The Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez (Palma, 1976), will replace Francina Armengol as the PSIB's lead candidate in the 2027 regional elections. She doesn't look at polls: "The only one that counts is the one on election day." She speaks to ARABalears at the party headquarters in Palma.

A PSIB in flames. This is the party preparing for the 2027 elections with Rosario Sánchez as the new candidate. Francina Armengol's electoral succession can be read in a friendly way, as renewal and generational change. The usual narrative when a party tries to turn an obligatory change into a strategic decision.

The president of Congress and general secretary of the PSIB-PSOE, Francina Armengol, announced this Saturday, at a party event in Palma, that she will not run in the primaries to lead the socialist candidacy for the 2027 regional elections. "I am doing this out of enormous responsibility at this moment in time. I believe it is for the best," she stated.

Francina Armengol is beginning to show signs of doubt. "A year ago, she expressed her desire to be a candidate for the Balearic Islands in informal conversations," says a source who knows her well. "Lately, it's not so clear." This sense of insecurity has also permeated party ranks, who are already wondering what they will do if the Socialist ultimately decides not to run. In response, the PSIB (Socialist Party of the Balearic Islands) has begun searching for potential successors. With just over a year until the elections, they need to act. Sources within the party apparatus confirm that the Secretary of State for Tourism, Rosario Sánchez, is gaining traction in the race. The party leader in Mallorca, Amanda Fernández, is also gaining ground, although the initial plan is to primarily develop her as a candidate for the Consell de Mallorca (Island Council). The final decision will rest with Armengol, who remains all-powerful in the Balearic Islands, and ultimately with the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, who will oversee the process. "It's too early to rule out Armengol running," a Socialist source asserts. "Everything will be decided in the primaries," the parliamentary group emphasizes. But, although the final decision on candidates rests with the membership, the establishment's support is decisive in any internal process.