservatism Christian democracy | 21.8% | 8 | [16] | ||
| PSPV–PSOE | List
| | Sandra Gómez | Social democracy | 19.3% | 7 | [17] | ||
| CS | List | | Fernando Giner | Liberalism | 17.6% | 6 | [18] | ||
| Vox | List
| | Juan Manuel Badenas | Right-wing populism Ultranationalism National conservatism | 7.3% | 2 | [19] | ||
The tables below list opinion polling results in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first and using the dates when the survey fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. Where the fieldwork dates are unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed with its background shaded in the leading party's colour. If a tie ensues, this is applied to the figures with the highest percentages. The "Lead" column on the right shows the percentage-point difference between the parties with the highest percentages in a poll.
The table below lists weighted voting intention estimates. Refusals are generally excluded from the party vote percentages, while question wording and the treatment of "don't know" responses and those not intending to vote may vary between polling organisations. When available, seat projections determined by the polling organisations are displayed below (or in place of) the percentages in a smaller font; 17 seats were required for an absolute majority in the City Council of Valencia.
Poll conducted after legal ban on opinion polls
| Polling firm/Commissioner | Fieldwork date | Sample size | Turnout | | | | | | | IDEA | Lead |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 municipal election | 28 May 2023 | — | 72.0 | 24.0 9 | 36.6 13 | 19.0 7 | 2.3 0 | 12.7 4 | 2.3 0 | – | 12.6 |
| GAD3/RTVE–FORTA [p 1] | 12–27 May 2023 | ? | ? | 22.0 8 | 35.0 13/14 | 21.0 7/8 | 2.0 0 | 12.0 4 | 4.0 0 | – | 13.0 |
| KeyData/Público [p 2] | 22 May 2023 | ? | 68.8 | 23.9 9 | 35.9 13 | 19.7 7 | – | 11.2 4 | – | – | 12.0 |
| NC Report/La Razón [p 3] | 22 May 2023 | ? | ? | 24.0 9 | 37.2 13 | 18.9 7 | – | 11.6 4 | – | – | 13.2 |
| GIPEyOP/UV [p 4] | 10–20 May 2023 | ? | ? | 23.4 7/10 | 32.0 10/13 | 20.1 6/9 | 4.4 0/1 | 11.6 3/5 | 5.3 0/2 | – | 8.6 |
| IMOP/El Confidencial [p 5] | 15–18 May 2023 | 610 | ? | 26.6 9/10 | 34.9 12/13 | 19.7 7 | 2.0 0 | 11.6 4 | 2.7 0 | – | 8.3 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo [p 6] | 15–18 May 2023 | 1,200 | ? | 24.8 9 | 36.3 13 | 19.1 7 | 2.9 0 | 11.2 4 | 4.0 0 | – | 11.5 |
| 40dB/Prisa [p 7] [p 8] | 12–17 May 2023 | 800 | ? | 25.1 9 | 33.2 12 | 21.9 8 | 3.1 0 | 11.2 4 | 2.8 0 | – | 8.1 |
| Sigma Dos/Las Provincias [p 9] | 11–17 May 2023 | 750 | ? | 24.4 8/9 | 36.1 12/13 | 19.5 7 | 3.2 0 | 10.7 4 | 4.4 0/1 | – | 11.7 |
| GIPEyOP/UV [p 10] | 10–17 May 2023 | ? | ? | 21.3 7/9 | 31.8 11/13 | 24.3 7/10 | 2.2 0 | 12.2 3/5 | 5.0 0/2 | – | 7.5 |
| DYM/Henneo [p 11] | 10–15 May 2023 | 769 | ? | 23.6 8/9 | 35.2 12/13 | 21.6 8 | – | 11.1 3/4 | 4.7 0/1 | – | 11.6 |
