Feijóo Opens PP Campaign in Badalona Ahead of Nov. 29 Election
Alberto Núñez Feijóo launched the Partido Popular's campaign for Spain's Nov. 29 election in Badalona, promising audits and a million homes.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the Partido Popular (PP, Spain’s main conservative party) candidate for prime minister, held his first campaign rally on Thursday evening in Badalona, just north of Barcelona. The official campaign for Spain’s general election on Nov. 29 starts at midnight between Thursday and Friday, according to the Catalan outlet El Nacional.
The rally took place at the Llefià municipal pavilion, in an area where the city’s mayor, Xavier García Albiol, is especially strong. Albiol won more than 60% of the vote in the 2023 municipal elections, and he is now also the PP’s candidate in Catalonia for the national vote.
What Feijóo promised
Feijóo aimed most of his speech at the incumbent, Socialist (PSOE) prime minister Pedro Sánchez, who is seeking re-election. He said Spain has fallen behind under Sánchez and that everything works worse.
If elected, Feijóo said he would order what he called an “audit of the plunder” to trace where each euro went, and an “audit of decency” to find out where trains and housing are. He also promised a million homes and blamed the Spanish government for railway accidents. He criticised Wednesday’s “electoral strike” and said that on Nov. 29 Spaniards would vote rather than strike.
On Catalonia, Feijóo said that during the independence push, the region had a single topic. He said Catalans, like Galicians, are Spanish and do not need to ask permission or apologise for it.
Albiol’s three themes
Albiol built his message around three points. The first is a law against squatting (ocupació), which he said he would pursue if the PP governs. The second is irregular immigration, and he asked Sánchez to explain why irregular migrants are being sent to Catalonia. The third is repeat offending.
Albiol said he does not want to change anyone’s ideology and wants to set these priorities regardless of voters’ political feelings. Alejandro Fernández, who leads the PP in the Parliament of Catalonia, opened the event.
Why it matters
Catalonia is a battleground for the PP, according to El Nacional, which argues Feijóo needs a good result in the region to reach the Moncloa, the prime minister’s office. Starting in Badalona, a PP stronghold, lets the party open with a friendly crowd.
For residents of Barcelona and its surroundings, the campaign themes (housing, squatting, immigration and rail service) are the ones that touch daily life in the region. Spanish citizens vote on Nov. 29, and the campaign runs until then.
Source: go.eln.cat
