What Alberto Núñez Feijóo doesn't get out of

BarcelonaNeither the CIS nor any other survey is an exact snapshot of the political balance of power among the parties, but polls do show trends that tend to be confirmed over time. And, since July, Alberto Núñez Feijóo should be concerned about what the polls are saying. Since the PP held its congress, where it set the goal of governing alone, the far right has only gained momentum. The latest Opina360 poll already propelled Santiago Abascal to more than 70 seats (they now have 33), and the GESOP also placed him between 68 and 72 seats, with an intention to win 18% of the vote. This Monday the CIS of Tezanos He spoke of 17.7% for the far right. In other words, Feijóo is further than ever from being able to unite the right around him. He downplays the situation by saying that all he sees in the polls is the left sinking (especially Sumar), but what should worry him is that it can't stop its flight to Vox.

The PP has now opted to toughen its rhetoric against immigration with the idea that this will make it competitive against Santiago Abascal's party. A path that other European right-wing parties and some left-wing parties have already tried—proposing restrictive policies to limit the entry of migrants—without much success. This Tuesday, Feijóo is in Barcelona: the PP, after opposing the transfer of immigration powers, is choosing Catalonia to present its measures for the entire state because they believe this is an area where they can make a dent in the Principality.

Now, there are only a few left to compete in this arena: immigration policies are no longer just an issue for the far right of Vox and Aliança, because both the PP and Junts are now talking about it. The argument against giving the far right a monopoly on this issue seems more than reasonable, but the risk is buying them the spotlight. Beyond the polls, the ballot boxes will tell if the strategy is right.