Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the People’s Party (PP), has once again won an election but has not been able to defeat Pedro Sánchez, the socialist president, who maintains 30% of the votes in the European elections while the PP climbs to 34%. Despite a four-point and 692,000 vote lead, the image of the PP only surpassing the PSOE by two seats in the plebiscite they set up was not decisive enough. The PP leadership declared the plebiscite a success, stating that these elections were a choice between yes and no, and on June 9th there was a yes to the PP and a no to Pedro Sánchez and his style of politics. Despite the enthusiasm at PP headquarters, Feijóo did not call for an early election, which he had requested during the campaign.
The PP has grown by nine seats compared to the last European elections in 2019, which saw a decline under Pablo Casado’s leadership following a disappointing result in the 2019 general elections. Feijóo’s victory solidifies his leadership within the PP, but he still lags behind Sánchez. Five years ago, the Socialists were twelve points ahead of the PP, while now the PP leads the PSOE by four points. The PP also failed to neutralize Vox, though they now consider the far-right party a part of the center-right bloc alongside them. Feijóo now faces new competition from Alvise Pérez in the realm of the far-right.
The reality for the PP, despite their triumphant rhetoric, is that they had to work hard to present their success as they did not annihilate the PSOE. The PP had set up the European elections as a plebiscite on Sánchez and a second round of the general elections, hoping to send a message to him. However, as the campaign progressed, this goal became more difficult to achieve. The result shows that the PP lost the advantage they had in the polls before the election, where they were predicted to have a significant lead over the PSOE, which was not reflected in the final result on June 9th.
Overall, the PP’s victory in the European elections is seen as a step forward for the party, but they still have work to do in order to defeat Sánchez in the upcoming general elections. The rise of Vox and the emergence of a new ultra-right party present challenges for the PP as they navigate the political landscape. Feijóo’s leadership in the PP is solidified by his success in these elections, but the road to defeating Sánchez is still a challenging one. The upcoming general elections will be a true test of the PP’s ability to govern and lead the country in the future.
