Almost three-quarters of Spaniards have said they want an early general election, according to polling that has piled fresh pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez as corruption investigations close in on his party.
A survey by SocioMétrica, published by El Español on May 24, 2026, found that 74.3 per cent of voters believe Sánchez should call elections at once. Support for a vote has climbed from 61.5 per cent in May 2024.
The demand now stretches across the political divide. Among People’s Party (PP) voters it reaches 95.6 per cent and among supporters of the right-wing Vox 97.7 per cent.
It has also taken hold within Sánchez’s own ranks. The share of Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) voters who want an early vote has risen from 34.2 per cent in January 2026 to 48.2 per cent.
Resistance remains strongest on the left and among regional parties. Most voters for Sumar (59 per cent), Podemos (73.2 per cent) and the main pro-independence parties (61.4 per cent) said they opposed an early ballot for now.
The figures have landed as the governing Socialists face mounting legal scrutiny. Former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero has been charged in the Plus Ultra case over alleged influence peddling and money laundering. Investigators from the Guardia Civil also searched the PSOE’s Madrid headquarters as part of a separate inquiry.
Sánchez has rejected the calls for an early vote. Speaking at a press conference in Rome, he said he would serve out the full four-year term, arguing that a snap election would plunge the country into “paralysis”.
His parliamentary allies have grown restless though. The Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) has warned that elections may be needed before 2027. The Spanish Government said it respected but did not share that assessment.
Several pollsters suggest the strategy carries risks. Surveys for a range of outlets indicate that the PP and Vox together would now comfortably pass the 176 seats needed for an absolute majority, with projections of between 201 and 211 seats.
The state pollster CIS painted a different picture before the latest cases broke, giving the PSOE a clear lead and putting the Socialists first on about 36 per cent in its most recent barometer.
Speculation has turned to whether the opposition might attempt a motion of no confidence. Any such move would depend on the PNV and the Catalan pro-independence party Junts, and on a divided opposition first uniting behind a single candidate.
