Madrid When the Spanish opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo came to the party headquarters in Madrid after the local and regional elections on Tuesday, he stopped at the door and let his party’s newly elected regional politicians go first. Louis Armstrong’s “What a wonderful world” blares from the loudspeakers.
Feijóo and his conservative Partido Popular (PP) are in the best of spirits: They received the most votes in almost all major strongholds on the last super election Sunday, when elections were held in the municipalities and some regions. The triumph was so great that Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez surprisingly dissolved the national parliament and called new elections for July 23. It is the last hope of the socialist Sánchez to stop the triumph of his adversary Feijóo, at least at national level.
Feijóo had only taken over the leadership of the then divided PP a year ago. Since then he has largely given local and regional representatives a free hand, uniting the party and rallying it behind him.
Moderate appearances and positions are considered his recipe for success in a traditionally politically highly polarized country. “He manages to win votes outside of his party’s classic electorate,” says Lluís Orriols, a political scientist at Carlos III University. in Madrid.
Feijóo proved that before his national career in his home region of Galicia: the 61-year-old won the absolute majority there four times in a row and has been head of government of the northern Spanish region since 2009, comparable to a German federal state.
“I am a normal person who defends the normality that Spain needs”
Critics accuse Feijóo of not speaking English, lacking international experience and having so far only excelled as a provincial politician. In fact, the trained lawyer and later civil servant has always lived in his native Galicia – except for seven years, during which he managed a health authority in Madrid and the Spanish post office.
“I’m not perfect and I don’t claim to be perfect,” Feijóo tweeted a few days before the local and regional elections. “I’m a normal person who defends the normality that Spain needs.” Feijóo is married to a former manager of the textile group Inditex, with whom he has a young son.
With his reserved tone, he seems to have struck a chord with many Spaniards. In the five years of the government of Sánchez’s socialists and the left-wing populists of Unidas Podemos, the political climate has heated up considerably. In parliamentary debates, the focus was increasingly not on content, but on attacks on the political opponent.
However, it is questionable how much normality Feijóo could give Spain as head of government. Because if he wins the election, he will in all probability be dependent on the right-wing party Vox.
Spain’s Prime Minister has brought forward the general elections.
(Photo: Reuters)
It is now the third largest party in Spain. Analysts agree that she will push for government participation. Sánchez takes advantage of this and always emphasizes the danger that would emanate from a coalition of PP and Vox. Feijóo has so far avoided any mention of Vox.
Right-wing party Vox could slow down the expansion of renewables
In addition to political consequences, this could also have an impact on energy policy: Spanish newspapers are already warning that a government with Vox could slow down Spain’s ambitious expansion targets for renewables.
The party railed against the “climate fanaticism” of the current government. “Vox has criticized the measures associated with the energy transition for allegedly increasing the price of energy, and on many occasions has sided with neighbors protesting against proposed solar or wind power plants,” explains Ramón Mateo of consultancy Bebartlet.
The topic should also be followed closely in Germany: Sánchez wanted to turn Spain into an exporter of green hydrogen and has agreed with Germany and France to build a new pipeline to Northern Europe.
The Spanish economy should be happy about Feijóo’s election victory: while Sánchez railed against big business and introduced an excess profit tax for energy companies and banks, Feijóo promises tax cuts and budgetary discipline.
“I am very concerned about Spain’s debt,” he said at an economic event in Barcelona on Wednesday. “We need to attract investment and tell companies that Spain is the best place for them to invest.”
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