María Guardiola undergoes the first public examination of the far-right

MadridMaría Guardiola and Jorge Azcón still do not have their continuity as presidents of Extremadura and Aragó respectively guaranteed. The two barons of the PP put themselves to the polls following Alberto Núñez Feijóo's cascade election strategy after being unable to approve the budgets. However, contrary to what was their objective, to get rid of the burden of Vox, the populars are now more hostages to the demands of an extreme right that has emerged strengthened from the polls and has raised the price of its support. In this context, and in full effervescence of the election campaign in Castilla y Leó, this Tuesday –the day that marks thirty years since the first electoral victory of José María Aznar– two key dates coincide: the start of the investiture debate in the Assembly of Extremadura and the constitution of the Courts of Aragó. Let's take it step by step.

No white smoke in Extremadura

If there are no last-minute surprises, the investiture session in Extremadura will begin at 5:30 p.m. without an agreement between the PP and Vox. From Génova, the populars maintained on the eve of the debate that they are working in a "discreet and continuous" manner on both fronts of the negotiation: "We are hopeful and absolutely active," stated the Deputy Secretary for Health and Social Policy, Carmen Fúnez. "Extremadurans and Aragonese do not expect a blockade, they want stable governments," she added. It should not be forgotten that Vox's strategy is to give Azcón more facilities than Guardiola – even accepting not to occupy ministries in the Aragonese executive.

A week ago, seeing the risks that María Guardiola would fail in the talks with Vox, which has turned her into a battering ram to wear down the populars, the national leadership of the PP decided to get directly involved in the talks to oversee the Extremaduran baroness Thus, Alberto Núñez Feijóo and Santiago Abascal spoke by phone with the intention of "ending the noise" around the negotiations. The PP incorporated representatives from Feijóo's team into the negotiation alongside Guardiola, making it clear that they do not trust the capacity of the leader of the PP of Extremadura, and days before, Fúnez herself had publicly disavowed her.

Is the agreement with Vox close? The leader of the far-right party, Santiago Abascal, asks not to rush into agreements and cools down the imminence of an alliance: "It is difficult to reach an agreement at the last minute when it has been torpedoed for all these weeks," he told the media from Castilla y Leó. "It is not as important to reach a specific deadline as it is to have a willingness to reach agreements without the media noise of these days," he expressed. And he sent a clear message to all the regional presidents of the PP: "We have not left governments to return to invest governments that are dedicated to promoting migratory invasion or collaborating with Pedro Sánchez".

What will happen with the presidency of the Courts of Aragó?

In the morning it will be Aragó's turn. At eleven o'clock, the constitutive session of the Courts of Aragó will be held. The first question to be resolved will be who will preside over the regional Parliament. In the past legislature, the president of the regional chamber was Marta Fernández, from Vox. It was a first step towards a subsequent understanding to form a coalition executive. It will be necessary to see if the play is repeated now. In Extremadura there was no understanding and the PP kept the presidency of the Assembly. "The negotiation of the Courts has yet to be finalized," said the leader of the Aragonese PP, Jorge Azcón, hours before. For now, the two names from the ultra formation that are being considered to succeed Fernández are Santiago Morón and Carmen Rouco.

Regarding the investiture, Azcón reiterated the will to enable a "stable and global" government agreement that guarantees a four-year term. "We want to do it without noise and working with the tranquility with which we are working," he stated this Sunday when questioned by journalists. "Stability is an essential element," he stressed. And he admitted that anything other than an agreement between the PP and Vox would be a "failure".