Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the Partido Popular (PP), sidestepped direct questions about whether Juanfran Pérez Llorca will be the party’s candidate for the Generalitat Valenciana in 2027, leaving the Valencian PP’s future leadership unresolved. The question remained open after a major PP event in Sueca, attended by more than 1,000 members and the Valencian executive. El Periódico reported that Feijóo was still declining to clarify the regional leadership question, a silence that has fed an internal contest within the Valencian PP.
The gathering, organized by Vicent Mompó, president of the PP’s provincial organization in Valencia, was closely watched for clues about the party’s next moves. Feijóo had recently backed other local leaders publicly, including confirming that Luís Barcala would run again for mayor of Alicante, but offered no comparable endorsement of Llorca and announced no plans for the long-awaited regional congress. The Generalitat presidency and the leadership of the Valencian PP are distinct positions. With the congress and candidate selection still unresolved, questions remain about both the party’s organization and its 2027 election strategy.
Llorca became president of the Generalitat after Carlos Mazón resigned amid the political crisis over his handling of the 29 October 2024 DANA. The Corts Valencianes proclaimed Llorca’s investiture on 27 November 2025, with 53 votes from the PP and Vox. He began presiding over the Consell on 2 December, and his new government was presented the following day, retaining the PP and Vox governing arrangement. The transition made Llorca head of the regional government but did not settle the party’s regional leadership or confirm him as its 2027 candidate.
The new Consell paired continuity with changes in responsibilities. Susana Camarero remained first vice-president, while Miguel Barrachina took over as government spokesperson. Camarero also lost responsibility for DANA management and social services. Llorca took charge of an administration inherited after the DANA crisis, while the PP’s longer-term organizational decisions remained unresolved.
Juan Bravo, the PP’s deputy secretary for Economy, said in an interview with À Punt Ràdio, as reported by El Español, that “everything points” to Llorca becoming the candidate, while stressing that no official appointments had been made in the Valencian Community or elsewhere. Bravo said the party’s immediate priority was the national election campaign and that regional decisions would follow. He also described Llorca as working to advance Feijóo’s political project, adding that Feijóo had asked him to take over the Generalitat after Mazón’s resignation.
That assessment does not amount to a formal nomination. At a planned PP event at València’s Palau de les Arts, the Valencian party presented Llorca alongside Feijóo and other regional figures, promoting the event as a demonstration that the region was “ready for change, alongside Alberto Núñez Feijóo.” Llorca’s presence reflected his operational importance within the regional party, but appearances at party events have not resolved the difference between being the leading prospective candidate and receiving an official designation.
During his Sueca speech, Feijóo turned to national politics, sharply criticizing the government led by Pedro Sánchez. He described Spain as undergoing severe institutional decline, citing the lack of approved national budgets and alleging corruption affecting Sánchez’s inner circle. Feijóo argued that the government’s failure to pass a budget showed it could not govern, and accused Sánchez of putting personal privileges ahead of effective leadership.
Feijóo also linked the government’s performance to what he called broader administrative paralysis. He cited power outages and healthcare disputes, along with delays in medical procedures. He said citizens should intervene through democratic means if a government could not govern. The PP leader also denounced what he called a decline in public ethics, citing cases involving Tito Berni and Koldo García, as well as José Luis Ábalos, and arguing that each new scandal deepened the moral crisis.
He was especially critical of former prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, questioning explanations about a large sum of money found in a safe and accusing Zapatero of misleading the public and compromising those around him. Feijóo said dishonesty had been demonstrated, regardless of the legal outcomes. These were political allegations made in his speech.
Addressing PSOE accusations concerning the so-called “cloacas del Estado,” or state dirty tricks, Feijóo turned the charge back on Sánchez, arguing that responsibility for any wrongdoing lay with the current government. He said ignorance of such activity would indicate incompetence, while awareness would imply corruption.
Feijóo also criticized Congress for blocking votes on motions calling for general elections, accusing Sánchez of fearing both the judiciary and the legislature. He said a growing majority of Spaniards wanted political change and expressed confidence that it was inevitable.
On regional matters, Feijóo addressed the contentious issue of autonomous-community financing, promising that the Comunitat Valenciana would be a priority for a future PP government. He pledged to end what he described as discrimination against the region and rejected bilateral deals with Catalonia or the Basque Country, arguing that funding should be fair across Spain. He described the Valencian Community as one of the country’s basic economic and demographic engines.
The unresolved nomination has become a test of relations between the national PP leadership and its Valencian organization. Reporting on the party’s plans identifies Llorca as the leading prospective candidate, but the regional congress and official selection remain unsettled. With the national election scheduled for 29 November 2026, Bravo’s comments point to the PP prioritizing that campaign before settling the Valencian candidacy. The debate continues alongside disputes over regional financing and the political legacy of Mazón’s departure after the DANA crisis.
