Spanish opposition leader Alberto Nunez Feijoo faces growing scrutiny over his fiscal strategy after welcoming Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's institutional address launching Spain's general election campaign ahead of the November 29 vote.
Writing in the Spanish daily La Razon, economist Carlos Rodriguez Braun argued that while the conservative Popular Party has celebrated the prospect of taking power, Feijoo has failed to detail how he will fund promised tax cuts.
Sanchez delivered his institutional declaration on Monday, using the speech to set an aggressive campaign tone. In the address, Sanchez claimed that voters who reject his progressive coalition will be backing economic backwardness, poverty, unemployment, and reactionary extremism.
The Prime Minister added that opposing his government would strip workers and pensioners of established rights, benefiting only a minority of wealthy elites. Rodriguez Braun described the address as an explicit campaign event rather than an impartial state statement.
Opposition reaction and campaign messaging
Feijoo and the Popular Party responded to Sanchez's announcement with relief, declaring that the end of the current government was finally at hand. Conservative figures expressed confidence that Feijoo will take office at La Moncloa Palace next year.
As part of its messaging, the Popular Party released a promotional video framing the choices in the upcoming election as a decision between decadence or prosperity. Subtitles in the campaign clip promised that citizens would recover lost time and money under a new administration.
The Popular Party is Spain's principal centre-right political party and currently forms the main opposition block in parliament. La Moncloa Palace, located in Madrid, serves as the official workplace and residence of the Spanish prime minister.
Economic policy and spending questions
Despite opposition celebration, Rodriguez Braun warned that focusing solely on Sanchez's departure overlooks the key question of what Feijoo will do on his first day in office. The columnist stressed that voters require clarity on how conservative policies will generate genuine prosperity.
Although Feijoo has promised to lower taxes, he has not presented a clear strategy to reduce public spending. Rodriguez Braun reminded readers that during its previous term in government, the Popular Party subjected Spanish citizens to heavy tax increases.
The Popular Party last held national power under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy following the 2011 general election, when fiscal deficits prompted significant tax rises. Public debt, spending levels, and taxation remain central economic battlegrounds in Spanish elections.
Campaign countdown to November election
With weeks remaining before the November 29 election, both political camps are stepping up campaign activities across the country. Spanish voters will decide whether to maintain Sanchez's administration or hand leadership of the national government to Feijoo.
