Spanish opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo launched his final political campaign on Saturday, declaring that he has less than a year left in opposition.
The leader of the conservative People's Party officially opened the new political term at an event in Galicia. Feijóo told party members that the upcoming election cycle represents an all or nothing attempt to reach the Moncloa Palace, the official residence of the Spanish prime minister in Madrid.
Under Spanish law, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has until August 2027 to convene general elections. However, Feijóo and his advisers believe the government may be forced to call polls much sooner, framing the next twelve months as their final opportunity for a power shift.
Advisers at the national headquarters of the People's Party on Calle de Génova in Madrid expressed total confidence in securing power. They noted that Feijóo is fully energized and convinced that his destiny is to lead the nation, describing party morale as focused entirely on victory.
Close aides acknowledged that this campaign represents Feijóo's final bullet to win the presidency after his narrow defeat four years ago. In the July 2023 general election, the People's Party won a pyrrhic victory, falling short of a parliamentary majority by a margin of thousands of votes.
Political Paralysis and Internal Mobilization
Feijóo's close collaborators described the current legislative term under Sánchez as complicated. They stated that every summer since the 2023 elections has been marked by unusual political instability across Spain.
Party officials pointed to a series of challenges facing the administration, including the controversial grant of amnesty to Catalan separatists, subsequent corruption investigations, and ongoing parliamentary paralysis. These factors had repeatedly raised expectations at party headquarters that the government of Sánchez, who leads the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, was nearing its end.
Despite previous setbacks, senior leaders asserted that the current government is exhausted, dead, and left without an escape route. Feijóo mobilized the party across Spain to protest against what he termed Sánchez's abandonment of Ceuta, a Spanish autonomous city on the North African coast, during a major migration crisis. Feijóo accused the prime minister of failing to communicate or cooperate during the emergency.
To maintain pressure, party leadership issued a directive calling for maximum tension and maximum mobilization. Starting Monday, as Spanish politics returns to routine after the summer break, the party will move to a permanent electoral footing. Officials noted the party has maintained high campaign alert over the past three years, with only a brief lull between the June 2024 European Parliament elections and the Extremadura regional election in December 2025.
Regional Targets and Party Consolidation
The People's Party has set its sights on municipal and regional elections scheduled for May, aiming to capture key regional governments currently held by political rivals. Party strategists specifically identified the northern region of Asturias and the central region of Castilla-La Mancha as primary targets.
Advisers highlighted internal organizational stability as a major advantage heading into the new cycle. The party recently resolved key leadership transitions, including replacing Carlos Mazón in the Valencian Community with Juanfran Pérez Llorca, who is set to lead the party ticket pending official confirmation. In Catalonia, Alejandro Fernández consolidated his position at the recent regional party congress.
In addition to seeking national power, Feijóo aims to consolidate and expand the party's territorial footprint across Spain's autonomous communities. Prior to the summer break, Feijóo gathered mayoral candidates from provincial capitals, and party leadership plans to host a regional candidates' summit alongside a traditional autumn retreat of regional leaders, known as party barons.
Between now and Christmas, national party headquarters plans to step up programmatic work with a series of policy proposals. The party intends to unveil its formal electoral platform starting in January, marking the unofficial campaign launch for municipal, regional, and general elections. Leadership emphasized that no surprise election call by Sánchez will catch the party unprepared.
Party leaders also noted that recent regional elections clarified their working relationship with Vox, a right-wing political party. The People's Party currently governs in coalition with Vox across four autonomous regions, including Andalusia, Spain's most populous region. Conservative strategists view these regional coalitions as an opportunity to normalize their alliance and neutralize fear-based messaging from the left.
