Real Madrid officially started the election process on Thursday after president Florentino Perez announced his decision to hold elections in which he will stand as a candidate.
There is a 10-day period, until May 23, for submitting applications, Madrid said in a statement.
Among the requirements to be a candidate are to have been a member of the club for 20 years and to provide a guarantee of 187 million euros ($219 million), equivalent to 15 percent of the club’s annual budget, which must be covered by personal assets.
Perez, who was re-elected unopposed for a four-year term in January 2025, announced at a press conference on Tuesday that he will run for office again.
Spanish media report that Enrique Riquelme, the president of the Cox water and energy group, is considering joining the race.
In a letter published by several Spanish media, the renewable energy businessman asked Perez for more time to possibly prepare a candidacy.
«When I ran in the 2000 elections, I didn’t ask for more time; I ran and I won,» Perez said in an interview on the television channel The sixth on Wednesday.
If multiple candidates put themselves forward, the polling station will announce the date and place of the elections in due course.
If no one else comes forward, Perez, 79, would retain his post, as happened in the 2013, 2017, 2021 and 2025 elections.
The Spanish businessman was first elected president of Madrid in 2000, overseeing the club’s Galactico era, and resigned in 2006.
Since Perez returned in 2009, Madrid has won five Spanish league titles and no fewer than six European cups.
Published on May 14, 2026
