The Real Madrid elections are entering their decisive phase with participation clearly higher than in the club's last electoral events and with the first polls indicating an advantage for Florentino Pérez over Enrique Riquelme.
According to data released by the Real Madrid Electoral Board, by 5:00 PM, 23,593 members had voted at the Real Madrid City Basketball Pavilion in Valdebebas. This figure represents 31.37% of the electoral roll.
The polls will remain open until 8:00 PM. From that moment, the official count will begin, which will also include postal votes. Demócrata will follow the closing of the vote, the scrutiny, and the final result of these historic elections for the white club live.
Participation already exceeds the last comparable elections
The 5:00 PM figure confirms a notable mobilization among Real Madrid members. The 31.37% turnout in the mid-afternoon clearly surpasses the records of the last presidential elections with voting.
In 2006, at the same time, turnout was around 16.8%. In 2004, it was around 24.7%. Sunday's vote is therefore moving at much higher figures than those events, despite being held in Valdebebas and on a particularly difficult day for mobility in Madrid.
The figure alone does not allow for predicting the outcome, but it does confirm one idea: Real Madrid members have responded to the first election with two candidacies in 20 years.
First polls favorable to Florentino Pérez
Pending official results, polls published during the afternoon place Florentino Pérez ahead of Enrique Riquelme.
According to MARCA's poll update at 5:00 PM, Florentino would obtain 65.80% of the support, compared to 34.20% for Enrique Riquelme.
AS also places the current president ahead in its exit poll, with an estimate of 63% for Florentino Pérez and 37% for Riquelme.
The key, in any case, is prudence: polls are not the official result. The real outcome will be known after the polls close, the in-person count, and the incorporation of postal votes.
Riquelme has a more favorable internal poll
However, Enrique Riquelme's campaign conveys that their internal data would be more favorable than the polls published by various media outlets during the day.
That reading seeks to keep expectations open until the polls close and focus on mail-in voting, one of the elements that could carry weight in the final count.
Riquelme's camp insists that these elections are an opportunity to measure the real desire for change among members after two decades without competitive voting.
Florentino voted first thing; Riquelme, an hour later
The two candidates exercised their right to vote during the morning.
Florentino Pérez went to the Real Madrid City Basketball Pavilion shortly before 10:00 AM. The current president, member number 1,484, voted at table 2 and was greeted by numerous members who asked for photographs.
Enrique Riquelme voted about an hour later, at table 33, corresponding to his membership number. The candidate then spoke to the media and refocused his message on the need for more transparency, more internal democracy, and changes in the club's management model.
Polls open until 8:00 PM
Real Madrid members can vote until 8:00 PM in Valdebebas.
Voting has been taking place uninterruptedly since 9:00 AM in the Real Madrid City Basketball Pavilion. The count will begin after closing.
The expectation is that the result will be known during the night, although the timing will depend on the pace of the count and the incorporation of mail-in votes.
What is being decided
The election pits two models against each other.
Florentino Pérez defends the continuity of his project, the new economic role of the Santiago Bernabéu, institutional stability, and major sporting operations already announced during the campaign, such as José Mourinho, Ibrahima Konaté, and Denzel Dumfries.
Enrique Riquelme presents himself as the candidacy for change, with a discourse focused on transparency, governance, member voting, and a profound renovation of the club. His campaign has been marked by promises of high-impact signings, such as Erling Haaland and Rodri Hernández, and by his bet on Jürgen Klopp for the dugout.
A day marked by Valdebebas and mobility
The election day is taking place at Ciudad Real Madrid, in Valdebebas, after the club organized the voting setup there.
The mobility context in Madrid is not simple. The visit of Pope Leo XIV and the planned events in the capital have conditioned travel throughout the weekend. To facilitate the arrival of members, Real Madrid set up shuttle buses from various points in the city.
Despite these difficulties, participation is high.
Mail-in voting, one of the keys of the night
In-person voting offers an image of mobilization during the day, but the final result will also depend on mail-in voting.
That block could be decisive in adjusting or widening the differences indicated by the polls published during the day.
That is why, although Florentino Pérez appears ahead in the estimates known by mid-afternoon, the Electoral Board will not proclaim a result until the official count is completed.