2011 PSOE prime ministerial primary

A primary election was scheduled for Sunday, 26 June 2011, to elect the prime ministerial nominee of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) for the next Spanish general election, at the time expected for early 2012.

The primary process was triggered following the announcement on 2 April 2011 by PSOE leader José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero that he would not be running as the party's candidate for the post of prime minister of Spain in the next general election, initially scheduled for 2012, against the backdrop of the ongoing financial crisis affecting the country. Deputy prime minister and interior minister, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, and defence minister, Carme Chacón, were widely seen as the most likely contenders for the position.

The PSOE's heavy defeats in the local and regional elections on 22 May 2011 prompted a party crisis, with some sectors demanding an extraordinary congress to be held to replace Zapatero. Chacón announced her withdrawal from the contest in order to allow the party to coalesce around Rubalcaba and prevent internal divisions that could damage both the party and government's standings ahead of the general election. As a result, the primaries were left uncontested and Rubalcaba was proclaimed candidate unopposed on 9 July 2011.