| SocioMétrica/El Español [p 12] | 8–14 May 2023 | ? | ? | 24.0 9 | 34.8 13 | 20.3 7 | 3.0 0 | 12.1 4 | 3.6 0 | – | 10.8 |
| Data10/Okdiario [p 13] | 8–10 May 2023 | 1,500 | ? | 24.6 9 | 33.9 13 | 20.4 7 | 3.3 0 | 12.6 4 | 2.8 0 | – | 9.3 |
| GAD3/ABC [p 14] | 27 Apr–8 May 2023 | 601 | ? | 23.4 8/9 | 38.3 14 | 18.7 7 | – | 10.0 3/4 | – | – | 14.9 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 15] | 4–7 May 2023 | 1,136 | 63.8 | 21.5 8 | 38.7 14 | 20.2 8 | 0.9 0 | 9.4 3 | 2.6 0 | – | 17.2 |
| SocioMétrica [p 16] | 6 May 2023 | ? | ? | 23.9 9 | 35.2 13 | 18.9 7 | 3.1 0 | 12.6 4 | 3.1 0 | – | 11.3 |
| Sigma Dos/Antena 3 [p 17] | 26 Apr 2023 | ? | ? | 24.6 9 | 35.2 12/13 | ? 7/8 | 3.9 0 | 11.9 4 | 1.7 0 | – | 10.6 |
| CIS [p 18] [p 19] | 10–26 Apr 2023 | 1,056 | ? | 30.4 11/12 | 29.0 10 | 19.5 7 | 1.9 0 | 11.0 4/5 | 4.4 0/1 | – | 1.4 |
| NC Report/La Razón [p 20] | 24 Apr 2023 | ? | 66.2 | 25.3 9 | 36.0 13 | 19.1 7 | – | 11.3 4 | – | – | 10.7 |
| PSPV [p 21] | 15 Apr 2023 | 800 | ? | 22.6 8 | 33.4 13 | 23.5 9 | 3.2 0 | 9.4 3 | 3.3 0 | – | 9.9 |
| GfK/Compromís [p 22] | 14 Apr 2023 | ? | ? | 26.1 9/10 | 32.0 11/12 | 21.4 7/8 | 5.6 0/2 | 10.4 3/4 | 1.4 0 | – | 5.9 |
| GAD3/CS [p 23] | 30 Mar–4 Apr 2023 | 1,004 | ? | 22.2 8 | 39.3 15 | 18.8 7 | 3.1 0 | 9.8 3 | 3.5 0 | – | 17.1 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo [p 24] | 27 Mar–4 Apr 2023 | ? | ? | 27.0 9/10 | 34.4 12/13 | 19.4 7 | 2.9 0 | 11.6 4 | 1.6 0 | – | 7.4 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 25] | 23–27 Mar 2023 | 735 | ? | 21.1 7/8 | 39.2 14/15 | 18.6 7 | 0.7 0 | 11.6 4 | 2.1 0 | 2.4 0 | 18.1 |
| KeyData/Público [p 26] | 16 Feb 2023 | ? | 68.5 | 27.5 10 | 34.5 13 | 18.5 6 | 2.6 0 | 10.7 4 | 3.4 0 | – | 7.0 |
| PSPV [p 27] | 8 Feb 2023 | ? | ? | ? 7/8 | ? 12 | ? 9/10 | 3.0 0 | ? 3/4 | 4.0 0 | – | ? |
| PP [p 27] | 8 Feb 2023 | ? | ? | ? 8/9 | ? 13 | ? 7/8 | 2.0 0 | ? 3/4 | 3.0 0 | – | ? |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 28] | 2–6 Feb 2023 | 1,104 | ? | 21.6 7/8 | 39.1 14/15 | 19.6 7 | 0.8 0 | 11.7 4 | 2.2 0 | 4.8 0 | 17.5 |
| PSPV [p 29] | 12 Jan 2023 | ? | ? | ? 8/9 | ? 12/13 | ? 8/9 | ? 0 | ? 3/4 | 4.0 0 | – | ? |
| GfK/City Council of Valencia [p 30] [p 31] | Nov–Dec 2022 | 2,354 | ? | 17.7 6/7 | 29.0 12 | 25.3 10 | 3.9 0 | 10.0 3/4 | 5.3 0/2 | – | 3.7 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 32] | 8–11 Dec 2022 | 830 | ? | 21.6 8 | 37.9 14/15 | 19.1 7 | 0.7 0 | 9.5 3/4 | 3.3 0 | 4.6 0 | 16.3 |
| GAD3/PP [p 33] | 7–11 Nov 2022 | 1,000 | ? | 25.2 9 | 34.6 13 | 20.5 7 | 2.1 0 | 12.4 4 | 3.0 0 | – | 9.4 |
| Sigma Dos/El Mundo [p 34] [p 35] | 7–10 Nov 2022 | 800 | ? | 27.8 10 | 30.7 12 | 22.8 8 | 2.9 0 | 8.2 3 | 3.9 0 | – | 2.9 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 36] | 2–5 Nov 2022 | 1,010 | ? | 21.7 8 | 37.1 14 | 20.3 7/8 | 0.6 0 | 10.2 3/4 | 3.2 0 | 3.9 0 | 15.4 |
