The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has defended his understanding with Vox in the Senate as a response to the "coalition of the desperate" that, according to him, has been woven by the PSOE, Frente Amplio, and other left-wing formations. After denouncing that Pedro Sánchez has "changed the board" with that agreement in the progressive bloc, he insisted that it was "essential" to react to maintain the absolute majority in the Upper House and has not ruled out that PP and Vox could reach a reinforced majority of three-fifths.
"The rules of the game have changed. Mr. Sánchez has changed the board and, therefore, we must respond to a move by Sánchez and all his partners," he pointed out, emphasizing that "not responding" would be "irresponsibility." He even admitted that this pact with Vox would not have occurred if the PSOE had not previously sealed an alliance with Frente Amplio and other left-wing territorial forces.
In an interview on Onda Cero, reported by Europa Press, Feijóo has maintained that the agreement with Vox was a reaction expected by a good part of the citizens who want a political change in Spain, and has emphasized that, unlike the PSOE's pact with other left-wing forces, in his case the initials of PP and Vox remain visible.
"What we have done is an essential coordination to maintain the possibilities of an absolute majority in the Upper House," he explained, insisting that the understanding between PP and Vox constitutes a "responsible response" to the "coalition of the desperate" that he attributes to Sánchez.
In the same vein, he described this movement as an "adult reaction" to a political operation that, he said, had not been seen for many decades. "The PSOE merges with all left-wing forces, extreme left, and in the face of that, we must react," he stressed.
Asked if he sees real options for PP and Vox to reach the three-fifths necessary in the Senate —which would allow for the renewal of the magistrates of the Constitutional Court—, Feijóo responded that yes, although he clarified that to achieve this it is necessary for the citizens to "vote massively and for that meeting point to function correctly." He detailed that the key is in "those 14 constituencies" where Vox only presents one candidate, so that the voters of that party also support two candidates from the PP.
Feijóo sets distances: reformist PP and more rupturist Vox
Feijóo has wanted to emphasize that PP and Vox continue to be "distinct" formations and has reiterated that his will continue to be a reformist force.
"There is still a reformist center-right party, which is the Popular Party, and a more rupturist party, which is Vox," he has indicated, stressing that the purpose of the agreement has been to establish "a meeting point" that allows for an attempt to maintain the absolute majority in the Senate.
In addition, he has attacked Sánchez, whom he has described as "a conflictive person" both in the Executive and in his relationship with collaborators. In his opinion, the president is attracted to "the conflict in Spain." "We are facing an emergency situation. The need for political change in Spain. Whoever puts a wheel on political change will assume their responsibility," he has warned.
With a month to go before the general elections, the leader of the PP has maintained that the institutional regeneration that, according to him, the country needs "involves trying to ensure that Sánchez is not a protagonist even in the next legislature."
Decision on Guipúzcoa and presence in Catalonia
Feijóo has acknowledged that he communicated to the president of the Basque PP, Javier de Andrés, that the national leadership was considering the option of not running for the Senate in Guipúzcoa, a constituency in which the popular party has not obtained representation for 26 years.
"I told Mr. Javier de Andrés that I was working on this hypothesis a week ago," he has pointed out, highlighting that the Basque leader "wisely did not convey this issue to the party" while negotiations were still open.
Questioned about the possible cost of not running in Girona and Tarragona for the Senate, Feijóo has denied that the PP will renounce to run in Catalonia in the general elections in November, and has valued the candidacy of Xavier García Albiol as head of the list for Congress in Barcelona. In the case of the Upper House, he has recalled that the PP has never achieved senators in Girona and Tarragona, so, he said, no seat that was previously held is being renounced.
Objective: grow in seats in Catalonia
"What I want is to gain one deputy in Girona, one deputy in Lleida, and one deputy in Barcelona. To go from six to nine," Feijóo has stated, focusing the objective on increasing the representation of the Popular Group in Congress.
"What the PP wants to be is a determining force in Catalonia, for the PSC to go down, for the PP to go up, and for Catalonia to contribute to that majority we are working for," emphasized the popular leader.
To conclude, he insisted that his priority is to promote a change in the central Government: "What I seek here is to fulfill my duty, my commitment is to try to bring about a political change in Spain, a deep but calm political change. My commitment is that this stage of indecency and decadence comes to an end," Feijóo concluded.