Feijóo wants to run Spain like a CEO. Not easy with far-right Vox on the board.
The center-right People's Party is casting itself as a business-like national manager, but a partnership with Vox threatens to push the PP in a more radical direction.
MADRID — Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialist government has been marred by corruption scandals, prompting the People's Party (PP) to position itself as a competent, unflashy corporation with business leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo hinting at taking the helm of the country. The party intends to appeal to centrist voters by emphasizing its management approach, with Feijóo's initial response to the Toledo rail crash being to chair a meeting with railway experts to showcase their technical prowess.
However, the PP faces a challenge in forming a coalition with far-right Vox, which is running a more aggressive campaign. Vox has capitalized on political drama, accusing the government of corruption and hostility towards migration, while accusing it of stealing the election. The PP is concerned that its image as steady-handed executives could be tarnished by Vox's leftist rhetoric and that it may lose votes to the more extreme party.
Despite this, the party remains committed to its centrist image, as evidenced by the selection of both right-wing and moderate candidates for symbolic positions in Madrid. Socialists argue that both parties are guilty of hypocrisy, citing the PP's mishandling of the Valencia floods in 2024 and its current leadership in Valencia.
However, left-wing parties may be employing similar tactics in their own campaign. For now, the PP and Vox appear to be keeping their distance, hoping to remove Sánchez, but cooperation is unlikely to last beyond the election.
Written by urgent.news from Politico EU's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
