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Alberto Núñez Feijóo insists on trying to investiture, despite the fact that yesterday's vote in the Congress of Deputies showed that Pedro Sánchez is closer to achieving the majority of support. In Genoa they are aware that their options are scarce, but they want to explore them to avoid "the Arrimadas syndrome". That is, not to take advantage of his victory at the polls to, at least, try.

The calculation of possibilities of the PP ("they 60%, we 40%") was fulfilled and the socialist Francina Armengol took the Presidency of the Lower House, but not of course it hurts less to the popular. Several leaders consulted by EL MUNDO agree that the options of Alberto Núñez Feijóo to be invested are reduced to the minimum, since the PSOE has ahormado a majority of 178 votes (two more than the absolute majority), to achieve at the last minute the support of Junts.

And not only that. The barons consulted believe that the president of the PP must begin to outline changes to apply them after the hypothetical investiture of Pedro Sánchez. They ask him to expand or clarify the leadership of the party and to prepare for a "hard" opposition, but in which he also distances himself more clearly – definitively – from Vox.

The territorial leaders consulted are clear that the key to the future success of Feijóo will be the definition of its relationship with Vox. In that sense, they point to the "Juanma Moreno way" as the most correct. Distance themselves from them and give them the battle, as the Andalusian president pointed out in his last interview with this newspaper: "The only way to govern again is to grow in the center without looking at Vox."

In the Feijóo team they share it. "The PP is what is between Vox and Sánchez's bloc." That is why yesterday they did not give a seat to those of Santiago Abascal at the Congress Table. "It is a story for our investiture. In the cost-benefit ratio it was better to reach the next screen with possibilities. And the only possibilities are those of a change of Junts or PNV, even if they are scarce, "they explain in the environment of Feijóo.

But four barons of the PP agree that the die is cast. And that is why they believe that "a short legislature" of "hard" opposition and without shying away from a single debate is coming. That is, "by the book" of the orthodoxy of the parties that do not govern, only with better future expectations, they say. "It will be a short legislature for sure, but very hard," concedes a baron, who adds that the PP must "make organic changes" to prepare for that scenario. "Feijóo will be president in two years," predicts another president of the PP, but for that he must "prepare the party" to take advantage of the weakness of Vox and reunite all the electorate that is to the right of the PSOE.

A third president insists on that idea: "He has to give his team a rethink for the future, although I think he will wait for there to be an investiture or electoral repetition."

The first two changes that Feijóo will make will be the substitutions, in the Steering Committee, of Pedro Rollán, who must leave him as president of the Senate, and Javier Maroto, who ceases to be spokesman in the same chamber. In addition, in the PP grow the voices that ask to end the bicefalia between Cuca Gamarra and Elías Bendodo. For the leaders consulted, the figure of the coordinator would only continue to make sense if Gamarra remains spokesman. What they are asking for is clarification of the allocations. And all agree that Gamarra should continue to have a leading role in the party: "He has shown loyalty and ability."

In the direction of Genoa they assure that for now there will be no changes and that, if there is any "improvement", it will be when the governability is cleared. And if it is Sánchez who achieves it, the PP will have more power than any opposition party. "In the worst context for us, the PSOE has to agree to everyone for each vote: Junts with ERC, Bildu with the PNV, the BNG and everyone in between. And we have control of the Senate and govern in 12 autonomous communities, plus four of the five big cities: Madrid, Valencia, Seville and Zaragoza.

Although in public no one wants to shy away from the possibility of attempting investiture, in private the leaders consulted already agree to activate the "opposition mode".

  • Alberto Núñez Feijóo
  • Cuca Gamarra
  • PP
  • General Elections
  • Congress of Deputies