The sanchismo crisis pushes PP further away from Vox: Feijóo's temptation

President of the Government and general secretary of PSOE, Pedro Sánchez, appeared yesterday to announce changes in the party's leadership. He announced the creation of a transition team until the federal congress on July 5. He also warned of his intention to exhaust the legislature, with the support of his investiture partners.

President Pedro Sánchez is trying to place the weight of the crisis on his party's organization secretariat to save his Government's integrity. Meanwhile, his partners are trying to apply pressure without threatening the Executive's stability. Even the weakest link, Podemos, has made it clear that there will be no motions of censure.

The other focus of attention is on the opposition, which the crisis of Sanchismo has divided even further. PP is resisting presenting a motion of censure that they believe would further strengthen President Pedro Sánchez. Vox is asking them to do so while calling on socialists untainted by corruption to rebel against their leader.

The crisis of Sanchismo has deepened the differences between PP and Vox. Polls clearly indicate the right-wing coalition as the government alternative preferred by Spaniards. But the populares seem to have other plans.

Copying Mertz's strategy in Germany

The crisis in PSOE, far from drawing PP to the right, has accelerated their search for the center. The key lies in the outcome of the power struggle within the socialist leadership. While President Pedro Sánchez holds on, Vox is Feijóo's only alternative. But if Sánchez falls and the moderates manage to force a consensus replacement, Génova will have a free hand to carry out the operation they've long dreamed of.

PP dreams of copying the strategy of the German CDU. That is, adopting the radical right's program to win the elections, then agreeing to a grand coalition with the socialists. This has led the German center-right to moderate many of their electoral proposals, especially regarding immigration.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo prefers to govern in a minority with external support from a PSOE without President Pedro Sánchez rather than be constrained by Vox's pressure in Government. His government program would resemble that of the investiture debate in September 2023. That is, a combination of conservative measures with others that are social democratic.

Recentralization and stabilization

This is not Spaniards' preferred option. But major financial powers see it as an opportunity to restore stability to the State. In addition, it would allow the country to turn the page on Sanchismo, and therefore on the plan to break up the state promoted by the alliance between the left and radical nationalisms.

Recentralization and stabilization, this is what the grand coalition currently advocated by Feijóo and his circle would offer. There is another consequence, which is that the centrist coalition would isolate the extremes, both Vox and Podemos. This would allow the reestablishment of bipartisanship, which has always been the foundation of institutional stability.

PP could take advantage of power to consolidate their growth at the expense of a more isolated Vox than ever in the opposition. PSOE would have time to recover from the crisis in which Sanchismo has placed them. Feijóo's temptation is great, but many things must change in PSOE first.