Overview
- Feijóo began finalizing sweeping changes to the PP’s candidate lists this week, telling territorial leaders that he will make the final selections for key provinces including Barcelona, Valencia, Zaragoza, Vizcaya and Pontevedra.
- The Madrid number-two post remains undecided, with Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo a leading contender backed by Ayuso’s camp and Alma Ezcurra also under consideration, a choice seen as signaling how the PP will compete with Vox for right‑leaning voters.
- A statement this week by PP spokesperson Ester Muñoz that “the system va a petar” sparked an internal row and forced Feijóo to publicly guarantee that pensions will be updated in line with the IPC and called pensions “innegociables.”
- The government has seized the issue, promising an IPC-linked revalorization before year‑end to reassure pensioners and to turn the controversy into a campaign advantage against the PP and Vox.
- Regional dynamics shape list decisions: Miguel Tellado is being discussed for A Coruña and Galicia retains strong influence over candidate placement, while the 2023 pension reform that tied annual updates to the IPC and set an evaluation mechanism remains the legal backdrop to current promises.