The Popular Party puts an end to the stage of Pablo Casado as national president, after a month of transition that has served for this political formation to exhibit a closing of ranks with the new leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo. In his case that all the communities present their candidacy, the Galician politician has found himself with a party eager to turn the page before being able to get closer to his objective: to win the next general elections against Sánchez. The PP will have no time to lose, with Andalusian elections just around the corner and the municipal and regional elections in just one year. They will be Feijóo's first exams as a national leader, although in the
The PP does not rule out that Sánchez ends up advancing the elections.
The congress that begins today at the Palacio de Congresos y Exposiciones de Sevilla will be that of the definitive farewell, now yes, of Casado, and the beginning of a new stage in which experience and management will be valued in a special way, and also respect for the territories and the barons. The congress of Seville takes the baton from the one used in the same city in 1990, and which led to the refoundation of the party with Aznar at the head,
Pablo Casado's third farewell
Now yes, Pablo Casado will say goodbye definitively as national president. Before, he already said goodbye in the plenary session of Congress (February 23) and in the National Board of Directors (March 1), and today he will do so in the same forum where his adventure began, in the PP congress before delegates from all over Spain. In the ranks of the PP we expect an "elegant" speech, without critical messages, and an offer of loyalty to Feijóo, as he already did before the National Board of Directors, but also a defense of his work as president.
The outgoing address
Those who are still members of the outstanding national leadership of the PP are born compromisers and the presence of all is expected today. Also from the Deputy Secretary of Communication, Pablo Montesinos, who will go to Seville today to clothe Casado and support him until the end. Montesinos plans to leave his seat in Congress before Easter. The restaurant members of the national management have adapted to the new situation and hope to know what plans Feijóo has for them. Former Secretary General Teodoro García Egea is a born compromiser, for being a deputy, but it is not clear that he is going to go to Seville today. In all cases, popular sources indicate that Casado's former number two has no intention of entangling and his messages, so far, are peaceful.
Unity with Feijoo
After suffering the most important crisis in its history, the PP called for a unity cry. Feijóo is the only candidate in the Seville congress, he formulated 55.000 swallows, a record in the party, and wanted to put ballot boxes so that the militants could pronounce: he forced 99,6 percent of support from the affiliates who participated. The congress that begins today is expected to be an exhibition of closing ranks around the new national leader of the party.
Andalusian peso
Andalusia, with 525 elected delegates out of a total of 3.099 (to which we must add the 439 born from all over Spain), is the community with the most presence in the congress. Juanma Moreno, an ally of Feijóo from the start, has come out of this internal crisis strengthened in a special way, and who predicts that he will have a significant influence on Genoa and the direction the party takes from this moment on.
Local and regional elections
The first test that the new PP will have to face will be the elections and lights, possibly after the summer. The polls are favorable to Juanma Moreno and the situation of the winner, but the reading of the result will depend on the majority he obtains and the degree of dependence he has on Vox. The Andalusians will only be the first test. In May 2023, Feijóo faced municipal and regional elections and internal criticism: the preparation of electoral lists.
General elections
In the PP they do not rule out that Sánchez advance the elections in the second half of the year. The popular emerged the first year in many polls, although with the PSOE close. With its crisis, on the other hand, it sank abruptly and has not yet recovered from the blow received.
Ayuso's role
Another of the regional leaders who emerge strengthened from the crisis that the PP has experienced is the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso. At the presentation of Feijóo's candidacy in the Spanish capital, Ayuso sent him a 'message': "We are a team of soldiers who are going to accompany you, but who have little patience for nonsense and little stamina for impositions." The relationship and understanding between Feijóo and Ayuso is one of the uncertainties that arise in this new stage.
Influence of the territories
In the new stage, the communities will have more influence and weight. From the environment of Feijóo, regional president who has won four elections by an absolute majority, underlines the respect for territorial diversity and the accent that each party may have in their respective communities. This influence could be reflected in the structure of the national leadership that Feijóo must decide.
The regional congresses
One of the first challenges that the national leadership chaired by Feijóo will have to face will be the calling and holding of a dozen regional congresses, including the one in Madrid, which could be held in the month of May. In some regions, such as Extremadura, Cantabria or La Rioja, you will have to find solutions without creating internal divisions.
