The Popular Party (PP) does not yet have a strategic plan in place to implement if the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, decides he does not want to continue in his role after the period of reflection he has opened regarding the attacks his family, particularly his wife, has received in recent weeks. The team of Alberto Núñez Feijóo believes Sánchez will not resign, will remain in La Moncloa and will be affected by the “profound mistake” they believe he has made by revealing and bringing his personal problems to public attention, according to sources from the PP’s steering committee. The PP is preparing Feijóo for the upcoming campaigns, including the Catalan elections on May 12 and the European elections on June 9, but they assume that their candidate will be “forced” into elections in the short term if Sánchez leaves.
The PP does not have precise information on the decision President Sánchez may announce on Monday regarding his continuity and has not rushed to schedule a specific meeting of the inner core to discuss possible reactions to the various options. However, they have outlined a diagnosis: “Whatever he does, he has made a profound mistake: he has involved all institutions in a mess, created a tremendous personal plebiscite, and internationalized a conflict that was domestic,” one of Feijóo’s collaborators explains. They do not have any interest or empathy for Sánchez’s problems and circumstances and simply do not believe him.
The PP does not speculate on the political or personal reasons that Sánchez may have had for initiating this public debate for several days. They simply acknowledge that no matter what he does on Monday, his situation will not improve. If he chooses to leave politics, the only scenario they foresee is fresh elections. The Secretary General of the PP, Cuca Gamarra, has stated that they are prepared to provide Spain with the leadership it needs and that they have a candidate (Feijóo) who could be the President of Spain if the Spanish people desire it. The PP emphasizes this message in upcoming campaign rallies, promoting Feijóo as the best choice for Spain.
During his recent speech at the party’s headquarters, Feijóo criticized Sánchez’s actions as a political survival operation and an adolescent spectacle, while positioning himself as the inevitable alternative for a more mature and serene presidency. Feijóo’s proximity asserts that he deliberately avoided mentioning the name of the president’s wife in recent days, to avoid direct confrontation. The PP maintains that the current situation is a political tactic by Sánchez and a mere “soap opera,” predicting that if he remains in La Moncloa, the country’s political situation will worsen.
The PP remains firm in their belief that Sánchez will not resign and that the period of reflection he has taken is simply a political tactic. They predict that if he stays in power, the country’s political situation will deteriorate further. Feijóo’s team does not plan on inviting the president’s wife to the Senate investigation on the Koldo case, showing restraint in their approach. While they acknowledge that anything can change in politics, they are adamant that Sánchez’s actions will not lead to a favorable outcome.
