The problem with leaders without clear attributes is that when they decide to take a step forward to strengthen their positions, they run the risk of seeing their limitations exposed and falling down the slope. Feijóo is suffering this with the anticipation of his party's congress as a way to secure a future candidacy for the presidency of the government before anyone challenges him. A gesture that is nothing more than an implicit acknowledgment of the low profile of his mandate, which until now has found no other recourse than to make criticism of President Sánchez the beginning and end of his political strategy. There is very little experience to build a sufficiently powerful alternative to send the PSOE into opposition. And suddenly, it seems that the final straw may backfire. Signs and movements have begun to emerge that hint at a certain distrust in the party and its entourage. In particular, the unexpected emergence of Aznar on the scene has generated some concern. What could the former president be up to? Is it narcissism, a reminder that hierarchies still exist in the history of the PP, or an expression of the doubts Feijóo generates? The early congress could have consequences opposite to what the party president imagined when he called it.
In reality, all of this, the gesture and the reactions, respond to one obvious fact: Feijóo has not built a leadership that transcends the party framework. And there is a growing awareness of this within the PP. What characterizes his management? An opposition without an alternative project. Feijóo's speech begins and ends with mockery of Pedro Sánchez. Not a single idea, not a single proposal, and, even more serious, not a single major decision. He hasn't even been able to force Mazón's resignation after his catastrophic handling of the tragic floods in the Valencian Community.
So much so that the PP is beginning to perceive Feijóo as an obstacle in the current situation. And his sad expression, his heavy air, doesn't help him grow. Feijóo was banking on Sánchez's collapse, but that doesn't seem to be the case. In fact, Spain is currently one of the most stable countries in Europe. The PP only has two ways to regain the prime minister's office: an ambitious project that allows it to gain ground in the center and drag the Basque and Catalan right into a parliamentary majority, or a pact with Vox, which, given the current situation, could significantly steal its space. In both scenarios, the PP needs to regain significant electoral ground and, therefore, a strong leadership to avoid being held hostage by its partners. Will anyone take the step?
