Florentino Pérez calls surprise early Real Madrid presidential election

Florentino Pérez moved Real Madrid into an early presidential election on May 12, calling a surprise news conference at the club’s training complex and saying he would seek another term with his current board. The move came 16 months after Pérez was proclaimed president until 2029, and it set off a compressed filing process for any challenger. (realmadrid.com) Real Madrid’s electoral board said on May 14 that candidacies could be submitted from May 14 through May 23. Pérez said he was acting after what he described as campaigns against him and the club following a season without a major trophy. ### Why did Pérez say he was calling elections now? (realmadrid.com) Florentino Pérez said on May 12 that he had asked the board to begin the electoral process instead of resigning. He told reporters that “an absurd situation” had been created to generate opinion against Real Madrid and against him personally, and said people who wanted to run should come forward. The 79-year-old president repeated that argument in a May 13 interview published by Real Madrid, saying he had decided to call elections because of “permanent and growing instability” created by some journalists. In the same interview, he said, “I want to continue,” and added that he was standing “with the same enthusiasm as in the year 2000.” (realmadrid.com) ### How unusual is the timing of this vote? Real Madrid said on Jan. 21, 2025, that Pérez had been proclaimed president until 2029. That made the May 2026 election call an early return to the ballot rather than the end of a normal four-year cycle. (realmadrid.com) Tuesday’s announcement also came two days after Barcelona beat Real Madrid 2-0 to clinch a second straight Spanish league title, according to the Associated Press. AP reported that Madrid had gone a second consecutive season without a major trophy despite having Kylian Mbappé in the squad. (realmadrid.com) ### What does the official timetable require from challengers? Real Madrid’s electoral board said candidacies can be filed from May 14 to May 23, 2026, inclusive. The board said admission and proclamation of candidacies would occur on the day after each candidacy is submitted, and appeals must be filed within two calendar days after notification and publication. (realmadrid.com) The same notice said members can check the electoral roll from May 14 to May 18 through the club’s online member office or at member support offices. It also said that, if more than one candidacy is proclaimed, the electoral board will later announce the voting date and location. (newsday.com) ### Who has emerged as a possible challenger? Enrique Riquelme, the president of Grupo Cox and a Real Madrid member, has emerged in Spanish media reports as a possible candidate. Marca reported on May 13 that Riquelme was seriously considering submitting a candidacy, and Real Madrid’s own published interview with Pérez referred to a letter from Riquelme asking for dialogue and for the elections to be postponed. (realmadrid.com) Marca published Riquelme’s letter on May 13. In it, he asked for a “broader process” that would allow greater participation by members and Madridistas, and called for elections within “regulated deadlines.” (realmadrid.com) ### What has Pérez said about his record? Florentino Pérez said on May 12 that Real Madrid had won 66 titles in football and basketball during his presidencies, including 37 in football and 29 in basketball. He also said the club belongs to its roughly 100,000 members, not to a single owner, and presented the election call as a defense of that model. (marca.com) The Associated Press reported that Pérez declined to discuss a possible coaching change in detail at the same appearance. AP also reported that he said leaked details of a training-ground fight involving Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni were worse than the fight itself, and that both players had been fined 500,000 euros each. (marca.com) ### What happens next in the process? May 23 is the immediate next milestone because it is the deadline set by Real Madrid’s electoral board for submitting candidacies. The board said approved candidacies will be proclaimed the day after submission, with appeals handled within two calendar days. (realmadrid.com) If Pérez is the only valid candidate, the process could end without a vote, as happened in January 2025 when he was proclaimed president. If more than one candidacy is approved, the electoral board has said it will publish the date and location of the vote. (realmadrid.com) (realmadrid.com) (newsday.com)