Feijóo rallies PP candidates for 2027 municipal elections, calls ballot boxes the 'sentence' of Sánchez's government

Rally in Galicia

On Saturday, Alberto Núñez Feijóo gathered the PP's 50 candidates for provincial capitals at the Ciudad de la Cultura in Santiago de Compostela, marking the start of the campaign for the municipal elections scheduled for 23 May 2027. The event, which lasted nearly three hours, was brought forward ten months amid speculation that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez could call a snap general election before the local polls. Candidates had been ratified by the party's electoral committee the previous day. Several spoke briefly in Catalan, Galician and Basque, a gesture Feijóo later praised: "We all understood each other." He told the candidates that the ballot boxes would deliver a verdict on what he called "sanchismo".

The 'sanchismo' has already been condemned in all its forms of corruption and the ballot boxes will also be its sentence, make no mistake.

Corruption accusations

Feijóo listed three judicial rulings that he said demonstrated institutional, political and family corruption: the case of the attorney general, the conviction of former PSOE organisation secretary José Luis Ábalos, and the proceedings against David Sánchez, the prime minister's brother. He claimed that more than ten corruption cases linked to the government were still before the courts. "Spaniards are fed up with scandals, lies, privileges, people who abuse power and criminal organisations," he said. He challenged PSOE critics to act, not just speak.

Whoever in the PSOE truly believes that Sánchez must go, let them say so and act to make him leave. Whoever stays silent is an accomplice.

Football metaphors and team spirit

With the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina due the following day, Feijóo repeatedly used football imagery. He praised national coach Luis de la Fuente's "recipe" of values, hard work, humility and faith, and said he wanted Spain to resemble its national team more. He also quoted the late Luis Aragonés: "Win, win, win and win again." Madrid mayor José Luis Martínez-Almeida described Feijóo as the "best selector" and called a municipal victory "the first step towards a national victory". Feijóo distanced himself from personalistic leadership.

I don't want you to call me 'boss'. I am not Sánchez. Being a party leader has a limited time. If you have to go, there is no problem.

Electoral strategy and timing

The PP currently governs 30 of Spain's 50 provincial capitals, up from just eight in 2019. Feijóo urged candidates not to settle for that result but to "improve it" and "leave the PSOE at zero". He said the party would not accept any city being considered impossible or any campaign treated as a formality. The leader also warned that general elections could come as early as February or March 2027, depending on how long what he called an "agonising government" could hold on. He insisted that the PP's local machinery must be fully mobilised regardless of which election comes first.

Demands for integrity

Feijóo set strict ethical standards for his candidates, demanding "decency, service and ambition". He warned that anyone seeking office for personal enrichment had no place in the party. "One thing is to make a mistake and another is to put your hand in the till. I will not tolerate that," he said. The PP leader contrasted his approach with the government, saying his party had cleaned up its past errors and could look citizens in the eye, something he claimed PSOE candidates could not do. Alfonso Rueda, president of the Xunta de Galicia, told Feijóo that the Galician candidates would not let him down and would conquer the mayorships of the region's largest cities.