Elections for Galician chambers of commerce called for January

The General Directorate of Trade and Consumption, under the Regional Ministry of Employment, Trade and Emigration, has called for the elections for the renewal of the plenums of the official chambers of commerce, industry, services and navigation of Galicia, which will be held on January 18, 2027. The call is published in the Official Gazette of Galicia (DOG) no. 204, of October 26, 2026, by means of the Resolution of October 9, 2026 (reference CVE-DOG: ppzko354-u5i2-uuc5-mth5-zespx49qsng2), signed by the general director Gabriel Alén Castro.

The resolution bases its competence on article 32 of Law 5/2004, of July 8, on official chambers of commerce, industry and navigation of Galicia, and on article 15 of Decree 431/2009, of November 19, which approves the Electoral Regime Regulations of these corporations. The reference state regulation is Law 4/2014, of April 1, basic law on chambers of commerce, industry, services and navigation, which assigns to the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness the opening of the electoral process in agreement with the autonomous communities.

The process is already open at the state level: the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Tourism declared it through Order ECM/1382/2025, of November 28, with a duration set between December 1, 2025 and December 31, 2027. The Galician call arrives once the deadlines for public exhibition of the electoral censuses and claims have passed, and after consulting the chambers. The resolution is issued under the competencies established in Decree 147/2024, of May 20, on the organic structure of the regional ministry.

Five chambers and six electoral colleges

Annex I details the affected entities and the voting venues. An electoral board will be constituted for each chamber, based at the registered address of the corresponding corporation:

• Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of A Coruña: single college at Alameda, 30-1º.
• Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Lugo: single college at Rolda da Muralla 58, 6th floor.
• Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Santiago de Compostela: single college at Rúa da República Checa, 40.
• Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Tui: single college at Augusto González Besada, 15-1º D.
• Official Chamber of Commerce, Industry, Services and Navigation of Pontevedra, Vigo and Vilagarcía de Arousa: three colleges, in Pontevedra (Rúa Rosalía de Castro, 54), Vigo (República Arxentina, 18º A) and Vilagarcía de Arousa (Rúa Maruja Mallo, 6).

In the case of the Pontevedra chamber, the demarcation of each college is grouped by municipalities: that of Pontevedra covers 20 municipalities, including Lalín, Marín, Poio, and Silleda; that of Vigo, another 19, such as Baiona, Cangas, Mos, Nigrán, Redondela, and Vigo; and that of Vilagarcía, 15, including Cambados, O Grove, Sanxenxo, and Vilagarcía de Arousa.

Fifteen days for candidacies and twenty for postal voting

Candidacies eligible by suffrage of the electorate must submit a written request to the registry of the respective chamber during the following fifteen days after the publication of the call, with a deadline ending at 24:00 hours on the fifteenth day. Within the same period, the most representative business organizations shall present their lists of candidacies to the supervising Administration and the electoral board, accompanied by a number of substitutes not less than half of the proposed candidates.

Along with the lists, the employers’ associations must provide the documentation from article 30 of Decree 431/2009 and a responsible declaration of being up to date with tax obligations and Social Security, according to the model in annex X. A certificate from the general secretary of the chamber regarding the voluntary contributions of the candidate companies is also required.

Electors who anticipate being unable to attend the polling stations may request certified and urgent postal voting within the following twenty days after publication, using the standardized forms in annexes II-1 and II-2, for natural and legal persons respectively. The resolution also includes the forms for renouncing the vote cast by mail, requesting the census card, and presenting candidacies.

Two voting days and three ways of access to the plenary

The election of members by suffrage of the electorate, provided for in article 14.2.a) of Law 5/2004, will take place for all groups and categories on January 18, 2027, with polling stations open between 9:00 and 21:00 hours. The election of members from the lists of business organizations, article 14.2.b), will be held on February 26, 2027, at the headquarters of each chamber, between 13:00 and 14:00 hours.

When the employers’ associations present a single list, its proclamation will be equivalent to the election and voting will not be necessary; the same will occur when the number of candidates proclaimed for a group is equal to the number of members to be elected. The third way, that of the members representing the companies with the highest voluntary contribution (article 14.2.c), is resolved with a report from the general secretary with a certified list of companies ordered by decreasing amounts.

In the event of a tie between companies, the electoral board will proclaim the one with the greatest seniority in the chamber’s census as elected and, if the tie persists, it will be decided by draw. Resignations allow for successive designations up to five days before the constitutive meeting of the plenary.

The call directly affects the business fabric of all of Galicia, including freelancers and small companies present in the censuses of the five chambers, who now have a closed calendar to submit candidacies or cast their vote. The process will conclude with the constitution of the new plenums and the inauguration of the elected members, which will determine the composition of the governing bodies that manage support services for the internationalization, training, and competitiveness of the Galician business community until the next renewal.

Source: Official Gazette of Galicia, no. 204, October 26, 2026, section III, p. 53685 (official reference: CVE-DOG: ppzko354-u5i2-uuc5-mth5-zespx49qsng2).