The calendar until the elections: ten days to present coalitions and twenty days to announce the candidates
On December 23rd the new Congress of Deputies will be constituted and the new presidency of the lower house will be elected
MadridThe countdown has been activated after Pedro Sánchez announced that he is calling general elections on November 29. The deadlines will start counting from this Tuesday, which is when the decree calling the elections will be published in the Official State Gazette (BOE). Those who will have to maneuver against the clock will be the parties of the Broad Front –the new brand of the Sumar space to the left of the PSOE– to nominate their candidate. The parties will have until Friday, October 16 to register the coalitions: it will be the moment when they must confirm whether or not they run in the elections together. Comuns, United Left, Més Madrid, and Moviment Sumar will appear on the same ballot, but they must finish sealing the alliance with forces such as Compromís, the Chunta Aragonesista, and Més per Mallorca. Three years ago, Sumar registered the coalition three hours before the deadline ended.
However, it will not yet be time to register the names and candidates, as the candidacies can be presented until Monday, October 26. At that moment, it will be necessary to formalize who heads the list and who the visible faces are in each province. On October 28, the full lists will be published, and on November 2, the candidacies will be proclaimed.
Voting by mail: from October 6 to November 19
The publication of the call decree in the BOE will also activate postal voting. Starting Tuesday, October 6, anyone who wishes to do so may request it at any post office or online through the website. It should be noted that, once the request to vote by mail has been made, it will not be possible to turn back and go vote at the polling station. Thursday, November 19, will be the last day to request a postal vote, and voters will have until Wednesday, November 25 –inclusive– to deposit the ballot at a post office.
The electoral campaign: from November 13 to 27
The electoral campaign will officially begin on the night of November 12th to the 13th. However, in recent electoral campaigns, parties have opted to replace the traditional late-night poster sticking with campaign events on Thursday afternoon. The campaign will last two weeks and will end on Friday the 27th. Saturday the 28th, the eve of the elections, will be the day of reflection.
The election of the Congress presidency, on December 23rd
After the elections, it will be the time for negotiations and pacts. As confirmed by the Spanish government, the date that will mark the decree of convocation to constitute the Congress of Deputies and the Senate will be December 23rd. Therefore, it will be the day on which the new presidency of the lower house will have to be chosen. Francina Armengol announced before the summer that she would not run again in the general elections. In August 2023, the PP nominated Cuca Gamarra. Having control of the Congress board is the first major move after an election, and it can enormously condition the course of the legislature.