20th National Congress of the People's Party (Spain)

The 20th National Congress of the People's Party, officially the 20th Extraordinary National Congress, was held in Seville from 1 to 2 April 2022, to renovate the leading bodies of the People's Party (PP) and establish the party's main lines of action and strategy for the next leadership term. A primary election to elect the new party president was held on 21 March. The congress was called following the forced ousting of both Pablo Casado as president and Teodoro García Egea as secretary-general in the aftermath of a major crisis that ravaged the party from 16 to 23 February.^[1][2] Galician president Alberto Núñez Feijóo became the party's new president.^[3]

Following her landslide victory in the 4 May 2021 regional election, Madrilenian president Isabel Díaz Ayuso came to be increasingly seen by some within the party as a better leader than Casado to face off Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez in the next Spanish general election.^[4][5] A conflict started from September 2021 onwards when Ayuso rushed for the control of the party's regional branch in the Community of Madrid,^[6][7] with such a move being seen by Casado's supporters as an immediate threat to his national leadership.^[8][9][10] Following several months of a poor and erratic leadership on Casado's behalf and a disappointing party result in the self-imposed 2022 Castilian-Leonese regional election, the crisis entered a new stage on 16 February 2022 when some media revealed an alleged plot of García Egea's allies to investigate Ayuso's family in search of compromising material—more specifically, alleged influence peddling in the awarding of public contracts to Ayuso's brother. After several days of public infighting between both Casado and Ayuso, Feijóo was reported as having agreed with the latter and other party regional presidents to become the party's new leader and replace Casado,^[11][12][13] whose incoming resignation and that of García Egea were announced on 22 February after they were publicly abandoned by most of their party's colleagues.

The congress slogan was "Lo haremos bien" (Spanish: We will get it right).^[14] On 18 March 2022, it was announced that 41,681 PP members had registered to vote in the primary election scheduled for 21 March.^[15]

Overview

The congress of the PP was the party's supreme body, and could be of either ordinary or extraordinary nature, depending on whether it was held following the natural end of its term or due to any other exceptional circumstances not linked to this event. Ordinary congresses were to be held every four years and called at least two months in advance of their celebration, though this timetable could be altered for up to twelve months in the event of coincidence with electoral processes. Extraordinary congresses had to be called by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors at least one-and-a-half month in advance of their celebration, though in cases of "exceptional urgency" this deadline could be reduced to thirty days.

The president of the PP was the party's head and the person holding the party's political and legal representation, and presided over its board of directors and executive committee, which were the party's maximum directive, governing and administration bodies between congresses.^[16]

Electoral system

The election of the PP president was based on a two-round system. Any party member with at least one-year membership was eligible for the post of party president, on the condition that they were up to date with the payment of party fees and that they were able to secure the signed endorsements of at least 100 party members. The election was to be held in the party's 60 constituencies, corresponding to each province and island of Spain.

In the first round, all registered party members who had their payment fees up to date were allowed to vote for any of the candidates who had been officially proclaimed by virtue of securing the required number of signatures to run. In the event that no candidate won the first round outright—which required securing at least 50 percent of the national vote, being the most voted candidate in at least half of the constituencies and at least a 15-percentage point advantage over the runner-up—a second round would be held concurrently with the party congress, in which party delegates would elect the new party leader from among the two candidates who had previously received the most votes in the first round. Most of the delegates were to be elected by party members concurrently with the first round of voting to the party leadership.^[16]

Timetable

The key dates are listed below (all times are CET. Note that the Canary Islands use WET (UTC+0) instead):^[17][18]

• 1 March: Official announcement of the congress. Start of application period for party members to register in order to participate in the leadership election.
• 8 March: Start of candidate submission period at 12 am.
• 9 March: End of candidate submission period at 8 pm.
• 10 March: Proclamation of candidates to the party presidency.
• 11 March: Official start of internal electoral campaigning.
• 16 March: Deadline for party members to register for voting at 2 pm.
• 16 March: Deadline for party members to apply as delegates at 2 pm.
• 20 March: Last day of internal electoral campaigning.
• 21 March: Primary election (first round of voting, with all registered party members entitled to vote for the proclaimed candidates) and election of congress delegates.
• 1−2 April: Party congress (if needed, a run-off voting was to be held among delegates to elect the party leader among the two most voted candidates in the first round).

