Alberto Núñez Feijóo leads Spain’s most powerful party, but his personal ratings continue to fall. Surveys show less enthusiasm among PP voters, raising questions about his impact on the party’s prospects.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, at the helm of the Partido Popular (PP) after a series of electoral victories, is facing a notable drop in personal approval ratings, according to recent survey data. Despite the PP’s dominant position in national, regional, and European elections, Feijóo’s leadership is under scrutiny—not from within the party, but from the public’s tepid response to his candidacy. As reported by El País, the latest polls reveal that Feijóo’s appeal is lagging behind not only his main rivals, Pedro Sánchez and Santiago Abascal, but also behind several regional PP leaders.
While the PP remains the most voted party and holds significant institutional power, Feijóo’s personal ratings have slipped since he assumed leadership in 2022. The June CIS survey places his score at 3.79 out of 10, below Sánchez and Yolanda Díaz, and only marginally ahead of Abascal. More concerning for party strategists is Feijóo’s low rating among PP’s own voters—a trend confirmed by multiple polling agencies. This lack of enthusiasm within the party base is seen as a potential obstacle to attracting new supporters and retaining existing ones.
Feijóo’s decline is not limited to his core electorate. His ratings have also dropped among voters from PSOE and Vox, the two groups where the PP hopes to gain ground. Even among right-leaning nationalist voters, such as those from Junts and PNV, support for Feijóo has sharply decreased. When he took over the party, nearly 10% of Junts voters and over 30% of PNV voters expressed confidence in him; those figures have now fallen to near zero and just over 6%, respectively. This erosion of trust complicates any potential alliances with these parties in national politics.
Preference for Feijóo as prime minister also remains low. In the latest surveys, only 13.4% of respondents select him as their preferred candidate for La Moncloa, compared to 25% for Sánchez. Even among PP voters, some express a preference for Isabel Díaz Ayuso, despite her not being a candidate for national leadership. Feijóo’s standing is also weaker than that of PP candidates in recent regional elections, where local leaders have consistently outperformed him in their respective territories.
Analysts point to several factors behind Feijóo’s struggles. His attempt to position himself as a moderate, competent manager has been overshadowed by a confrontational tone that fails to match the emotional climate of current Spanish politics. Strategic shifts, especially in his approach to Vox, have further confused parts of the electorate. Additionally, Feijóo faces the classic challenge of national leaders without direct institutional power, often appearing less influential than regional barons who command their own administrations.
Despite these challenges, Feijóo’s team maintains that he remains strong on the ground, citing positive public interactions and the party’s continued dominance in setting the political agenda. However, the gap between the PP’s overall electoral strength and Feijóo’s personal appeal persists. In regions where the PP is traditionally strong, local leaders consistently achieve higher support than Feijóo does at the national level. For example, in recent regional contests, PP candidates in Extremadura, Andalucía, Aragón, and Castilla y León all secured higher vote shares than Feijóo’s projected support in those same areas for the general election.
For context, the PP’s current polling average stands at 29.7%, according to CIS and 40dB, which is below its result in the last general election and lower than its performance in recent regional votes. Experts suggest that the party’s inability to capitalize further on the PSOE’s difficulties may be linked to Feijóo’s limited personal traction. The situation highlights the importance of leadership appeal in Spanish politics, where party brands and individual charisma often determine electoral outcomes.
