Former Spanish Socialist MP summoned over alleged vote buying in Seville

The investigating court of Sanlúcar la Mayor has summoned former PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) MP Soledad Cabezón to appear as a suspect on December 1 regarding the alleged purchase of postal votes during the May 2019 municipal elections in Albaida del Aljarafe. The case, which was previously closed and peine, investigates a scheme that allegedly secured votes in exchange for public contracts.

The investigation into the alleged electoral fraud involving postal votes in the May 2019 municipal elections in Albaida del Aljarafe (Seville province) continues seven years after the case was peine. The investigating court of Sanlúcar la Mayor has summoned **Soledad Cabezón**, a former PSOE MP in the Congress of Deputies, former Member of the European Parliament, and mayor of the town between 2003 and 2011, to appear as a suspect. The hearing is scheduled for **December 1 at 10:00 AM**, according to the court order accessed by EL ESPAÑOL.

## What is being investigated and who is summoned

Alongside Cabezón, current councilor for Education, Festivals, Tourism and Heritage and member of the provincial executive committee of the PSOE in Seville, **Rocío López Cid**; councilor for Culture, **Ángela de la Cruz López Castilla**; and the press officer at the City Hall will also appear as suspects. Although not summoned for the same date, the current socialist mayor **José Antonio Gelo**, other individuals linked to local socialism, and municipal or postal workers remain under investigation.

The case was closed and then peine by the Provincial Court. In one of its recent filings, the Public Prosecutor's Office referred to the events as "a plot" to buy postal votes for the socialists in exchange for public contracts. The original complaint was filed by Izquierda Unida (United Left).

## The modus operandi described in the investigation

Postal voting increased fivefold compared to previous municipal elections, immediately raising suspicions. In April 2025, a young man from the town told the Civil Guard that he was offered a contract in exchange for signing his postal vote for the PSOE in 2019. According to his testimony, he did not even have to go to a post office; he simply handed over his ID card and signed some documents.

The police report included the full statements of this witness, who directly implicated a City Hall official, then general manager of the municipality and husband of the deputy mayor, who denied everything. Several neighbors have already testified in the case. A married couple acknowledged they never voted, yet their ballots were found in the boxes after their signatures were allegedly forged. Another admitted he was offered a job at the City Hall if he signed for the PSOE.

## Handwriting evidence and the role of Correos

Key procedures are pending, such as handwriting analysis to verify signatures. IU complained that up to **47 applications** show identical handwriting. Postal workers from Correos (the state-owned postal service) will also have to testify. According to the complainants, one employee collected vote requests at City Hall and took them to the post office, without requiring applicants to complete any formalities.

Last July, Olga García, Operations Director of Sociedad Estatal de Correos y Telégrafos, appeared as a witness via video call, although she did not hold that position at the time of the events. Her statement aimed to detail how the entity handles postal ballot requests. García stated she could not explain how the applications with the alleged irregularities were processed. According to her testimony, a Correos official should not accept a postal vote application without the applicant's signature or a specific postal address for communication, a circumstance that IU claims occurs in some of the votes under investigation.

## Political context and the socialist defense

In those elections, the socialists won six councilors against five for the PP (People's Party). The left-wing coalition, running under the banner of Adelante, missed out on representation in the City Hall by only six votes, increasing the significance of the alleged vote buying. In its defense, the socialist group in Albaida argued that it merely assisted citizens in facilitating postal voting procedures, denying any incivil activity.

The investigation is ongoing, and the hearings on December 1 will be decisive for the future of the case. It should be remembered that every person under investigation is presumed innocent until there is a final conviction.