The campaign close for Extremadura's regional elections on December 19, 2025, was marked by cross-accusations between PP, PSOE, and Vox. PP candidate María Guardiola toured ten localities aspiring to majority confidence, while Pedro Sánchez defended Miguel Ángel Gallardo from judicial 'hoaxes' and criticized PP over harassment scandals. Vox leader Santiago Abascal accused PP of overacting on the theft of 124 mail-in votes.
On December 19, 2025, the campaign for Extremadura's regional elections on December 21 ended amid heightened tensions. Incumbent PP President and reelection candidate María Guardiola toured ten localities from Talayuela to Badajoz, without support from national leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo. In an atypical close with a flamenco zambomba in a Badajoz sports center, before hundreds of attendees, Guardiola called for mobilization: 'Let no one stay home because we will continue transforming Extremadura.' She trusted in gaining 'majority confidence' and mentioned a 'very dirty game' in the final stretch, referring to the theft of 124 mail-in votes in Fuente Cantos (Badajoz), which the Civil Guard classified as common delinquency since the thieves sought 14,000 euros and the votes were found 20 km away. The PP reported the incident to the Electoral Board as 'theft of democracy,' but Correos reported that 118 affected voters had already voted again.
Pedro Sánchez, at the PSOE's closing rally in Villanueva de la Serena—Gallardo's hometown, where he was mayor for 21 years—defended the socialist candidate, indicted for prevarication and influence peddling in hiring President Sánchez's brother, David Sánchez Pérez-Castejón, at the Badajoz Provincial Council. Sánchez portrayed him as a victim of 'hoaxes and stumbling blocks': 'They tried to make you lose your cool and they didn't succeed. You will beat them with votes and be the next president of Extremadura.' He criticized the PP for covering up harassment cases, such as hiring Guardiola's cousin, convicted of gender violence, as her driver for eight months, and protecting Navalmoral Mayor Enrique Hueso, denounced for labor coercion against councilor Paula González. Gallardo, meanwhile, emphasized the PSOE's 'zero tolerance' for machismo and presented himself as a beneficiary of the socialist 'social elevator,' highlighting the family pension increase from 822 to over 1,100 euros.
Santiago Abascal closed Vox's campaign at Badajoz's Congress Palace before over 500 people, accusing the PP of 'overacting' on the vote theft, which he deemed a common crime. He reiterated Vox's conditions to support Guardiola—rejection of immigration and the European Green Deal—and called the elections 'absurd' due to the early call, a 'whim' by the president. His candidate, Óscar Fernández Calle, claimed continuity for the Almaraz nuclear plant and irrigation in Tierra de Barros.
Pre-election polls show the PP near the 33-seat absolute majority but with fading hopes of avoiding dependence on Vox, while the PSOE plummets toward about 20 seats, its worst historical result. In 2023, PSOE and PP tied at 28 seats each, but the former won by votes (242,659, 39.9%). Scandals of corruption and harassment on both sides have shaped a campaign marked by polarization.
