Spaniards prefer Santiago Abascal as president to Alberto Núñez Feijóo

MadridThe dispute between the People's Party (PP) and Vox is a hot topic with the regional election cycle, in which the far right is gaining ground on Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party. But Santiago Abascal's party's rise has been noticeable in the polls for some time now, including at the national level. In recent months, according to the Center for Sociological Research (CIS), the Vox leader has already surpassed Feijóo in the polls for the position of Prime Minister of Spain. Neither has come close to Pedro Sánchez—who has twice as many supporters—but there has been a substantial shift in the trend over the past year. From the elections of July 23, 2023, until April 2024, the PP leader led the Vox leader by more than ten points as the preferred candidate to occupy the Moncloa Palace (the Prime Minister's official residence). The gap continued to narrow until it reached two points in November 2024, after Vox withdrew from all regional governments and lost all governmental responsibilities. And in 2025 the 'overtaking' occurred, which is still in the latest barometer.

Abascal overtook Feijóo in September of last year: 10.8% compared to 9.7% in favor of the Vox leader when respondents were asked who they preferred as president. Since then, Abascal has continued to lead on four other occasions – only in the December CIS poll did Feijóo come out ahead. What explains this? It's important to note that the shift in trend coincided with the outbreak of the Cerdán case and his imprisonment in June. In that context, the number of respondents who favored Abascal as president almost doubled. And that allowed him to catch up with the PP leader. Later, in September, when the Montoro case had already erupted, Abascal made the overtaking Feijóo, despite the fact that the PP continues to lead Vox in all polls.

In any case, in this historical series of 28 barometers, there is one piece of data that illustrates how Abascal has gradually seduced PP voters. While Vox voters' preference for Feijóo has progressively decreased, PP supporters' preference for Abascal has grown. Almost in parallel. In February 2024, 9.4% of Vox voters wanted Feijóo as president and 3.4% of PP voters favored Abascal. However, two years later the figures have reversed: 4% of Vox voters opt for the PP leader and 9.8% of PP voters prefer Abascal.

The approach to Congress

Alongside Vox's rise, the People's Party (PP) has also moved closer to the far-right's positions in Congress. This week, Feijóo's party aligned itself with Vox in Congress on [issue missing]. They tried unsuccessfully to ban the burka in public spacesThis is the eighth time the PP has voted in favor of a Vox bill in the Lower House this legislative session, out of the thirteen they have presented. They have done so, therefore, 60% of the time, but all of them ultimately failed because they were left isolated. What has united the right and the far right? Five months ago They voted arm in arm. to "restrict" the regularization of undocumented immigrants and require proof of residency. At another time, the PP and Vox allied themselves on try to prevent The registration of squatters and illegal immigrants in the municipal register.

Santiago Abascal's party, with the complicity of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, also wanted toughen the penalties of the crime of forced marriage and to criminalize the possession and transport of gasoline in the Penal Code to supply fuel to the boats used by drug traffickers. Furthermore, Vox – with the support of the PP – advocated for recover the prior remedy of unconstitutionality for the projects and proposals for organic laws – which would have opened the door to halting the amnesty – and for twelve of the members of the General Council of the Judiciary be chosen directly by the judges

What did they disagree on? One of the two Vox bills that the PP rejected had to do with the "unity of Spain." Among other things, the far right wanted to outlaw pro-independence parties outrightSomething the Popular Party rejected. The Popular Party also distanced itself from Vox in a initiative to return to the Penal Code prior to the law of only yes means yes.