Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s Partido Popular is no longer hiding its ambitions. As Pedro Sánchez faces mounting pressure, PP strategists are sketching out a future cabinet and weighing who could take charge of Spain’s most powerful ministries.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s team is drawing up plans for a possible move to La Moncloa, weighing trusted names for Spain’s most powerful ministries if the PP takes office. The preparations come as Pedro Sánchez faces mounting pressure and speculation about an early election.
PP strategists see Sánchez boxed in by legal deadlines and looming court cases. Sources close to Feijóo say the party expects Sánchez’s grip to weaken whether elections are held in November or pushed to spring. Their logic is blunt: the longer Sánchez waits, the more the PP stands to gain. Judicial cases could erode Sánchez’s authority and make Vox less of a threat in any coalition. On October 2, Congress rejected two major housing decrees. Reuters reported that the defeat dealt Sánchez’s government a setback and fueled talk of early elections. Several Spanish and international outlets reported on October 5 that the government was actively considering snap elections, with November 29 cited as a possible date.
Still, the PP’s inner circle sees a problem: there aren’t enough heavy hitters for the so-called Ministerios de Estado: Foreign Affairs, Defence and Interior. Its answer is to bring in senior civil servants and technocrats, many with roots in Galicia, Feijóo’s home turf. Loyalty and a proven record matter more than regional quotas.
Economic management sits at the core of the PP’s shadow plans. Two names keep coming up: Pablo Hernández de Cos, former Bank of Spain governor and now a candidate for the European Central Bank, and Francisco Conde, Feijóo’s longtime economic right hand in Galicia. Both are seen as steady, with Conde especially valued for his loyalty and experience. Juan Bravo and Alberto Nadal are also in the mix for economic posts. Feijóo wants familiar faces and technocrats. Multiple Spanish media outlets have confirmed these names as frontrunners for economic ministries, consistent with Feijóo’s vision of a cabinet run by experts.
Justice is another basic battle. José Luis Costa Pillado, a close Feijóo ally and current member of the General Council of the Judiciary, is a top contender. He is the only council member with an official office in Galicia. Feijóo’s reliance on his own circle could unsettle the party’s broader conservative base.
Feijóo has made housing the centerpiece of his alternative program, promising to present a plan within his first month in office and build 1 million homes during his term. The initiative is projected to create more than 600,000 jobs, information from figures cited in several reports on his recent speeches.
Foreign Affairs is the biggest unknown. Europe’s far right is rising, while Donald Trump’s possible return hangs over global institutions. The PP lacks international stars. Ildefonso Castro, the party’s international secretary and a former ambassador, is seen as solid but not a standout negotiator. Pablo García-Berdoy, a former EU ambassador, is a safe pick. The bench is thin, which poses a risk.
At home, the PP brushes aside criticism for voting down housing decrees in Congress. Leaders dismiss street protests as noise from “radicalized voters” already loyal to the left. They argue that Spain is a country of homeowners who see property as family security. That position has sharpened the campaign’s tone: the government and its allies now frame the election as a fight over housing policy. Reuters noted that the defeat of the housing decrees came amid growing public anger over the housing market, adding to pressure on Sánchez.
Feijóo does not want a single first vice president; he avoided that in Galicia. The aim is to prevent obvious successors and keep power close. Andalusia’s Juan Manuel Moreno is expected to have a say, but the core team will come from Feijóo’s trusted group. Regional balance is not the priority. Trust is.
As PP leaders watch for Sánchez’s next move, the party is preparing for government now. But the absence of clear picks for top jobs and its reliance on a tight inner circle could backfire if power changes hands quickly. The PP is betting on familiar faces in uncertain times, a strategy that could bring stability or leave Spain’s next government short-handed as it confronts tough challenges.
