Feijóo offers reciprocal Senate deal to Vox as PP and Vox talks continue

An offer to reciprocate

Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Partido Popular (PP) and its candidate for the presidency of the government, told Cadena SER on Friday, 23 October, that he would be open to reciprocating if Vox stops standing Senate candidates in provinces where it would not win a seat. He said he last spoke about the issue with Vox president Santiago Abascal on Wednesday, 21 October. Feijóo admitted he could not yet give a firm answer, saying conversations are under way but nothing has been closed. He argued that such an arrangement would help both parties get more out of their votes, and he said it depends on whether Vox is willing to give up running in provinces where it has no senator. He also acknowledged that the PP not standing in a couple of provinces had been on the negotiating table, while calling that information somewhat outdated. He put the offer this way:

“It would be logical for Vox, in those provinces where it will not win a senator, to consider not running and for the People's Party to reciprocate that gesture.”

Deadline and the sticking points

El Mundo reports, citing sources from both parties, that Vox wants the PP to also stop running in two provinces, possibly the ones already mentioned, so that Vox could try to win three seats in each. The PP has not accepted that idea, since withdrawing in any constituency would send a negative message to its voters and to its ambition of standing across Spain. A second obstacle is Vox's wish to form its own parliamentary group in the Senate. The Senate rules require 10 senators for a group, a figure that can drop to six after the group is constituted, and the PP would cede the senators Vox needs if a deal is reached. Candidacies must be registered by 26 October, and La Razón reports that both sides are now comparing internal polls province by province to choose the best formula. Both parties confirm only that talks are moving forward and that the relationship between negotiators is good.

The Senate arithmetic

Senators are not allocated under the D'Hondt system used for Congress. Each province elects four senators, and the party that wins usually takes three of them while the runner-up takes the fourth. Vox currently holds five senators, all won through regional agreements with the PP, and it won no Senate seats at the 2023 elections. A Sigma Dos poll for El Mundo projects between 12 and 17 Vox senators if the party does not withdraw from any province, a figure that could fall if it does. NC Report's projection, reported by La Razón, has the PP and Vox bloc rising from 150 to 164 senators, above the 161 needed for a three-fifths majority in a chamber of 267. Such a majority would let the right fill the four Constitutional Court seats that the Senate designates, although candidates must come from regional parliament proposals. It would also allow it to choose the ten members of the General Council of the Judiciary assigned to the Senate without Socialist votes.

Bloc before projection150

Three-fifths threshold161

NC Report projection164

Bloc before projection

150 senators

Three-fifths threshold

161 senators

NC Report projection

164 senators

Data from the article text

Party positions and rival alliances

Feijóo called removing Pedro Sánchez from La Moncloa his first objective and declined to commit to respecting a PSOE victory in the popular vote. He said he had no information suggesting the PP would not remain the leading political force in Spain. Asked about a Vox candidate on the Tarragona list described as having a neo-Nazi past and a pending hate-crime case, Feijóo did not criticise Vox. He turned instead to Sánchez's pacts with EH Bildu and said he did not think he should accept lessons on morals and ethics. Abascal, in a short institutional statement earlier in the week, said the left alliance known as Senado de Progreso demands sacrifices from opposition parties, and he argued that the moment is not right to ask more of the Spanish people.

“I honestly believe this is not the moment to ask more sacrifices of the Spanish people.”

What comes next

The general election is set for 29 November 2026, and candidacy lists close on 26 October. Feijóo also said he would not keep a standalone ministry for Equality and confirmed a sharp cut to the structure of the state. He reiterated plans to build one million homes and to reform the euthanasia and abortion laws. He has also committed to repealing the Democratic Memory Law, which he says whitewashes ETA.