Only a week after the PP’s agreement with Junts to repeal the tax on electric companies, Alberto Núñez Feijóo has called for the arrest of their leader, Carles Puigdemont. The PP leader has quickly resumed a harsh stance against Catalan independence supporters, a position that the party had been softening in recent months in parallel to their approach to this party. Feijóo criticized Pedro Sánchez for “posing with someone he should be arresting”, referring to the former Catalan president. Following the internal concerns raised by the PP’s alliance with Junts, Feijóo downplayed the significance of these agreements as mere “coincidences in votes”. While he did not answer whether he would be willing to present a vote of no confidence with the support of the independence supporters, several popular barons quickly dismissed it as a possibility, distancing themselves from Puigdemont’s party after the political liaison of the previous week.
The PP has backtracked from the enthusiastic tone used by their parliamentary spokesperson, Miguel Tellado, earlier in the week regarding the agreement with Junts that led to the repeal of the energy companies tax. Tellado had expressed being “tremendously proud and satisfied” with the deal with the Catalan independence supporters and anticipated more agreements in 2025 with Puigdemont’s party. Feijóo and other party members have shifted back to a tough stance against the former Catalan president, with Feijóo leading the charge. The change in tone from the PP came as the party’s deputy secretary, Ester Muñoz, began to label Puidegmont as a “fugitive from justice”, showing a shift in the party’s messaging.
The PP’s approach to Junts not only complicates Feijóo’s opposition to Sánchez, as warned by some within the party, but it has also raised concerns among some leading figures in the party about the impact on the PP’s voter base and potential support losses to Vox. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, was the first to express hesitations about agreements with Junts, hinting at her disapproval of independence supporters. While supporting specific economic agreements with Junts, Ayuso made it clear that any other agreements made by the PP should not be commented on by her. This was seen as a way for Ayuso to reveal her disagreements with the party’s strategy.
Several PP barons have rushed to rule out the possibility of a vote of no confidence with the support of Junts. Important regional presidents of the party, such as Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla and Alfonso Rueda, expressed skepticism about Junts supporting the PP in a motion against Sánchez. They highlighted the differences in their vision of the state model. Rueda suggested that Feijóo would have red lines that he could not cross, indicating that the party’s alignment with Junts has its limits. Despite seeking agreements with independence supporters, a vote of no confidence against Sánchez is seen as unlikely due to the lack of necessary support within the party and the strains caused by the normalization of ties with Junts.
Feijóo argued that the fact that he remains in opposition demonstrates that he has not abandoned his principles, distinguishing their agreements with Junts from those of the PSOE. However, he indicated that the PP will continue seeking agreements with independence supporters in the coming year. While Feijóo currently has no plans to pursue a vote of no confidence against Sánchez due to a lack of support, he also recognizes the internal divisions within the PP caused by their alignment with Junts.
