In September, the leader of the People’s Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, announced that he would be convening a meeting with regional presidents to defend the equality of all Spaniards following the agreement between the PSC and ERC which proposes an economic deal for Catalonia. This meeting will serve as a counter-programming to the conference of presidents that the central government had planned to hold in September after the recent elections. The conference of presidents, established in 2004, is supposed to be convened at least twice a year, and several PP-governed regions have taken legal action due to the delays in scheduling these meetings.
Feijóo plans to launch a major offensive against the government’s policies starting in September, calling on socialist leaders, both current and former, to join in what he sees as a national urgency. According to Feijóo, Prime Minister Sánchez is undermining the Constitution and the welfare state through his agreements with separatists. Feijóo directly blamed the president, as well as the ministers of Interior and Defense, for the escape of Carles Puigdemont, which he labeled as an international embarrassment. He also criticized the current situation in Spain, stating that it is worse than before the Catalan independence movement, as Illa has accepted an independence agenda and separatist parties not only control Catalonia but also the Congress.
The central government had intended to convene the conference of presidents with all regional governments in place, including that of Catalonia. During Mariano Rajoy’s term as prime minister, only two conferences of presidents were held, in 2012 and 2017. Feijóo’s decision to convene a separate meeting with regional presidents in September is seen as a challenge to the central government’s authority and may lead to further political tensions between the regions and the central government. The delay in scheduling the conference of presidents has been a point of contention between the PP-governed regions and the central government.
Feijóo’s call for a united front against the government’s policies, particularly in relation to Catalonia and the independence movement, reflects the ongoing political polarization in Spain. The PP’s stance on defending the unity of Spain and the Constitution differs greatly from the Socialist government’s approach, which includes negotiations with Catalan separatists. Feijóo’s planned meeting with regional presidents is likely to serve as a platform for coordinating opposition to the central government’s policies and may lead to further political maneuvering and conflicts between the different regions and the central government.
Overall, Feijóo’s announcement of a separate meeting with regional presidents in September, in response to the central government’s delay in convening the conference of presidents, reflects the ongoing political tensions and divisions in Spain. The PP’s opposition to the government’s policies and its stance on defending the unity of Spain highlight the deep-seated differences between the ruling party and the opposition. Feijóo’s call for socialist leaders to join in opposing the government’s policies, particularly in relation to the Catalan independence movement, sets the stage for further political conflict and maneuvering in the coming months.