| PSPV [p 37] [p 38] | 12 Oct 2022 | 2,754 | ? | 22.0 8 | 32.4 11 | 22.5 8 | 2.4 0 | 14.3 5 | 5.0 1 | – | 9.9 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 39] | 5–8 Oct 2022 | 905 | 64.4 | 23.0 8/9 | 38.4 14/15 | 19.1 7 | 0.8 0 | 8.9 3 | 3.6 0 | 3.2 0 | 15.4 |
| SocioMétrica/El Español [p 40] [p 41] | 3–7 Oct 2022 | 600 | ? | 21.6 7/8 | 31.1 12/13 | 22.0 8 | 4.4 0 | 13.6 5 | 4.6 0 | – | 9.1 |
| Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario [p 42] | 3–5 Oct 2022 | ? | ? | 26.9 9/10 | 29.3 11/12 | 20.8 7 | 2.8 0 | 13.9 5 | 3.3 0 | – | 2.4 |
| PP [p 43] | 16 Jul 2022 | ? | ? | 17.3 6 | 32.0 11/12 | 23.1 8/9 | 2.9 0 | 16.9 6 | 5.7 1 | – | 8.9 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 44] | 13–16 Jul 2022 | 1,042 | 63.8 | 26.2 10 | 31.3 11/12 | 19.1 7 | 0.7 0 | 12.5 4/5 | 3.9 0 | 3.5 0 | 5.1 |
| EM-Analytics/Electomanía [p 45] | 3–22 May 2022 | 1,007 | ? | 21.5 8 | 29.2 11 | 21.2 8 | 4.8 0 | 16.6 6 | 4.6 0 | – | 7.7 |
| Sigma Dos/Las Provincias [p 46] | 11–18 May 2022 | 750 | ? | 27.7 10 | 29.4 11 | 18.0 6/7 | 4.0 0 | 15.4 5/6 | 3.1 0 | – | 1.7 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 47] | 27–29 Mar 2022 | 1,017 | 66.7 | 21.6 8 | 28.7 10/11 | 19.3 7 | 0.7 0 | 20.8 7/8 | 3.9 0 | – | 7.1 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 48] | 22–25 Feb 2022 | 968 | 64.0 | 27.7 10 | 22.6 8/9 | 21.3 7/8 | 1.1 0 | 18.9 7 | 3.0 0 | – | 5.1 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 49] | 7–10 Jan 2022 | 764 | 66.3 | 26.0 9/10 | 32.7 12 | 18.7 7 | 1.3 0 | 12.5 4/5 | 4.0 0 | – | 6.7 |
| GAD3/Cs [p 50] | 15 Oct–4 Nov 2021 | 400 | ? | 20.6 7/8 | 29.8 11 | 21.8 8 | 5.5 1/2 | 15.3 5 | 4.4 0 | – | 8.0 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 51] | 20–23 Oct 2021 | 880 | 64.2 | 26.5 10 | 34.3 12/13 | 19.8 7 | 1.1 0 | 9.5 3/5 | 4.4 0 | – | 7.8 |
| Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario [p 52] [p 53] | 29 Sep–1 Oct 2021 | ? | 68 | 26.0 10 | 28.5 10 | 20.3 7 | 3.0 0 | 16.3 6 | 3.3 0 | – | 2.5 |
| Compromís [p 54] | 6–17 Sep 2021 | 900 | ? | 26.6 | 27.1 | 23.4 | 9.4 | 9.9 | 1.7 | – | 0.5 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 55] | 8–11 Sep 2021 | 818 | ? | 26.5 9/10 | 35.6 13/14 | 19.1 7 | 1.4 0 | 9.1 3 | 4.0 0 | – | 9.1 |
| Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario [p 56] | 21–25 Jun 2021 | ? | ? | ? 10 | ? 10 | ? 7 | ? 0 | ? 6 | ? 0 | – | ? |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 57] | 2–3 Jun 2021 | 818 | ? | 26.4 9/10 | 33.5 12/13 | 19.4 7 | 2.0 0 | 10.9 4 | 3.9 0 | – | 7.1 |
| Sigma Dos/Las Provincias [p 58] [p 59] | 14–17 May 2021 | 750 | ? | 27.1 9/10 | 34.8 13/14 | 19.6 7 | 4.1 0 | 9.3 3 | 3.3 0 | – | 7.7 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 60] | 5–10 May 2021 | 958 | 63.9 | 28.0 10 | 24.5 9 | 19.8 7 | 5.4 1/2 | 15.0 5/6 | 3.6 0 | – | 3.5 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 61] | 8–11 Apr 2021 | 824 | ? | 28.9 10/11 | 25.7 9 | 20.6 7/8 | 7.3 2 | 11.0 4 | 3.4 0 | – | 3.2 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 62] | 4–6 Mar 2021 | 738 | 66.3 | 26.5 9/10 | 24.4 9 | 19.9 7 | 10.6 3/4 | 12.7 4 | 3.1 0 | – | 2.1 |
| Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario [p 63] [p 64] | 1–5 Mar 2021 | 1,800 | 67.0 | 27.3 10 | 21.2 7 | 21.0 7 | 8.2 3 | 17.4 6 | 2.7 0 | – | 6.1 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 65] | 10–12 Feb 2021 | 748 | 66.1 | 25.8 9 | 21.8 7/8 | 18.7 6/7 | 11.1 4 | 16.4 6 | 3.6 0 | – | 4.0 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 66] | 14–16 Jan 2021 | 605 | ? | 24.6 9 | 22.9 8 | 21.6 7/8 | 11.8 4 | 13.2 4/5 | 3.2 0 | – | 1.7 |
| Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario [p 67] | 1–7 Oct 2020 | ? | 68.0 | 27.8 10 | 24.3 8 | 20.1 7 | 11.0 4 | 11.6 4 | 3.1 0 | – | 3.5 |
| SyM Consulting/EPDA [p 68] | 5–6 Jun 2020 | 802 | ? | 25.9 9 | 28.7 10 | 19.2 6/7 | 7.0 2/3 | 8.4 3 | 7.0 2 | – | 2.8 |
| November 2019 general election | 10 Nov 2019 | — | 75.1 | 9.0 (3) | 24.4 (8) | 24.8 (9) | 8.4 (3) | 16.8 (6) | 13.7 (4) | – | 0.4 |
| 2019 municipal election | 26 May 2019 | — | 66.3 | 27.4 10 | 21.8 8 | 19.3 7 | 17.6 6 | 7.3 2 | 4.2 0 | – | 5.6 |
| Parties and alliances | Popular vote | Seats | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | ±pp | Total | +/− | ||
| People's Party (PP) | 151,737 | 36.62 | +14.84 | 13 | +5 | |
| Commitment to Valencia: Agreement to Win (Compromís) | 99,382 | 23.98 | −3.46 | 9 | −1 | |
| Socialist Party of the Valencian Country (PSPV–PSOE) | 78,655 | 18.98 | −0.32 | 7 | ±0 | |
| Vox (Vox) | 52,738 | 12.73 | +5.48 | 4 | +2 | |
| United We Can–United Left (Podem–EUPV) | 9,694 | 2.34 | −1.83 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Citizens–Party of the Citizenry (CS) | 9,573 | 2.31 | −15.30 | 0 | −6 | |
| Animalist Party with the Environment (PACMA)1 | 3,669 | 0.89 | +0.06 | 0 | ±0 | |
| United Valencia (VLC) | 1,756 | 0.42 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Blank Seats to Leave Empty Seats (EB) | 867 | 0.21 | +0.18 | 0 | ±0 | |
| For a Fairer World (PUM+J) | 538 | 0.13 | +0.08 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Decide (Decidix) | 499 | 0.12 | New | 0 | ±0 | |
| Communist Party of the Peoples of Spain (PCPE) | 487 | 0.12 | +0.05 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Republican Left of the Valencian Country–Municipal Agreement (ERPV–AM) | 363 | 0.09 | +0.02 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Acting With You–Party for the Society (ACPS) | 332 | 0.08 | +0.04 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Spanish Phalanx of the CNSO (FE–JONS) | 167 | 0.04 | +0.01 | 0 | ±0 | |
| Blank ballots | 3,915 | 0.94 | +0.55 | |||
| Total | 414,372 | 33 | ±0 | |||
| Valid votes | 414,372 | 99.25 | −0.45 | |||
| Invalid votes | 3,140 | 0.75 | +0.45 | |||
| Votes cast / turnout | 417,512 | 72.08 | +5.76 | |||
| Abstentions | 161,693 | 27.92 | −5.76 | |||
| Registered voters | 579,205 | |||||
| Sources [11] [20] [21] | ||||||
Footnotes:
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