Candidates

Declined

The individuals in this section were the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy, but publicly denied or recanted interest in running:

• 
  Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo
• 
  Pablo Casado
• 
  Isabel Díaz Ayuso
• 
  José Luis Martínez-Almeida
• 
  Juanma Moreno

• Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo (age 47) — Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Barcelona and Madrid (2008–2015 and since 2019); Spokesperson of the PP Group in the Congress of Deputies (2019–2020).^[25]
• Pablo Casado (age 41) — Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Ávila and Madrid (since 2011); President of the PP (2018–2022); Leader of the Opposition of Spain (2018–2022); Vice Secretary-General of Communication of the PP (2015–2018); President of NNGG in the Community of Madrid (2005–2013); Deputy in the Assembly of Madrid (2007–2009).^[26][27][28]
• Isabel Díaz Ayuso (age 43) — President of the Community of Madrid (since 2019); Deputy in the Assembly of Madrid (2011–2017 and since 2019); Spokesperson of the PP Group in the Assembly of Madrid (2019); Deputy Minister of the Presidency and Justice of the Community of Madrid (2017–2018).^[29][30][31]
• José Luis Martínez-Almeida (age 46) — Mayor of Madrid (since 2019); City Councillor of Madrid (since 2015); National Spokesperson of the PP (2020–2022); Spokesperson of the PP Group in the City Council of Madrid (2017–2019); Director-General of Artistic Heritage of the Community of Madrid (2007–2011).^[32]
• Juanma Moreno (age 51) — President of the Regional Government of Andalusia (since 2019); Deputy in the Parliament of Andalusia for Málaga (1996–2000 and since 2015); President of the PP of Andalusia (since 2014); Senator in the Cortes Generales appointed by the Parliament of Andalusia (2014–2017); Secretary of State of Social Services and Equality of Spain (2011–2014); Coordinator of Regional and Local Policy of the PP (2008–2012); Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Cantabria and Málaga (2000–2004 and 2007–2011); President of NNGG (1997–2001); City Councillor of Málaga (1995–1997).^[10][30][33]

Endorsements

Candidates seeking to run were required to collect the endorsements of at least 100 party members.

Opinion polls

Poll results are listed in the tables below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first, and using the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. If such date is unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the candidate's colour. In the instance of a tie, the figures with the highest percentages are shaded. Polls show data gathered among PP voters/supporters as well as Spanish voters as a whole, but not among party members, who are the ones ultimately entitled to vote in the primary election.

PP voters

Spanish voters

Results

Notes

1. PP members.
2. Right-wing voters.

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "Ayuso arrasa entre los votantes del PP: el 71% la elegiría como presidenta del Gobierno". El Confidencial (in Spanish). 19 February 2022.
2. "EP Express GénoWAR (17F): Ayuso gana a Casado el pulso de la opinión pública. Los votantes del PP piden un cambio de líder". Electomanía (in Spanish). 17 February 2022.
3. "ElectoPanel (11O): Ayuso, preferida al frente del PP antes que Casado". Electomanía (in Spanish). 11 October 2021.
4. "Los votantes del PP apoyan a Casado y no quieren a Rivera en el partido". La Razón (in Spanish). 26 July 2021.

