“Stones don’t vote” is a resounding phrase that recalls an elementary truth of democracy: the subjects of politics are people, not territories, myths or institutional inertia. In Castile and León, where the weight of history is … enormous and where tradition is often invoked as if it were a political agent in itself, this idea acquires particular relevance. The stones of cathedrals, castles, walls speak of a glorious past, but they do not decide the future. Those who vote and those who demand change are the living citizens who inhabit these territories.
In recent years, the electoral evolution in Castilla y León has clearly shown this social weariness. The main national parties, PP and PSOE, experienced a lasting loss of support. It’s not just about election cycles, but about shared sentiment. A large part of the population believes that the policies applied do not respond to their real problems. Depopulation, the lack of opportunities for young people and professionals, transport deficiencies, despite the efforts made, the fragility of rural public services or the absence of a long-term economic project, are problems that remain unresolved. And faced with this reality, many citizens perceive that the PP and the PSOE continue to manage the present as if it were enough to preserve the inherited institutional architecture.
But stones don’t vote. The fact that Castilla y León has a consolidated territorial structure, recognizable symbols and a long tradition does not replace the obligation to provide concrete responses. The region cannot be sustained solely by memory, nor by discourses appealing to the past or new infrastructures. What the population is demanding, and what is evident in each recent election, is the need for dynamic, innovative and forward-looking policies.
The erosion of the major parties is not only explained by the appearance of new formations, but by the inability to offer real and tangible solutions to problems that have been flagged for decades. When a voter realizes that their concerns are not on the agenda, they look for alternatives. When he feels that his daily life is not improving, he distances himself. And when he concludes that his trust is being sought without result, he stops listening.
Remembering that stones do not vote is to warn all political actors that democratic legitimacy is neither inherited nor preserved through inertia. It is not enough to occupy the institutions; We must respond to the citizens who support them. Castilla y León does not ask for speeches, it demands the future. And this future will not be decided by stones, but by the people who, election after election, make or break the majorities.
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