Calls from the Genoa headquarters to leaders of the PP of Catalonia have multiplied in recent hours to gather all possible information to finally decide on the candidate for the Catalan elections. From this day-to-day analysis a difficult and changing puzzle emerges. The pros and cons of Alejandro Fernández, whose candidacy had gained strength, have been re-evaluated. An analysis not only in an electoral key but also of the future strategy in the Parliament and within the party, where there are critical leaders. The bad relations between the Catalan leader and Alberto Núñez Feijóo weigh heavily.
Likewise, other options remain on the table, especially at this time that of Dolors Montserrat, spokesperson for the EPP group, and that of Manu Reyes, mayor of Castelldefels. Also, and in the key to the negotiation that is taking place in Madrid with Ciudadanos, the candidacy of Nacho Martín Blanco is being considered.
It has been a week since President Pere Argonès called the elections, and time also complicates how decisions must be made. If the replacement of Fernández is chosen, exit scenarios with the fewest possible edges are sought. A replacement may mean that a manager has to be appointed, since Alejandro Fernández is president of the party. The lack of concreteness of the project in Catalonia, and the people who must lead it, are complicating the start of the campaign.
The discursive capacity of the president of the Catalan PP is valued, but public disagreements with Feijóo weigh heavily in Madrid. And also in the Catalan PP there are leaders who remember that in recent years he has not been involved in the construction of the party, affected by a difficult situation. Years, they indicate, in which he has not generated a party dynamic typical of a president, according to the sources consulted.
In this context of reviewing the political scenario, several questions are raised. Will Alejandro Fernández contribute votes or will the PP contribute them with another well-prepared candidacy? Do the constitutionalist entities that have given you support have any mobilizing capacity? Are these close to the PP or Vox? Can a Feijóo-Fernández line of trust be established for the strategy in the Parliament with the history of disagreements? Issues that also have as reference the horizon of the general elections and the gradual construction of a project of centrist Catalanism.
The president of the PP in Spain has placed several antennas in Catalonia to collect information. And Alejandro Fernández has also been contacted by the national management.
This difficult scenario has complicated public pronouncements. Yesterday, after the meeting of the national leadership in Madrid there was no press conference. The spokesperson, Miguel Tellado, did appear in Congress, who pointed out that Feijóo will choose the “best candidate”, but recalled that he is not responsible for this folder. He stressed the importance of the Catalan elections and the need for the PP to become “the benchmark of constitutionalism.” The popular parties are given, in principle, a few days to finalize not only the decision but also how it can be staged.
