Alberto Núñez Feijóo stated during the campaign launch event in Almendralejo that the result of the next elections in Extremadura could be a turning point not only for the region but for the entire country. According to Europa Press, the leader of the Popular Party claimed that his party had the chance to consolidate the “change” through broad support for candidate María Guardiola, warning that the continuation of the current political scenario would only perpetuate administrative and legislative paralysis.
According to Europa Press, Feijóo described the previous period in Extremadura as a period marked by instability and attributed the lack of a budget agreement to responsibility for blocking initiatives in key areas such as infrastructure, public services, care for the elderly and industrial development. The popular leader pointed out that the merging of votes between PSOE and Vox complicated the viability of regional budgets, which, in his opinion, stalled policies aimed at regional well-being and investments.
The Europa Press medium explained in detail that Feijóo insisted on the relevance of broad participation in the next elections, stressing to militants and sympathizers that insufficient mobilization would benefit the PSOE and prolong stagnation. He warned of the danger of trusting polls and called on his party to make special efforts to ensure its presence in municipalities and districts as well as direct contact with residents until the end of election day.
During his speech, accompanied by the traditional display of posters and the presence of Abel Bautista, Secretary General of the PP of Extremadura, Feijóo summarized the importance of the election: “Either María Guardiola wins with violence, or Extremadura loses through the blockade and paralysis,” he explained, according to Europa Press. The popular candidate urged voters to avoid the risk of a split vote and specifically called for their full support to the project led by Guardiola.
According to Europa Press, Feijóo defended that if the required majority is achieved, the other parliamentary forces will have to facilitate the establishment of the list with the most votes, and reiterated the PP’s commitment to abstain from voting if it is not the victorious force, and called for the reciprocity of the remaining formations so as not to hinder the ability to govern. He presented this proposal as a way to prevent “those who want nothing to change from continuing to farm Extremadura as if it were their farm.”
The Europa Press newspaper reported that Feijóo interpreted the repetition of the blockade not as a result of defending citizens’ interests, but rather as a partisan tactic promoted by opposition groups. The popular leader defined it as “fundamental” to unite support for María Guardiola, distinguishing between the general interest and the party interest, which, in his opinion, prevented progress on laws and autonomous reforms in the last legislative period.
As part of the intervention, Feijóo extended his analysis to national politics. As described by Europa Press, he accused Pedro Sánchez’s central executive of maintaining a similar dynamic of paralysis through pacts of convenience and alliances in support of the government, without, in his opinion, a clear mandate from citizens. He linked the autonomous situation to a general context of institutional weakness, the lack of updated budgets and management that prioritizes maintaining power over promoting new policies.
Europa Press reported that the early calling of elections in Extremadura was presented as a logical consequence of the conflict between the parties and the impossibility of reaching agreement on fundamental legislative issues, in particular the approval of public finances. Feijóo emphasized the importance of budgets to strengthen the network of essential services and promote economic development; He blamed the PSOE and Vox for prolonging a situation of insecurity to the detriment of citizens.
Addressing his party’s strategy, Europa Press reported that Feijóo appreciated María Guardiola’s decision to give the voice back to the citizens by calling new elections and interpreted it as an act of responsibility in the face of the parliamentary deadlock. He explained that high participation would allow us to break through the stagnation and give way to a phase focused on effective dialogue, prosperity and institutional stability, and extend this purpose to the national political context when the model of change is replicated.
During the event that brought together party members and officials in the city of Badajoz, Feijóo reiterated the importance of “multiplying efforts” during the election campaign, crediting the outcome of these elections with the ability to define both the future governance capacity in Extremadura and the dynamics of the state as a whole. According to Europa Press, the PP president warned that only a clear victory would prevent a prolongation of the current stagnation and usher in a phase of greater predictability and efficiency in regional and national administration.