The president of the PP and candidate for the Presidency of the Government, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has integrated into the candidacies for the general elections on November 29 several active regional councilors, a decision that forces the heads of government of Galicia, Castilla y León, Cantabria, Comunidad Valenciana, Murcia, and Madrid to make changes in their cabinets.
Feijóo intends to surround himself with officials with extensive experience in public management in anticipation of a possible arrival at the Palace of Moncloa and, for that purpose, has decided to add both members of regional governments and numerous current mayors to his lists.
While waiting for the PP to make the complete candidacies public -- the deadline for registering them ends at midnight -- Alfonso Rueda (Galicia), Alfonso Fernández Mañueco (Castilla y León), María José Sáenz de Buruaga (Cantabria), Juanfran Pérez Llorca (Comunidad Valenciana), Fernando López Miras (Murcia), and Isabel Díaz Ayuso (Comunidad de Madrid) are faced with opening government crises after the departure of some of their councilors to occupy seats in the new Chambers of the XVI legislature, whose constitutive session will be on December 23.
SUSANA CAMARERO GOES TO THE SENATE BUT WILL REMAIN IN THE CONSELL
The Organic Law of General Electoral Regime (LOREG) establishes that it is incompatible to be a regional councilor and run as a candidate for Congress, so those who decide to make the leap to the Lower House must leave their responsibilities in the regional executives.
In contrast, this incompatibility is more lenient in the case of the Senate, a chamber of territorial representation. Thus, the first vice president and councilor of Housing, Employment, Youth, and Equality of the Comunidad Valenciana, Susana Camarero, will continue in the Consell and will retain her competencies despite heading the PP candidacy for the Senate for Valencia, as sources from the Generalitat have conveyed to Europa Press.
The last to announce a restructuring has been the president of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who has reorganized three councils after the incorporation of councilor Carlos Novillo and vice councilor José Antonio Sánchez to the PP list for Madrid, headed by Feijóo.
CHANGES IN MADRID AND GALICIA
With this remodeling, Jorge Rodrigo, until now advisor of Housing, Transport and Infrastructures, will replace Novillo at the head of the Ministry of Environment, Agriculture and Interior; while José María García Gómez, who was his number 2 as deputy advisor, takes over the leadership of Housing, Transport and Infrastructures.
In Galicia, the counselor of Social Policy and Equality, Fabiola García, will occupy the second place on the list for Congress for A Coruña, led by Miguel Tellado, general secretary of the PP. In addition, the PPdeG has confirmed that the until now president of the Galician Parliament, Miguel Santalices, will run for the Senate for Ourense.
In the general elections of 2023, Feijóo already turned to leaders of the Xunta of his utmost trust such as Francisco Conde, who was his first vice president and counselor of Economy. He also incorporated Pedro Puy, former spokesperson of the PP in the Galician Chamber; Álvaro Pérez, former general secretary of the Presidency of the Xunta; and his two close collaborators, Marta Varela and Mar Sánchez. All of them are now repeating on the PP lists.
COUNSELOR OF EDUCATION OF CYL AND COUNSELOR OF TOURISM OF MURCIA
The president of Castilla y León has also had to make a move after the PP of Valladolid proposed the counselor of Education, María Pardo, as head of the list for Congress for that constituency. This Monday, her substitute, María del Valle Ares, who served as general secretary of the Ministry of Education, has taken office.
For his part, Feijóo has placed the counselor of Tourism, Culture and Sports of Murcia, Carmen Conesa, as number three on the candidacy for Congress of the Murcian PP. Her leap to the list forces her to leave the regional government before October 26, with pending who will assume her functions.
It remains to be seen whether the Murcian president, Fernando López Miras, appoints a new head for this department or distributes its competencies among other ministries, in a community that is called to the polls in May 2028.
TWO COUNSELORS OF CANTABRIA ON LISTS AND ONE COUNSELOR OF LLORCA
In Cantabria, the counselor of Presidency, Justice, Security and Administrative Simplification, Isabel Urrutia, heads the list of the Cantabrian PP for Congress. Juan Ignacio Sáez Bereciartu, until now general director of Justice and Victims of Terrorism, will take her place in the government led by Buruaga.
Likewise, Luis Martínez Abad leaves the Ministry of Culture, Tourism and Sports to be number 2 on the PP's candidacy for the Senate for Cantabria. His position will be assumed by Tamara González, current general director of Social Inclusion, Families, and Equality of the Cantabrian Executive.
In the Valencian Community, the president of the Generalitat and leader of the PPCV, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, is also forced to make changes after his councilor of Social Services, Family, and Childhood, Elena Albalat, heads the PP list for Congress for Castellón, a place that in the general elections of 2023 was occupied by the former regional president Alberto Fabra.
CHANGES ALSO IN THE CANARY GOVERNMENT
The movement of names also reaches the Canary Government of Fernando Clavijo (CC), which governs with the support of the PP, as Feijóo has chosen Gustavo González de Vega, until now deputy counselor of Economy, to lead the candidacy for Congress for Santa Cruz de Tenerife.
In addition, Feijóo has added to his lists for Congress the councilor of Urban Planning and Transport of Ceuta, Rafael Martínez Peñalver, who replaces Javier Celaya, head of the list for the autonomous city in 2023.
In the candidacy for Balearic Islands for Congress headed by the president of the PP of Eivissa, José Vicente Marí Bosó, the number two will be Antònia Roca, current first vice president of the Consell de Mallorca and island councilor of Culture and Heritage, which will also require reorganizing that island body.
NUMEROUS MAYORS IN FEIJÓO'S LISTS
Along with the regional councilors, Feijóo has turned to a large group of mayors to complete his lists. The first to be made public last weekend was that of Xavier García Albiol, mayor of Badalona (Barcelona), who will be number one of the PP for Congress for Barcelona.
The mayor of Valencia, María José Catalá, the mayor of Huelva, Pilar Miranda, and the mayor of Toledo, Carlos Velázquez, also join, heading the candidacies for Congress for their respective provinces.
In the Senate, several mayors will accompany the leader of the PP in the November lists, such as the mayor of Santander, Gemma Igual, or the mayor of Valladolid, Jesús Julio Carnero, who returns to lead the party's candidacy for his province in the Upper House.