If Feijóo were elected president in 2027, he would be by far the oldest person to have taken office, at 66. And it seems to be an issue that has long haunted him. Some say that his recent image makeover, with the corresponding visual corrections to eliminate glasses, was aimed in that direction: to rejuvenate the character. The result hasn't been obvious: blurred eyes that shape a face without precise attributes. But beyond the aesthetics and cosmetics of a leader who moves in fits and starts—as soon as he disappears, the decibels rise—there is politics. And haste often takes surprising turns. Time management is key in this profession, and he seems to be looking sideways, as if looking for someone watching him. Fraga syndrome?
The coincidence of the PP congress with the PSOE federal committee has energized the situation. The conservative press (and those resentful of the old PSOE) have declared victory, trying to create a climate that fuels the idea that everything is already done and decided, that only the formalities remain. There's no doubt that the PP has had a party around a candidate who, four days ago, didn't command unanimous support. Eager to speed things up, they have been given the runaround, with no room for debate of ideas or projects. All to the accompaniment of background music: Sánchez is finished, he'll last more or less, but he has no choice. Indeed, there are reasons to think so, but if you go into the details, it's not so obvious. And if the parenthesis reaches the limit of 2027, we can see many things going both ways.
In any case, if on one side Sánchez needs time—and some dramatic effect—to try to resurrect himself, on the other side there is anxiety, because the wait is becoming very long. Feijóo's problem, unlike Aznar in his prime (now the former president has become a pathetic caricature of himself worthy of political comedy shows), is that, due to the haste of age or a lack of imagination, he has limited himself to the easiest thing: the destruction and caricature of the. If he governs, what? What does he plan to do? Where will he go? The current paths of the European right are eloquent: between confusion and radicalization toward the extreme right, with Donald Trump seeking to rapidly dislocate and subjugate Europe. And him?
With the euphoria of the congress, Feijóo has come out into the open. Not to specify the project and chart a course, but to play the circus performer. The day after the congress, he proclaimed the recognition of Vox: "Vox is the third political force in that country; its votes deserve respect, and I am not willing to sideline them." And now Tellado, his trusted thug, striking par excellence, says that "we will go to a repeat election rather than form a coalition with the far right."
All of these are ways of passing the buck in a context that isn't easy for anyone. A democratic one, appropriate to the moment and the circumstances, that can appeal to the broad electoral space with the different leanings of the right, including the Catalan and Basque right. Governing without Vox, on the one hand, and without the peripheral right, on the other. And Feijóo is running too fast when, wanting to gain profile, he even talks about a hypothetical alliance with the PSOE—without Sánchez, obviously. Launching that idea, impossible right now, is a gift to the far right.
Anyway, calm down and have ideas. There are two years left; we'll see if we get there or not. Cats, like Sánchez, have many lives, but not infinite. Such terms as "Dog Sánchez" and other insults may delight the most loyal followers, but to seduce a large majority, the right needs much more.
