A municipal election was held in Valencia on 28 May 2023 to elect the 12th City Council of the municipality. All 33 seats in the City Council were up for election. It was held concurrently with regional elections in twelve autonomous communities and local elections all across Spain.

Overview 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 (), local corporations with independent legal personality composed of a mayor, a government council and an elected legislative assembly.; . The mayor was indirectly elected by the local assembly, requiring an absolute majority; otherwise, the candidate from the most-voted party automatically became mayor (ties were resolved by drawing lots).; . In the case of Valencia, the top-tier administrative and governing body was the City Council of Valencia..

Date The term of local assemblies in Spain expired four years after the date of their previous election, with election day being fixed for the fourth Sunday of May every four years. The election decree was required to be issued no later than 54 days before the scheduled election date and published on the following day in the Official State Gazette (BOE).. The previous local elections were held on 26 May 2019, setting the date for election day on the fourth Sunday of May four years later, which was 28 May 2023.

Local assemblies could not be dissolved before the expiration of their term, except in cases of mismanagement that seriously harmed the public interest and implied a breach of constitutional obligations, in which case the Council of Ministers could—optionally—decide to call a by-election..

Elections to the assemblies of local entities were officially called on 4 April 2023 with the publication of the corresponding decree in the BOE, setting election day for 28 May..

Electoral system Voting for local assemblies was based on universal suffrage, comprising all Spanish nationals over 18 years of age, registered and residing in the municipality and with full political rights (provided that they had not been deprived of the right to vote by a final sentence), as well as resident non-national European citizens, and those whose country of origin allowed reciprocal voting by virtue of a treaty.; ; .

Local councillors were elected using the D'Hondt method and closed-list proportional voting, with a five percent-threshold of valid votes (including blank ballots) in each municipality.. Each municipality was a multi-member constituency, with a number of seats based on the following scale:.

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 vacant seats; instead, any vacancies arising after the proclamation of candidates and during the legislative term were filled by the next candidates on the party lists or, when required, by designated substitutes..

Outgoing council The table below shows the composition of the political groups in the local assembly at the time of the election call.

+ Council composition in April 2023 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

Parties and candidates 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 were required to inform the relevant electoral commission within 10 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. In the case of Valencia, as its population was between 300,001 and 1,000,000, at least 5,000 signatures were required.. 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..

Below is a list of the main parties and alliances which contested the election:

Candidacy Parties andalliances Leading candidate Ideology Previous result Vote % Seats Acord perGuanyar Joan Ribó ValencianismProgressivismGreen politics 27.4% PP María José Catalá ConservatismChristian democracy 21.8% PSPV–PSOE Sandra Gómez Social democracy 19.3% CS Fernando Giner Liberalism 17.6% Vox Juan Manuel Badenas Right-wing populismUltranationalismNational conservatism 7.3%

Opinion polls 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.

Graphical summary

Voting intention estimates 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.

Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size Turnout IDEA Lead 2023 municipal election 28 May 2023 72.0 24.0 36.6 19.0 2.3 12.7 2.3 – 12.6 GAD3/RTVE–FORTA 12–27 May 2023?? 22.0 35.0 21.0 2.0 12.0 4.0 – 13.0 KeyData/Público 22 May 2023? 68.8 23.9 35.9 19.7 – 11.2 – – 12.0 NC Report/La Razón 22 May 2023?? 24.0 37.2 18.9 – 11.6 – – 13.2 GIPEyOP/UV 10–20 May 2023?? 23.4 32.0 20.1 4.4 11.6 5.3 – 8.6 IMOP/El Confidencial 15–18 May 2023 610? 26.6 34.9 19.7 2.0 11.6 2.7 – 8.3 Sigma Dos/El Mundo 15–18 May 2023 1,200? 24.8 36.3 19.1 2.9 11.2 4.0 – 11.5 40dB/Prisa 12–17 May 2023 800? 25.1 33.2 21.9 3.1 11.2 2.8 – 8.1 Sigma Dos/Las Provincias 11–17 May 2023 750? 24.4 36.1 19.5 3.2 10.7 4.4 – 11.7 GIPEyOP/UV 10–17 May 2023?? 21.3 31.8 24.3 2.2 12.2 5.0 – 7.5 DYM/Henneo 10–15 May 2023 769? 23.6 35.2 21.6 – 11.1 4.7 – 11.6 SocioMétrica/El Español 8–14 May 2023?? 24.0 34.8 20.3 3.0 12.1 3.6 – 10.8 Data10/Okdiario 8–10 May 2023 1,500? 24.6 33.9 20.4 3.3 12.6 2.8 – 9.3 GAD3/ABC 27 Apr–8 May 2023 601? 23.4 38.3 18.7 – 10.0 – – 14.9 SyM Consulting/EPDA 4–7 May 2023 1,136 63.8 21.5 38.7 20.2 0.9 9.4 2.6 – 17.2 SocioMétrica 6 May 2023?? 23.9 35.2 18.9 3.1 12.6 3.1 – 11.3 Sigma Dos/Antena 3 26 Apr 2023?? 24.6 35.2? 3.9 11.9 1.7 – 10.6 CIS 10–26 Apr 2023 1,056? 30.4 29.0 19.5 1.9 11.0 4.4 – 1.4 NC Report/La Razón 24 Apr 2023? 66.2 25.3 36.0 19.1 – 11.3 – – 10.7 PSPV 15 Apr 2023 800? 22.6 33.4 23.5 3.2 9.4 3.3 – 9.9 GfK/Compromís 14 Apr 2023?? 26.1 32.0 21.4 5.6 10.4 1.4 – 5.9 GAD3/CS 30 Mar–4 Apr 2023 1,004? 22.2 39.3 18.8 3.1 9.8 3.5 – 17.1 Sigma Dos/El Mundo 27 Mar–4 Apr 2023?? 27.0 34.4 19.4 2.9 11.6 1.6 – 7.4 SyM Consulting/EPDA 23–27 Mar 2023 735? 21.1 39.2 18.6 0.7 11.6 2.1 2.4 18.1 KeyData/Público 16 Feb 2023? 68.5 27.5 34.5 18.5 2.6 10.7 3.4 – 7.0 PSPV 8 Feb 2023????? 3.0? 4.0 –? PP 8 Feb 2023????? 2.0? 3.0 –? SyM Consulting/EPDA 2–6 Feb 2023 1,104? 21.6 39.1 19.6 0.8 11.7 2.2 4.8 17.5 PSPV 12 Jan 2023??????? 4.0 –? GfK/City Council Nov–Dec 2022 2,354? 17.7 29.0 25.3 3.9 10.0 5.3 – 3.7 SyM Consulting/EPDA 8–11 Dec 2022 830? 21.6 37.9 19.1 0.7 9.5 3.3 4.6 16.3 GAD3/PP 7–11 Nov 2022 1,000? 25.2 34.6 20.5 2.1 12.4 3.0 – 9.4 Sigma Dos/El Mundo 7–10 Nov 2022 800? 27.8 30.7 22.8 2.9 8.2 3.9 – 2.9 SyM Consulting/EPDA 2–5 Nov 2022 1,010? 21.7 37.1 20.3 0.6 10.2 3.2 3.9 15.4 PSPV 12 Oct 2022 2,754? 22.0 32.4 22.5 2.4 14.3 5.0 – 9.9 SyM Consulting/EPDA 5–8 Oct 2022 905 64.4 23.0 38.4 19.1 0.8 8.9 3.6 3.2 15.4 SocioMétrica/El Español 3–7 Oct 2022 600? 21.6 31.1 22.0 4.4 13.6 4.6 – 9.1 Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario 3–5 Oct 2022?? 26.9 29.3 20.8 2.8 13.9 3.3 – 2.4 PP 16 Jul 2022?? 17.3 32.0 23.1 2.9 16.9 5.7 – 8.9 SyM Consulting/EPDA 13–16 Jul 2022 1,042 63.8 26.2 31.3 19.1 0.7 12.5 3.9 3.5 5.1 EM-Analytics/Electomanía 3–22 May 2022 1,007? 21.5 29.2 21.2 4.8 16.6 4.6 – 7.7 Sigma Dos/Las Provincias 11–18 May 2022 750? 27.7 29.4 18.0 4.0 15.4 3.1 – 1.7 SyM Consulting/EPDA 27–29 Mar 2022 1,017 66.7 21.6 28.7 19.3 0.7 20.8 3.9 – 7.1 SyM Consulting/EPDA 22–25 Feb 2022 968 64.0 27.7 22.6 21.3 1.1 18.9 3.0 – 5.1 SyM Consulting/EPDA 7–10 Jan 2022 764 66.3 26.0 32.7 18.7 1.3 12.5 4.0 – 6.7 GAD3/Cs 15 Oct–4 Nov 2021 400? 20.6 29.8 21.8 5.5 15.3 4.4 – 8.0 SyM Consulting/EPDA 20–23 Oct 2021 880 64.2 26.5 34.3 19.8 1.1 9.5 4.4 – 7.8 Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario 29 Sep–1 Oct 2021? 68 26.0 28.5 20.3 3.0 16.3 3.3 – 2.5 GfK/Compromís 6–17 Sep 2021 900? 26.6 27.1 23.4 9.4 9.9 1.7 – 0.5 SyM Consulting/EPDA 8–11 Sep 2021 818? 26.5 35.6 19.1 1.4 9.1 4.0 – 9.1 Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario 21–25 Jun 2021???????? – Tie SyM Consulting/EPDA 2–3 Jun 2021 818? 26.4 33.5 19.4 2.0 10.9 3.9 – 7.1 Sigma Dos/Las Provincias 14–17 May 2021 750? 27.1 34.8 19.6 4.1 9.3 3.3 – 7.7 SyM Consulting/EPDA 5–10 May 2021 958 63.9 28.0 24.5 19.8 5.4 15.0 3.6 – 3.5 SyM Consulting/EPDA 8–11 Apr 2021 824? 28.9 25.7 20.6 7.3 11.0 3.4 – 3.2 SyM Consulting/EPDA 4–6 Mar 2021 738 66.3 26.5 24.4 19.9 10.6 12.7 3.1 – 2.1 Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario 1–5 Mar 2021 1,800 67.0 27.3 21.2 21.0 8.2 17.4 2.7 – 6.1 SyM Consulting/EPDA 10–12 Feb 2021 748 66.1 25.8 21.8 18.7 11.1 16.4 3.6 – 4.0 SyM Consulting/EPDA 14–16 Jan 2021 605? 24.6 22.9 21.6 11.8 13.2 3.2 – 1.7 Demoscopia y Servicios/ESdiario 1–7 Oct 2020? 68.0 27.8 24.3 20.1 11.0 11.6 3.1 – 3.5 SyM Consulting/EPDA 5–6 Jun 2020 802? 25.9 28.7 19.2 7.0 8.4 7.0 – 2.8 November 2019 general election 10 Nov 2019 75.1 9.0 24.4 24.8 8.4 16.8 13.7 – 0.4 2019 municipal election 26 May 2019 66.3 27.4 21.8 19.3 17.6 7.3 4.2 – 5.6

