Feijóo's hard core for 29-N: Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo will be his number two

BarcelonaAlberto Núñez Feijóo is gradually revealing his inner circle to try, this time for sure, to reach the Moncloa after the polls. The PP confirmed this morning one of the most relevant names in this regard: Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, one of the most forceful voices of Spanish nationalism against Pedro Sánchez's government and independence movements, will be number two on the Madrid list and will form a tandem with the popular leader. And right behind her will be a much more moderate profile, Borja Sémper.

From the PP, they claim that both, already deputies in this legislature, represent “different ways of understanding Spain”. “We are very proud that the people accompanying the president represent different profiles of diverse citizens”, argued popular sources after confirming the two names. “Differences in the PP are not fought, they are respected. And Feijóo is a candidate with whom Spaniards of different signs and conditions can converge”, the same sources added.

In a video that emulates the presentation of football players, and shared on social networks, Feijóo appears with his two squires joining hands as if they were going to play a match. “The best team in Madrid”, can be read superimposed on the video, which is accompanied by a message that says “Aura”, in a clear attempt to appeal to the younger population through language.

The choice of Álvarez de Toledo comes after Feijóo presented his “contract with Spain”, which seeks to end language immersion in Catalonia, and after having chosen mayor Xavier García Albiol, a defender of a hardline stance on squatting and denounced on many occasions for his xenophobic discourse, to compete with Vox as a candidate for Barcelona. All this in a context, mind you, in which the leader of the PP openly and unashamedly opens the door to an alliance with Vox in order to govern after 29-N.

In an interview a few days ago, when his number two had not yet been made official, Feijóo had already insinuated that it would be Álvarez de Toledo, a name that some media had already pointed out. He defended her, among other things, by noting that she voted against the amnesty law and that she is a “predictable and honest” politician, and he contrasted her in this way with Sánchez's number two to try to retain power in Spain, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles.

Among the headlines that the PP lists have left in the last few days is that of the Galician Ana Belén Vázquez as a candidate for Ourense. A National Police officer by profession, she is the deputy who was expelled a few weeks ago from Congress when she showed a canister of pepper spray to denounce the alleged insecurity in Ceuta. An episode after which several parts of the chamber had to be evacuated because a PP worker had emptied the canister of gas in a restroom.