Signing the 'Contrato con España'

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the PP leader and candidate for the Presidency of the Government, signed what he called a 'Contrato con España' on Monday, 19 October, at an event in Madrid. The document lists a dozen commitments that he says he will keep if he wins the general election of 29 November. Party officials, deputies and senators filled the hall, and the stage showed Spanish and European Union flags rather than PP banners. Feijóo said he would answer for the contract with his own name and record. The mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, was among the party figures present.

“My greatest ambition is to make a president's word count for something again.”

What the twelve commitments cover

The pledges range from defending Spain's sovereignty and territorial integrity to improving the quality of democracy and reinforcing the separation of powers. Feijóo also promised to clean up and strengthen the state, build one million new homes and order immigration. On pensions, he said they would rise every year in line with the consumer price index (IPC). Other items include more doctors, a demanding education system, safer streets, lower taxes and a higher average wage. He also committed to water infrastructure that would better prepare the country for floods and droughts, and to restoring Spain's standing abroad. He presented the commitments as the change the country needs.

“I am not going to let you down.”

Message on violence in France

Feijóo used the event to comment on protests in France that turned violent over the weekend of 17 and 18 October. He said the violence was being encouraged by the radical left and urged Spaniards to move away from that path by expressing their discontent at the ballot box. He argued that nothing was more transformative than the free and democratic will of a people demanding change.

“They show that the violence the radical left is encouraging is never the way to improve a nation.”

On the same day, Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares described the violence in France as unbearable. He said the government did not fear that the senseless scenes in France, which came amid a wave of protests against the executive, could spread to Spain.

Storm damage in Valencia

Feijóo also sent condolences to the families of victims of heavy rain linked to the storm known as dana Adam. As of the morning of 19 October, the storm had killed two people, one in Catalonia and one in Sagunto. It was hitting several areas of the country, especially the Valencian Community, particularly the south of Valencia and the north of Alicante. Feijóo said he had spoken early in the day with the president of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, to offer his full support. He urged residents to follow the instructions of the authorities.

Timeline before the vote

The general election is set for 29 November, and the full electoral programme had not yet been published when Feijóo signed the contract. Feijóo has said the change he seeks is a change of stage rather than only a change of government, with the middle class back at the centre of Spain's economy. The sequence of dates so far is shown below.