Former socialist mayor Antonio Muñoz has announced that he will run in the PSOE primaries to be the candidate for the Mayor of Seville in the elections of May 2027, convinced that he will regain control of the capital.
The PSOE spokesperson in the Seville City Council, Antonio Muñoz, confirmed this Monday his intention to run again for the Mayor of the Andalusian capital in the municipal elections scheduled for 23 May 2027. Muñoz, who was mayor from January 2022 to May 2023, asserts that he will work to regain the government he lost to the popular José Luis Sanz, who has been in power since June 2023 thanks to a pact with Vox.
“I do not know if there will be another colleague who legitimately wants to run for this primary election, but I say emphatically, based on the feedback I get from walking through the neighbourhoods of Seville every day, that I will recover the Mayor’s office,” Muñoz declared during a media briefing. The former mayor emphasised that since he moved to the opposition after the last municipal elections, he has worked tirelessly to prepare for his return.
Muñoz has heavily criticised the management of the current mayor, José Luis Sanz, whom he accuses of keeping the city “in reverse.” “The mayor says that Seville is moving forward, but it is moving backwards,” he stated, expressing confidence that his programme will inspire the people of Seville and lift the capital out of the “stagnation” that, in his view, it is experiencing under the government of the PP and Vox.
Muñoz's announcement comes after the general secretary of the PSOE in Seville, Javier Fernández, publicly encouraged him last Sunday to run “directly” in the primaries if he had “enthusiasm” and “strength.” Fernández, who is also the mayor of La Rinconada and president of the Provincial Council, noted that while the primaries are a “very transparent” and democratic process, he does not rule out that they could be avoided if there is unanimous agreement within the party.
“Evidently, I encourage him directly to run if he has that enthusiasm, that strength. From our side, there is no problem,” declared Fernández, who urged any other potential candidates to come forward “publicly as soon as possible.” The socialist leader reminded that, in the primaries, the membership is sovereign and must decide “how and in what way the electoral processes are organised.”
For now, Muñoz is the only name that has emerged to lead the socialist list in 2027, although it is not ruled out that other candidates may arise during the summer when the party plans to start the primary process. The former mayor has made it clear that his candidacy is not the result of improvisation, but of ongoing work in the opposition, visiting the neighbourhoods and listening to the residents.
“From the moment after the last municipal elections when I decided, despite the result, to stay in the opposition, I have worked to regain the Mayor’s office,” he emphasised. With these words, Muñoz aims to convey an image of unity and determination at a time when the Seville PSOE seeks to consolidate itself as an alternative to Sanz's government.
The municipal elections of 2027 will be held in ten months, and the PSOE of Seville faces the challenge of recovering a Mayor’s office that has historically been socialist for much of democracy. Muñoz, who was already mayor after Juan Espadas' resignation, hopes to repeat the formula that brought him to power in 2022, albeit now from the opposition and with a different political context.
For now, the party's internal calendar foresees that the primaries will take place after the summer, and Muñoz has already confirmed that he will gather the necessary endorsements to formalise his candidacy. It remains to be seen whether there will be more contenders or if, as Fernández wishes, a unanimous agreement is reached that avoids an internal vote.
In the meantime, the Seville PSOE is preparing for an intense debate about the future of the city, with an eye on elections that seem decisive for the municipality. Muñoz, who has made closeness to the neighbourhoods his main asset, is confident that his message of change and his experience at the helm of the City Council will bring him back to the Mayor’s office.
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