Battles in the Catalan PP in the fight for Alejandro Fernández's number two
The doubt about Juan Fernández, the favourite, has brought other names to the fore such as David Solé, deputy mayor of Castelldefels
BarcelonaLast-minute developments in the Catalan PP. In a party with several factions, a congress like the one this Saturday opens up unknowns and leads to movements that could alter the calm scenarios that party heavyweights had designed weeks ago. The Catalan popular leader, Alejandro Fernández, intended that the appointment of Juan Fernández as future general secretary would lead him to step down as parliamentary spokesperson, with the position going to Lorena Roldán, his right-hand woman in the Parliament and the only "alejandrista" in the parliamentary group. But in recent days, there have been several moves that, as ARA has learned from multiple sources, have led to alternative scenarios emerging. The struggle to choose the party's number two, therefore, involves betting on Juan Fernández or opening a third way. And in this latter scenario, one of the names that has been most strongly mentioned as a possible general secretary is David Solé, the right-hand man of the mayor of Castelldefels, Manu Reyes.
The current deputy mayor and chief of staff is a strongly explored option, as he is in full agreement with the national leadership at Calle Génova and is highly regarded internally in Catalonia, two points in favor of the position. Alejandro Fernández, however, is trying until the last day for a scenario favorable to his interests, and the most favorable one involves positioning Juan Fernández as the party's number two, with the approval of the national and Catalan leadership. If Juan Fernández wanted to be general secretary, he had to leave his spokesperson role as Miguel Tellado had done in the national capital, and this has generated many doubts in Juan Fernández himself, a key person in the new phase who will be listened to by the party.
However, there is one piece that doesn't quite fit this plan: Roldán's role in Parliament. That Alejandro Fernández wanted to appoint her as spokesperson in the Catalan chamber also indicates a desire for more control of the parliamentary group. The deputy's name generates internal resistance. "It wasn't liked that she went to the Senate and then resigned to avoid ceasing to be a deputy in Parliament," recall various sources.
The David Solé route has been gaining strength in recent days, and the fact that at the popular sausage party in Barcelona last weekend, the PP general secretary, Miguel Tellado, even took Solé aside to speak with him calmly demonstrates this. "He is the chosen one," several sources maintain. Curiously, Solé is a person of the utmost confidence and head of Reyes' cabinet, with whom Alejandro Fernández has a long history of personal tensions. But Solé garners broad consensus within the party, is a member of the Barcelona provincial leadership, and is well-regarded to become a deputy in the future.
However, in all this debate, within the party there are leaders convinced that, whatever happens, Juan Fernández should be the general secretary, and some believe, like Alejandro Fernández, that only Roldán has enough experience to hold the position of spokesperson in Parliament. The verdict will be announced on Saturday.
All to remove Rodríguez
This whole arduous process began after Alberto Núñez Feijóo's leadership decided to call the Catalan PP's regional congress for June 27, four years late – the last congress was in November 2018 after a resounding electoral defeat. Internal battles have re-emerged – but behind closed doors – and, from the outset, Alejandro Fernández raised the need to remove the historic Santi Rodríguez from the general secretariat, as this newspaper has confirmed. From here, there has been Fernández's attempt to influence the composition of the future Catalan leadership, even though everything must be agreed with Génova.
Where Fernández's influence will be seen is in the choice of deputy secretaries, with several alejandristas – until now there was also a significant group, although some had disappeared. One of the best positioned is the former party general secretary Daniel Serrano, who lived in obscurity due to a sexual assault complaint that was eventually dismissed – and now seeks compensation, which Fernández wants to grant, although it is not to the liking of numerous sectors.
On the other hand, from an ideological point of view there are no fissures and the brain of the Catalan PP, Senator Juan Milián, has already defined a horizon with hardened immigration policy. Everything indicates that Milián will repeat in the leadership as head of strategy and programs. This Saturday's congress will be "one of the calmest" in its history due to the good results of the 2024 Catalan elections, but it is being held after four years of extension and with the usual battles between families, albeit hidden.