Other

1. Gómez, Pilar (23 February 2022). "El futuro del Partido Popular: gestora y congreso para aupar como líder a Feijóo". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 23 February 2022.
2. Santos, Pilar (22 February 2022). "Casado cede a la presión interna y convocará congreso extraordinario del PP". El Periódico (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
3. "Alianza Popular / Partido Popular". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
4. Mateo, Juan José (4 May 2021). "Díaz Ayuso, de candidata desconocida a referente de la derecha". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 4 November 2021.
5. Riveiro, Aitor (13 September 2021). "El ala dura de Aguirre y Álvarez de Toledo se alinea con Ayuso frente a Casado". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
6. Caballero, Fátima (1 September 2021). "Ayuso inaugura el curso con otra batalla de poder: la presidencia del PP de Madrid". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
7. Riveiro, Aitor; Caballero, Fátima (3 November 2021). "Guerra total entre Casado y Ayuso por el control del PP de Madrid". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 4 November 2021.
8. Campmany, Emilio (2 November 2021). "Lo que teme Casado". Libertad Digital (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
9. Riveiro, Aitor; Caballero, Fátima (6 November 2021). "Casado y Ayuso: auge y declive de una amistad rota por el control del PP de Madrid". elDiario.es (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
10. Fumanal, Verónica (8 November 2021). "La guerra civil del PP". El Periódico de España (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
11. García de Blas, Elsa (20 February 2022). "Pablo Casado resiste pese a la creciente presión de los barones para que dimita". El País (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
12. Santos, Pilar (21 February 2022). "Ayuso y Feijóo acordaron anoche que la etapa de Casado ha finalizado". El Periódico (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
13. Del Riego, Carmen (21 February 2022). "Feijóo, Moreno, Ayuso y Mañueco se alían para pedir la dimisión de Casado". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 21 February 2022.
14. "'Lo haremos bien' será el lema del Congreso Nacional del PP". El Periódico de España (in Spanish). Valencia. Europa Press. 13 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
15. Del Riego, Carmen (18 March 2022). "Feijóo, Moreno, Ayuso y Mañueco se alían para pedir la dimisión de Casado". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
16. "Estatutos del Partido Popular, aprobados por el 18 Congreso" (PDF). PP (in Spanish). Retrieved 6 November 2021.
17. "El PP convoca el XX Congreso Nacional para los días 1 y 2 de abril en Sevilla". PP (in Spanish). 1 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
18. "Calendario XX Congreso Nacional PP" (PDF). PP (in Spanish). 1 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
19. "Feijoo abre la puerta a presentarse como candidato a liderar el PP". El Periódico (in Spanish). Vigo. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
20. Hernández, Marisol; Esteban, Paloma; Santos, Pilar (23 February 2022). "Feijóo confirma a los barones que se presentará al congreso extraordinario". El Periódico de España (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
21. "Feijóo anuncia su candidatura a la presidencia del PP". La Vanguardia (in Spanish). A Coruña. Agencias. 2 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
22. "La transexual valenciana Alexia Herranz disputará a Feijóo la presidencia del PP". NIUS (in Spanish). 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
23. "Feijóo ya tiene a su primera rival: una mujer transexual del PP de Valencia". El Plural (in Spanish). 2 March 2022. Retrieved 2 March 2022.
24. Gago, Xosé (10 March 2022). "Feijoo, candidato único a la presidencia del PP nacional". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). Retrieved 10 March 2022.
25. "El partido cierra el expediente a Ayuso". NIUS (in Spanish). Madrid. 1 March 2022. Retrieved 11 June 2022.
26. Zaragüeta, Iñaki (29 September 2021). "Casado, a por la Presidencia". La Razón (in Spanish). Retrieved 9 October 2021.
27. Garea, Fernando; D. Prieto, Alberto (21 February 2022). "Casado y su equipo deciden "agotar el mandato democrático" en el congreso del PP". El Español (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
28. Zaragüeta, Iñaki (22 February 2022). "Pablo Casado dimite y deja el partido en manos de una gestora". NIUS (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 22 February 2022.
29. "Ayuso no se ve "más de ocho años" en la Comunidad y niega de nuevo que le vaya a disputar el liderazgo nacional a Casado" (in Spanish). Madrid: Europa Press. 10 October 2021. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
30. Vallés, Vicente (7 November 2021). "Amigos o tiburones en el PP". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 8 November 2021.
31. Ramos, Ana Belén (21 February 2022). "Ayuso descarta liderar el PP nacional, pero pide a Casado un "giro absoluto" en el partido". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
32. "Feijóo optará a la presidencia del PP si es el único candidato". El Confidencial Autonómico (in Spanish). 22 February 2022. Retrieved 23 February 2022.
33. Morillo, Isabel (21 February 2022). "Moreno mantiene perfil bajo, descarta el salto nacional y se suma a la vía Feijóo". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 21 February 2022.
34. "El PP proclama a Feijóo como candidato único ya que su rival no reúne los avales". infoLibre (in Spanish). 10 March 2022. Retrieved 10 March 2022.
35. "La mitad de los votantes del PP quería a Feijóo de líder; Ayuso arrasa en los de Vox". VozPópuli (in Spanish). 14 March 2022.
36. "Ayuso solo convence a la mitad de los votantes del PP con las explicaciones sobre las comisiones de su hermano". elDiario.es (in Spanish). 13 March 2022.
37. "La mayoría de los españoles cree que Alberto Núñez Feijóo es la mejor opción para liderar el PP, según una encuesta de Sigma Dos". Antena 3 (in Spanish). 2 March 2022.
38. "Feijóo es el preferido de los españoles para liderar el PP, seguido por Ayuso". El Debate (in Spanish). 27 February 2022.
39. "Feijóo es ahora el preferido como presidente del Gobierno por delante de Pedro Sánchez y Yolanda Díaz". El Español (in Spanish). 28 February 2022.
40. "El votante del PP prefiere a Feijóo frente a Ayuso como nuevo líder del partido". ABC (in Spanish). 26 February 2022.
41. "Una mayoría de los votantes del PP quiere que Feijóo tome ya las riendas del partido". OKDiario (in Spanish). 21 February 2022.
42. "Ayuso cosecha el doble de apoyo que Casado entre los votantes del PP". elDiario.es (in Spanish). 25 January 2022.
43. "Ayuso sería "mejor candidata" que Casado para medirse contra Sánchez, según los votantes incluidos los del PP". El Español (in Spanish). 10 January 2022.
44. "¿A qué líder político prefiere entre Pablo Casado o Isabel Díaz Ayuso?". SW Demoscopia (in Spanish). 28 November 2021.
45. "SW Demoscopia: El PP vuelve a bajar y el PSOE consigue ya una ventaja de 3 puntos". El Electoral (in Spanish). 28 November 2021.
46. "Feijóo es respaldado por el 99,63% de la militancia del PP" (in Spanish). Madrid: Cadena SER. 21 March 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
47. "Alberto Núñez Feijóo, elegido nuevo presidente del PP con el 98,35% de los votos". VozPópuli (in Spanish). Madrid. 2 April 2022. Retrieved 3 April 2022.