Voting preferences The table below lists raw, unweighted voting preferences.

Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size Lead 2023 municipal election 28 May 2023 17.2 26.2 13.6 1.7 9.1 1.7 27.9 9.0 40dB/Prisa 12–17 May 2023 800 22.4 20.5 14.7 2.1 7.6 3.5 20.4 4.0 1.9 CIS 10–26 Apr 2023 1,056 23.1 21.7 14.4 0.8 8.2 2.7 23.7 2.0 1.4 PSPV 15 Apr 2023 800 16.5 26.5 22.5 1.8 7.7 2.7 20.8 4.0 GfK/City Council Nov–Dec 2022 2,354 11.6 19.5 15.8 2.0 7.2 3.4 23.2 11.0 3.7 Sonmerca/City Council Sep 2020 1,320 17.7 10.9 14.9 5.5 3.8 6.4 26.4 10.3 2.8 November 2019 general election 10 Nov 2019 6.7 18.2 18.5 6.2 12.5 10.3 24.9 0.3 2019 municipal election 26 May 2019 18.1 14.4 12.8 11.6 4.8 2.8 33.7 3.7

Preferred Mayor The table below lists opinion polling on leader preferences to become mayor of Valencia.

Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size Other/None/Notcare Lead 40dB/Prisa 12–17 May 2023 800 30.3 23.2 12.9 2.4 6.8 2.3 9.0 13.2 7.1 GfK/Compromís 6–17 Sep 2021 900 26.0 19.0 15.0 – – – 40.0 7.0

Results