The PSOE renews almost half of its candidates in Málaga's major municipalities
Mariano Ruiz Araujo will run for the Mayor's Office of Málaga capital and Isabel Pérez for that of Marbella, as part of a renewal process of candidacies ahead of the 2027 municipal elections.
Redacción · Publicada el September 8, 2026
The Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) of Málaga has provisionally proclaimed its candidacies for the 2027 municipal elections in the province's municipalities with more than 20,000 inhabitants, according to the statement issued by the party. Almost half of the candidates will be new compared to those who ran in the last elections.
In Málaga capital, the candidate will be Mariano Ruiz Araujo. In Marbella, Isabel Pérez will head the socialist list. In Alhaurín el Grande, José María Díaz Bravo has been proclaimed, and in Antequera, José Luis Ruiz Espejo.
Candidacies have also been proclaimed in Alhaurín de la Torre (David Márquez), Coín (Salvador Rojas), Rincón de la Victoria (Antonio Sánchez), Estepona (Enma Molina), Nerja (Patricia Gutiérrez), Ronda (Francisco Cañestro), Torrox (Mari Nieves Ramírez) and Mijas (José González).
In other municipalities, the candidacy will be decided through a primaries process. In Fuengirola, Juan Andrés Camacho and Elena Álvarez will compete; in Vélez-Málaga, Víctor González and José María Domínguez; and in Benalmádena, Víctor Navas and Francisco Jiménez Gambero.
In Cártama, the current mayor, Jorge Gallardo, will repeat as candidate, being exempt from the primaries process. In Torremolinos, the candidacy will be designated directly by the Comisión Ejecutiva Provincial of the PSOE of Málaga, after the Comisión Federal de Listas agreed, at the request of the PSOE de Andalucía, not to hold primaries in that municipality.
According to the PSOE of Málaga, the goal of this renewal is "to bet on the best in each place and offer the best projects for each municipality, built from the real needs of the population". The party maintains that in several of the province's large municipalities the Partido Popular governs with projects it considers exhausted after years leading the city councils, and that the new candidacies seek to respond to residents' concerns in matters such as housing, mobility, public services and social policies.
In Málaga capital, the candidate will be Mariano Ruiz Araujo. In Marbella, Isabel Pérez will head the socialist list. In Alhaurín el Grande, José María Díaz Bravo has been proclaimed, and in Antequera, José Luis Ruiz Espejo.
Candidacies have also been proclaimed in Alhaurín de la Torre (David Márquez), Coín (Salvador Rojas), Rincón de la Victoria (Antonio Sánchez), Estepona (Enma Molina), Nerja (Patricia Gutiérrez), Ronda (Francisco Cañestro), Torrox (Mari Nieves Ramírez) and Mijas (José González).
In other municipalities, the candidacy will be decided through a primaries process. In Fuengirola, Juan Andrés Camacho and Elena Álvarez will compete; in Vélez-Málaga, Víctor González and José María Domínguez; and in Benalmádena, Víctor Navas and Francisco Jiménez Gambero.
In Cártama, the current mayor, Jorge Gallardo, will repeat as candidate, being exempt from the primaries process. In Torremolinos, the candidacy will be designated directly by the Comisión Ejecutiva Provincial of the PSOE of Málaga, after the Comisión Federal de Listas agreed, at the request of the PSOE de Andalucía, not to hold primaries in that municipality.
According to the PSOE of Málaga, the goal of this renewal is "to bet on the best in each place and offer the best projects for each municipality, built from the real needs of the population". The party maintains that in several of the province's large municipalities the Partido Popular governs with projects it considers exhausted after years leading the city councils, and that the new candidacies seek to respond to residents' concerns in matters such as housing, mobility, public services and social policies.