Alberto Nuñez Feijóo has shown the strength and unity of the party against the amnesty, 48 hours before his inauguration, with a massive event that brought together more than 40,000 people in Madrid, much more than initially expected. It has achieved the largest demonstration that the PP has ever held in its history.
The unity was evidenced by the active presence of the former presidents of the Government, José María Aznar and Mariano Rajoy, as well as all the presidents of the autonomous communities where the PP currently governs. The president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who is seen as a possible candidate to replace him, especially since he failed to win the elections to form a government, has stressed that he represents the dignity of every Spaniard against amnesty.
The Popular Party leader, who went from strength to strength in his speech, wanted to make it clear in this massive event that he will not be president at any price. “Whatever it costs me, including the presidency of the Government, I will defend the fact that Spain is a group of free and equal citizens”.
Despite this, Núñez Feijóo is not throwing in the towel. He has clearly been encouraged by the encouragement of the party, the barons and the thousands of PP supporters. Sánchez should not dismiss the clamour against his goal of winning the presidency, no matter what the cost, no matter who it costs.
The PP had talked about 10,000 people attending the demonstration against Pedro Sánchez’s future amnesty for the 11-0 coup perpetrators, although they expected many more. The most optimistic, taking into account the determined support of the PP barons by chartering buses, had calculated that there could be around 20,000.
But what they did not expect was that the government delegation itself, in the hands of the PSOE, would raise the estimate to 40,000, a figure that the organisation raises to 60,000.
In any case, there are many voices against the changes of opinion of Pedro Sánchez, who, ensconced in his arrogance, already considers himself president for the next four years. Although he still has not explained how he is going to make constitutional what he declared unconstitutional until just a few weeks ago.
Sánchez did not wait to react. He responded this Sunday to the demonstration in Madrid called by the PP. He did so in his speech at the Fiesta de la Rosa that the PSC held in Gavà (Barcelona), in front of some 15,000 militants.
The President of the Government in office once again set himself up as a model of progressivism and shouted: “they are demonstrating against a socialist government. Well, I’m sorry, there is going to be a socialist government. We have it clear: there are numbers for a progressive PSOE government with Yolanda Díaz’s party, which would put all the levees in the way of a Feijóo government with Abascal”.
Faced with the insistent defence of the popular leader that he will act for the equality of Spaniards, Sánchez has accused him of “not caring about Spain” having voted against raising the minimum wage, the revaluation of pensions and labour reform.
Despite the certainty of remaining in Moncloa for four more years, Sánchez, on the other hand, has at no time alluded to the negotiations he is holding with the pro-independence parties, nor to an eventual amnesty and the calling of a referendum, conditions without which the pro-independence parties would not give him their support.
