2000 PSOE federal party congress

2000 PSOE federal party congress
998 delegates in the Federal Congress; Plurality of delegates needed to win
Turnout	Secretary-General: 995 (99.7%); Executive: 964 (96.6%); Committee: 950 (95.2%)
Party leader before election; Caretaker commission headed by Manuel Chaves;	Party leader after election ; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero;

The Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) held its 35th federal congress in Madrid from 21 to 23 July 2000, to renovate its governing bodies—including the post of secretary-general, which amounted to that of party leader—and establish the party platform and policy until the next congress. It was called following the PSOE's defeat in the 2000 general election and the subsequent resignation of then secretary-general, Joaquín Almunia. A caretaker commission under Andalusian president Manuel Chaves was appointed to organize the congress and manage the party in the interim.

The main issue dominating the congress was the renovation of the party, following 23 years of leadership under Felipe González—who had also been prime minister of Spain between 1982 and 1996—and Alfonso Guerra as his deputy. While González had stepped down in the previous congress in 1997, his influence in the party apparatus, together with that of the powerful PSOE regional leaders, helped elect Almunia as new leader. A primary election in 1998 saw the party's grassroots electing Josep Borrell as the PSOE's prime ministerial nominee, sparking a duumvirate with Almunia which was only resolved after Borrell's withdrawal in 1999.

In the lead up to the congress, party factions coalesced around four main candidates in the leadership contest: president of Castilla–La Mancha, José Bono, who represented positions in the Christian left; José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, a deputy for León representing a Blairism-inspired social liberalism (a "New Way"); the leader of the PSOE delegation in the European Parliament, Rosa Díez, who advocated for a participatory social democracy; and former social affairs minister Matilde Fernández, who represented democratic socialist views and was backed by both Guerra's (guerristas) and Borrell's (borrellistas) supporters. As a result, it became the first competitive PSOE congress since 1979.

Under a plurality voting system, Zapatero unexpectedly won the ballot to initial favourite Bono by nine votes. Fernández and Díez placed a distant third and fourth places. Zapatero's victory was attributed in part to tactical voting from Díez's supporters and some guerristas who, inspired by Zapatero's speech during the congress, decided their support in the last minute in an effort to prevent Bono from becoming new party leader. Zapatero would subsequently win the 2004 Spanish general election and become prime minister of Spain.