Feijóo clears the way: green light to negotiate with Junts and heading toward the grand coalition

The crisis in President Pedro Sánchez's Government due to the corruption scandals affecting PSOE has shifted the focus of attention to PP. The main opposition party has the responsibility to develop a strategy to force an alternative. Feijóo has been searching for weeks for a way to bring down Sánchez and finally conquer Moncloa.

So far, his strategy has been limited to calling for a large mobilization against Sánchez and testing the Government's partners for a possible motion of no confidence. However, Sánchez, who initially seemed to want to throw in the towel, has decided to see the legislature through to the end. This forces Feijóo to take further steps, and above all, clarify what he plans to do from now on.

The path is gradually becoming clearer, and PP's National Congress taking place this Saturday will be key. The most belligerent sector regarding agreements with Junts has lifted the veto, while authorized voices in PP are now openly pushing for the grand coalition. 

Green light to negotiate with Junts

Alejandro Fernández had led the sectors dissatisfied with PP's approach to Junts. The president of PP in Catalonia has finally given up including in the Political Report of the National Congress the veto on "parties that want to subvert the constitutional order." In exchange, the commitment to a policy of agreements guided by "the defense of the State, the nation, and the constitutional order" will be included.

This paves the way for Alberto Núñez Feijóo to explore an agreement with Junts in view of a possible motion of no confidence. Also, if it were to fail, for future Government agreements. Although right now, Feijóo doesn't plan to form an executive with Puigdemont's party.

According to the polls, two major possibilities are now opening up for Feijóo, and Junts is not included in either. The first is a government with Vox that, according to the polls, would comfortably surpass the absolute majority and would not need external support. The second is the grand coalition with PSOE, which would also not need more parties.

Heading toward the grand coalition

In recent hours, former Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has openly advocated for a coalition with the socialists. He has referred to the example of Germany, where Mertz turned his back on the anti-immigration party AfD and opted for a centrist government with the social democrats. Rajoy has recalled that in 2015 he himself explored this path, and later won the elections by increasing his lead.

Rajoy represents an influential and increasingly majority sector that is trying to pull Feijóo toward a centrist government. They believe this would strengthen the two-party system, which has been in crisis since the emergence of parties like Podemos and Vox. Meanwhile, by isolating the extremes, it would allow for a smooth transition toward the recovery of consensus and institutional prestige.

These sectors distrust a government with Santiago Abascal, which would increase political tension and end up dragging PP toward Vox's radical positions. In Rajoy's words, it is necessary to avoid formulas that "kill centralism, polarize society, increase populism, and reduce politics to a war of factions."

The path to follow is the investiture debate led by Feijóo in September 2023. The then presidential candidate presented a government program that appealed to consensus, including social democratic measures. This not only allows him to absorb part of the socialist electorate, but also to deal a blow to sanchismo.

In short, then, Feijóo's intentions in the face of PSOE's crisis are becoming clearer: lift the veto on Junts for possible agreements to bring down Sánchez and then build a new hegemony alongside a post-Sánchez PSOE.