The Catalan branch of the Partido Popular (PP) has launched a renewed campaign to expand its influence across the region and play a decisive role in the 2027 general elections. In the 2023 election, the PSOE won 19 of Catalonia’s 48 seats in the Congress of Deputies, compared with six for the PP. Nationally, but, the PP finished first with 33.05% of the vote and 136 seats, ahead of the PSOE, which won 31.70% and 122 seats. The PP did not secure a governing majority; Pedro Sánchez was able to form a government with parliamentary support from other parties.
Central to this new approach is a clear ambition: to become the “Casa Gran de la Cataluña real,” echoing the strategy Convergència once used to broaden its appeal beyond its traditional base. The phrase, now adopted by new Catalan PP secretary general Juan Fernández, signals a shift toward engaging a wider spectrum of voters disillusioned with the legacy of the procés and the current socialist leadership. Catalonia’s 48 congressional seats make it Spain’s second-largest constituency after Andalusia, giving even incremental gains potential significance for Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s national prospects.
Leadership changes have been central to this change. Lorena Roldán, closely aligned with outgoing leader Alejandro Fernández, will take over as spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament. The move is seen as an effort to unify the party after years of internal friction and ensure that the regional leadership is fully aligned with Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s national objectives. Feijóo has said there is “room to grow” in Catalonia, where the PP increased its representation in the Catalan Parliament from three seats to 15 in the 2024 regional election.
The PP’s strategy focuses on strengthening its territorial presence, with plans to increase activity in every comarca and municipality. The party believes that addressing what it calls the “real problems” of Catalans, including economic stagnation and dissatisfaction with the aftermath of the independence movement, can attract voters who are “tired of socialism and decline.” The electoral arithmetic underscores the importance of local campaigning: in 2023, the PP reportedly fell 366 votes short of taking a seat from Junts in Girona and 3,502 votes short of winning the PSOE’s second seat in Lleida.
Party insiders describe Feijóo’s approach as pragmatic, emphasizing that electoral support is the basic to influence within the party. The leadership is determined to replicate the success of José María Aznar’s 2000 campaign, when the PP achieved its best-ever result in Catalonia with 12 congressional seats. Its six seats in 2023 were half that benchmark. With Vox and Aliança Catalana rising in recent polls, the PP is also working to protect its electoral space from further fragmentation on the right. Vox won 12.39% of the national vote and 33 seats in 2023, while Junts and other Catalan parties remain impressive competitors in closely contested constituencies.
As the party prepares for upcoming municipal and general elections, it is betting on a message of unity and renewal. The leadership argues that Salvador Illa, the current socialist leader in Catalonia, may face growing challenges because of his close ties to Sánchez and ongoing controversies. Meanwhile, Junts is still redefining its ideological stance, while ERC is seen as representing a phase many Catalans want to move beyond. The 2024 regional result, 15 PP seats in the Catalan Parliament, shows the party’s recent growth, though it is a different contest from a general election and its results are not directly interchangeable with congressional seats.
This recalibration in Catalonia comes amid broader national tensions, including recent calls from Junts for Sánchez to step down to prevent a far-right government, a development covered in detail in recent political analysis. The PP’s leadership sees the current moment as an chance to position itself as the basic alternative for voters seeking change.
Catalonia has long been a challenging region for the PP, whose best results there have historically fallen short of those in other parts of Spain. Official results published by Spain’s Interior Ministry show the regional contrast in 2023: although the PP led nationally, the PSOE was the most-voted party in Catalonia. The party’s new strategy reflects its recognition that national success in 2027 will depend heavily on its ability to gain ground in this basic region. By focusing on local issues and presenting itself as a credible alternative to the left and the remnants of the independence movement, the PP hopes to reshape the political field ahead of the next electoral cycle.
