Alberto Núñez Feijóo, as a national leader, has become somewhat of a mystery. One moment he is hinting at alliances with Junts, or the idea of granting a conditional pardon to Carles Puigdemont is leaked, and the next he is leading the charge against the amnesty law. His background as a regional baron shows that there is something amiss. He has transitioned from being a “moderate” collaborating with the government during the COVID pandemic to taking a harder stance on issues such as amnesty and aligning himself with the far-right. His dependence on Vox for power after the 28-M elections and his need for support in Madrid following a failed investiture have led to his current position.
Feijóo is now balancing the two conflicting souls of the Spanish right. On one side, there is the alliance between the Ayuso and Aznar factions, based on the premise of being strictly against the left and the separatists. On the other side, there are those who long for the bipartisanship of the past, closer to figures like Mariano Rajoy or the earlier, more centrist Feijóo. The question remains whether Feijóo can break free from the influence of Ayuso and Aznar, which he embraced after the 23-J elections. There have been hints of this desire for distancing, such as when Feijóo criticized Aznar’s handling of the 11-M attacks, but ultimately the Aznarism still holds sway within the current PP.
Despite some attempts to distance himself from the hardline positions of the Ayuso-Aznar faction, Feijóo has faced challenges. The leaked conditional pardon for Puigdemont during the Galician elections in 18-F raised eyebrows, but with the PP retaining its majority, Feijóo’s regionalist approach seems to have prevailed. He is moving away from the amnesty debate and focusing on a more inclusive approach, as seen in his efforts to relaunch a party in Catalonia that appeals to constitutional Catalan nationalism. This regionalist and moderate stance has also played out in the Basque Country, where the focus is shifting towards economic and governance proposals.
The prospect of Feijóo breaking away from the Ayuso-Aznar alliance raises concerns among the Madrid power faction, who see any outreach to Junts as a betrayal of the PP’s base. The split within the right-wing, with Ayuso’s faction equating Junts with Bildu and rejecting any integration of nationalism, hampers Feijóo’s potential for a more moderate approach. The question remains as to when Feijóo might break away from the Ayuso-Aznar alliance, likely when Vox becomes less essential for governing. The potential impact of the recent controversies involving Ayuso on her political future, as well as the role of regional leaders like Juan Manuel Moreno Bonilla in balancing the power dynamics within the PP, also influence the path Feijóo may take.
The left, in particular Pedro Sánchez’s government, has the most to lose if Feijóo were to emancipate himself from the influence of Ayuso and Aznar. The veto of Junts against the PP, which the amnesty debate has slightly softened in Puigdemont’s rhetoric, benefits the left. Feijóo’s potential independence could shift the dynamics of the political landscape, with implications for Sánchez’s leadership. Overall, Feijóo’s journey as a national leader involves navigating the complexities of the Spanish right, balancing regionalist tendencies with the demands of the Madrid power factions, and potentially shaping a new direction for the PP in the future.
