Feijóo unites Catalan PP and sets sights on 12-seat target to oust Sánchez
The PP leader closed internal rifts in Barcelona and called on Junts to trigger early elections, framing Catalonia as the decisive battleground for national power.
Closing the cracks
Alberto Núñez Feijóo travelled to Barcelona on Saturday to chair the Catalan PP's first congress in eight years, a gathering that formally elected Alejandro Fernández for a new term and drew a line under years of friction between the regional branch and the national leadership in Génova. Around 700 delegates attended, and the mood, described by sources as peaceful and unified, contrasted sharply with the near-parliamentary wipeout and public disputes that had plagued the party.
Máxima implicación para acabar con Sánchez. Es lo más urgente y más importante.
The 12‑seat wager
Feijóo framed the next general election as a numbers game centred on Catalonia. He invoked the party's historic high of 12 deputies in Congress, achieved under José María Aznar in 2000, and argued that repeating that figure would guarantee a change of government.
Privately, aides concede the target is aspirational, but the leadership believes picking up two extra seats is realistic and could deny Pedro Sánchez the parliamentary arithmetic that saved him in 2023.Si logramos en el Congreso 12 diputados por Cataluña, el cambio está asegurado.
Turning the page on the 'procés'
In a speech laced with pragmatism, Feijóo urged the party to "pasar página" on the secessionist crisis, a move that marks a decisive break from the PP's earlier campaign against the amnesty law. He stressed that the change of government cannot happen without Catalonia, nor against it, and acknowledged that years of total confrontation had left some voters viewing the PP as anti‑Catalan.
Como la mayoría de los catalanes, nosotros también queremos pasar página. Ahora lo que queremos es mirar al futuro, queremos más porque Cataluña merece más.
Courting Junts
Without mentioning Carles Puigdemont by name, Feijóo made a direct appeal to Junts: he praised its recent votes in Congress backing a PP motion that called for Pedro Sánchez's resignation and urged the party to go further and back a formal censure motion.
Junts has so far refused, but the PP is betting that a European Court of Justice ruling on the amnesty law, expected on 16 July, could shift the calculus. The party wants to present itself as the natural home of the constitutionalist vote while leaving the door ajar to the moderate wing of the independence movement.Apretar el botón que las convoca sería mejor y bastante más responsable.
The electoral clock
Feijóo made clear he is not prepared to wait until the scheduled 2027 election. He repeated that "nos jugamos la democracia" and tasked the Catalan PP with winning more mayors, more councillors, and more deputies. The timeline of recent Catalan politics shows why the party sees the next 12 months as critical.
- Unilateral secession attempt deepens Spain's territorial crisis.
- General election: strong PSC surge in Catalonia blocks Feijóo from forming government.
- PP Catalonia congress; Alejandro Fernández re‑elected; Feijóo sets 12‑seat target.
- European Court of Justice expected to rule on Spain's amnesty law.
- Next scheduled general election; PP hopes to force an earlier vote via Junts support.
