The direct battle at the polls between the PP and Vox, which is soaring in the polls, will take place earlier than expected: on December 21st. The president of the Regional Government of Extremadura, María Guardiola, signed the decree this Monday calling early regional elections for that Sunday, before the Christmas holidays, due to the clear refusal of the entire opposition to support her budget and"not waste the time of the people of Extremadura," she stated in an extraordinary appearance on Monday afternoon. The PP leader is thus anticipating Castile and León, opening fire and inaugurating the electoral calendar for several territories governed by the PP. At least three will hold elections in a staggered sequence: Extremadura, Castile and León, and Andalusia. It remains to be seen whether Aragon will join the rest, following the refusal of the extremists to negotiate their public accounts with Jorge Azcón.

This Tuesday, the Extremadura Assembly was scheduled to vote on the comprehensive amendments to the Budget presented by Vox, PSOE, and Unidas por Extremadura presented by Guardiola's government. Since last Thursday, when the amendments were registered by the three parties, sources close to the regional government assured that the Popular Party leader was prepared to call early elections."A comprehensive amendment is already radically against the Budget," Guardiola stated on Monday afternoon.

After attending an awards ceremony for the Association of Self-Employed Workers (ATA) in Madrid this morning, the president of Extremadura made an extraordinary appearance to announce her decision at 7:00 p.m. The law requires the election date to be set at least 54 days after the dissolution of the Cortes. If Guardiola wanted to hold the elections on a Sunday and avoid campaigning at Christmas, he had to take the step now. The PP leader gave a dissertation on the reasons that led her to take this step before revealing the exact date of the elections, December 21st. The campaign will begin on the 5th.

“Extending this deadlock only benefits those who think more about polls than people. Despite all this, we have asked the opposition groups to withdraw these amendments and resume dialogue,” the president stated. “Without a budget, we have no tools to continue creating jobs and protecting families,” the president of Extremadura stated. This is the first early election in the regional history of the region. “We will not allow a deadlock because some of us are not here to cling to our seats; we are here to transform Extremadura and drive growth in this region. And if there comes a time when the groups dig in their heels and don't allow this to happen, then it will be the citizens who speak up; democracy has the tools to do that. I am not afraid to listen to the people of Extremadura,” she maintained.

Before she had even finished speaking, sources in Génova issued a statement in support of the president. And then, the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, reacted immediately after the announcement on social media X. “A leader who respects his people keeps his word and a basic principle: in the face of a blockade, elections. The full support of the Popular Party. María Guardiola demonstrates responsibility and courage by putting the people of Extremadura first, and I am sure she will be rewarded,” he wrote. The president of Extremadura will thus be the first to open the electoral calendar for the regional PP barons.

A ruler who respects his people keeps his word and a basic principle: in the face of a blockade, elections.

The full support of @ppopular to @MGuardiolaM. He shows responsibility and courage by putting the people of Extremadura first, and I'm sure he will be rewarded.

— Alberto Núñez Feijóo (@NunezFeijoo) October 27, 2025

The president prefaced the announcement of the decision with a lengthy speech about the opposition's blockage of the Budget."I want to be very clear. The Junta government said there were two paths: to build or to block. And we have always decided to build, to be straightforward, to choose transparency, honesty, and not hold any cards to our guns. In that spirit, we invite the groups to dialogue to approve the most substantial budget in the history of the region," she stated.

Guardiola stated that, for his part,"there has always been an outstretched hand" and that is why he invited "the leaders of the various parliamentary groups. The response I received was the absence of Vox and the secretary general of the Socialist Party in Extremadura. That attitude of contempt has continued."

Tomorrow, Tuesday, the Extremadura Assembly will vote on the comprehensive amendments proposed by Vox, PSOE, and Unidas por Extremadura against the PP government's budget proposals.

In principle, the Budget is not expected to be approved, as each of the groups does not have a sufficient majority, unless there is an alliance between the PSOE and Vox, a scenario that does not seem plausible. Before her announcement, Guardiola stated:"They have time to withdraw the amendment in its entirety. And to ensure that what is being recognized today continues to be possible in my region, which was sorely needed." "And if not, elections?" she was asked by reporters."That's right," the Popular Party leader replied.

Although the Budget will continue its parliamentary process tomorrow if the comprehensive amendments fail, Guardiola's failure to withdraw the comprehensive amendment already gave him the reason to call early elections, having seen the opposition blockade. This possibility, that of bringing them forward, had been speculated about in recent weeks.