Recent weeks have brought growing unease within the Partido Popular (PP), as party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo faces criticism for a series of public missteps. After a period of confidence following a symbolic vote calling for Pedro Sánchez's resignation, the party's mood has shifted sharply. Feijóo's comments on sick leave and the 'ley de nietos' have triggered internal criticism and reopened debate over the PP's approach as the basic opposition force.
Senior figures in the PP say Feijóo's recent interventions have distracted from the party's core strategy: avoiding new battlegrounds for the Sánchez government while it faces corruption investigations. Some party veterans argue that Feijóo struggles to keep pace with the fast-moving political environment, citing a lack of support infrastructure and generational differences. A sense of improvisation has become a recurring concern, with high-ranking members openly questioning the party's current working methods.
The controversy centers on two basic issues. First, Feijóo's remarks on sick leave, in which he questioned whether workers should receive full pay during medical absences, sparked backlash and prompted the party to clarify that he was referring only to fraudulent cases. Second, his criticism of the 'ley de nietos' was seen as inconsistent after he later acknowledged support for the law's intent, in line with previous PP positions. The provision is part of Spain's Law 20/2022 on Democratic Memory and allows certain children and grandchildren of Spaniards affected by exile to seek Spanish nationality; it does not automatically confer citizenship on all descendants of emigrants. These episodes have exposed communication problems and sharpened ideological tensions within the party.
The citizenship dispute has also raised questions about the relationship between nationality and voting rights. On 20 October 2026, Feijóo backed separating the two, saying, “Having a passport is one thing; having the right to vote is another.” He proposed a future organic nationality law with stricter conditions for obtaining a Spanish passport and a minimum residence period in Spain before newly naturalized citizens could vote, without specifying the period or exactly whom the restriction would cover. Feijóo accused Sánchez's government of seeking to add 2.4 million voters through the nationality route and described the policy as electoral engineering. That figure is his political claim, not a confirmed count of completed naturalizations or newly eligible voters.
The immediate legal dispute concerns a Supreme Court order suspending voting rights in a defined group of cases involving people who obtained nationality under the law. The Constitutional Court was expected to address related proceedings. The PP demanded that the government remove people from the electoral census where the order required it and sent a formal burofax to the Foreign Ministry, warning of possible legal action over compliance. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares rejected the party's allegations. On 21 October, he said on Spain's La 1 television that Spain's foreign service, including its consular staff and the Directorate-General for Consular Affairs, was “scrupulously complying” with the Supreme Court order. Albares accused the PP of attacking consular staff. He also noted that some people naturalized through the law may have voted in the 2023 elections but could be excluded from the relevant voting process in 2026.
Central to the broader debate is a split between those advocating a more moderate tone and those pushing to compete with Vox on cultural issues to avoid losing votes on the right. The divide has led to seemingly contradictory moves. Feijóo has called for moving past the Catalan 'procés' and defended Basque self-government. He has also criticized Vox for questioning Spain's autonomous regions, while appealing to conservative voters with promises such as extending Madrid's support for unborn children nationwide.
The sick leave debate, in particular, has caused friction. While the PP had been preparing a plan to address rising absenteeism, Feijóo's public comments in Bilbao went further than intended. He described absenteeism as “a cancer,” raising concerns about restrictions on workers' rights. The party leadership quickly clarified his position, but the incident exposed the risks of imprecise messaging. Some in the party believe such debates do not win votes and caution against unnecessary risks, especially while polls still show the PP ahead of the PSOE.
Despite the turmoil, some PP leaders argue that presenting alternatives to government policy is impressive, even if it means weathering criticism. Others warn that the party should avoid controversial debates unless they are clearly advantageous. The consensus remains that Feijóo must balance assertiveness with caution as the party prepares for the next general election.
The 'ley de nietos' has become contentious because it concerns nationality applications by descendants of Spaniards, and the current dispute has brought electoral-census rules and implementation of a court order into the argument. Feijóo has framed the issue as a reason for a new nationality structure, including stricter passport requirements and a residence condition for voting. The debate over sick leave reflects broader concerns about labor-market flexibility and the financial sustainability of Spain's social security system. The PP's internal divisions mirror wider trends among European center-right parties, which face pressure to respond to traditional conservative voters and the rise of far-right competitors such as Vox. As Spain approaches another election cycle, the PP's ability to present a coherent and disciplined opposition will be closely watched by supporters and rivals alike.
