Feijóo: "If I do what Sánchez is doing, kick me out of the party."

MadridAt the 2022 PP congress, Alberto Núñez Feijóo took the reins of a party in crisis with the traumatic departure of Pablo Casado due to the war he waged against Isabel Díaz Ayuso. Now it is the PSOE that is experiencing one of its worst moments due to the Santos Cerdán case, and the leader of the Popular Party (PP) wants to take advantage of this not only to reach the Moncloa Palace in his second attempt to oust Pedro Sánchez, but also to annihilate any trace of "Sanchismo." "If my commitment three years ago was to rebuild our party, today my commitment is to rebuild our country," he stated in a speech in front of more than 3,000 PP delegates shortly before being proclaimed president of the PP again (with 99.24 percent of the vote) and without any alternative candidate having been presented. According to Feijóo, who presented this conclave as a preparation of the party for the next Spanish elections, much more than political alternation is at stake in the next battle against the PSOE, because the "degradation" caused by the Socialists requires radical measures. "I promise a fundamental change in Spain," he proclaimed.

"It's not about changing one acronym for another. It's not about not doing so badly. It's about doing much better than them. We have to do more," Feijóo insisted. The PP president has raised the need to carry out "reforms," without specifying them, to "halt the deterioration of institutions and democracy," and to prevent the "abuses" promoted by Feijóo, the Socialist leader, from happening again. This ranges from the amnesty law to reforms affecting the judiciary. Aside from the necessary legal changes, Feijóo also emphasized that it will be necessary to "change the political climate" and the "relationship between public servants and the people." With this comprehensive amendment to "Sanchismo," the PP leader has presented his project with which he aspires to "once again be a party of ten million voters."

In the 2023 elections, in which Sánchez resisted even though the PP was the leading force, Feijóo was left with 8.1 million votes. The popular president has presented himself as the representative of political "centrality" despite the fact that the congress started with the risqué speech of former President José María Aznar on the first day and despite the fact that it has placed Miguel Tellado, who is characterized by a harsh speech, as the second almightyThe Galician, who until now was spokesperson in Congress, will become secretary general and will also have organizational responsibilities. Feijóo wants to avoid fissures, appointing someone he trusts most to lead the party's organizational structure. He asked his supporters to give him "freedom" and continue to work in his favor until the vote count for the next Spanish elections is complete. If the PP leader were to fail again in the next elections, the image of unity he achieved at this congress would be shattered.

Another element Feijóo has committed to has to do with Sánchez's pacts with the independence movement. Although the Popular Party leader He wanted to leave the door open to possible alliances with Carles Puigdemont's party., has made it clear that he "will not negotiate the unity of the Spanish people." This was the first of ten commitments to ensure that he will act with "decency" if he reaches the Moncloa. "We are the only party that believes in Spain as it is, not as others want," he claimed. A sign of his commitment to this principle, he said, is that he has not yielded to Junts' conditions even though he only needs four votes to govern. "With me, Spain will never be for sale, no matter the cost," he asserted, ignoring the added condition of having to balance this with the support of Vox.

The contrast with the PSOE

Throughout Saturday, the People's Party (PP) has played the card of contrasting the optimistic atmosphere of its congress with the sense of collapse within the PSOE's federal committee. "They're holding a funeral committee for Sánchez with the body in attendance. It's a political funeral for a Sanchismo that's more dead than alive," Tellado asserted in a speech prior to Feijóo's, which echoed this sentiment. "If I do what Sánchez is doing, kick me out of the party," the PP leader urged, criticizing the Socialist leadership's attitude toward the scandals surrounding the Spanish prime minister. In the opinion of the PP, the federal committee meeting in Ferraz has "condoned" the "degradation of a state party."

The Catalan representation

Feijóo's core group has always been Galician, and after this congress, they are even less secretive. However, he has also incorporated members from other regions into the leadership. In the case of Catalonia, Dolors Montserrat will remain in the PP leadership, who, in addition to enjoying Feijóo's confidence, has distinguished herself within the party, becoming the general secretary of the European PP. The PP's national executive committee, an expanded body with around seventy members, has also included Daniel Sirera, PP spokesperson in Barcelona and coordinator of the congress statutes report approved this weekend, and Juan Fernández, PP spokesperson in the Parliament, who came from the Bada conclave team.

Aside from that, Feijóo honored the former top candidate in Catalonia in the 2019 Spanish elections. The deputy spokesperson in Congress, Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, who until now has worked in tandem with Tellado, also joins the executive committee by express appointment of the party president. This is another nod to the party's hardline wing, which was enthusiastically received by the delegates. The loudest ovation of the day went to Álvarez de Toledo when Feijóo announced her name. As usual, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the president of Madrid, was the other name that generated the most enthusiasm among the audience.