Francisco Camps Claims 300 Signatures to Participate in PP Congress. Former Valencian president Francisco Camps has announced the collection of 300 signatures to enter the regional congress of the Partido Popular. He is demanding equal conditions with the current leadership and has presented new polling data showing him as the leading candidate.
A leadership struggle is unfolding in the Valencia branch of the Partido Popular: Francisco Camps, despite lacking support from the party leadership, has announced the collection of 300 signatures to nominate his candidacy at the upcoming congress. According to him, the required number of signatures was gathered in just two days, with significant backing coming from Alicante province and the Marina Baixa area.
Conflict with the leadership
Camps openly demands that the party offer equal conditions to him and the current president of the Generalitat, Juanfran Pérez Llorca, who heads the PPCV’s interim structure. In Camps' view, Llorca has already launched an unofficial campaign by placing billboards throughout the region. The former head of government insists on access to party lists to communicate with fellow members and emphasizes that his loyalty to Llorca as acting president remains unchanged.
Betting on sociology
On Thursday, Camps presented a new public opinion poll, personally funded by him, in which he emerges as the most popular Partido Popular candidate in Valencia and across the region. According to the data, 71.4% of PP and VOX voters support an absolute majority, while Camps surpasses both the incumbent mayor María José Catalá and Llorca himself in popularity. This is the second similar poll in the last three months, both funded by Camps himself.
Plans and conditions
Camps stated that he intends to run even if offered a post by the national party leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo, and categorically ruled out creating an alternative political structure. He also emphasized that he will not run if polling data shows an absolute majority for the PP; however, according to him, there is currently no such trend. If he wins the congress, Camps plans to seek the presidency of the Generalitat again—for the fourth time since 2003.
Context and reaction
The situation around the regional PP congress remains tense: the date has not yet been announced, but Camps suggests that a decision may be made after the Andalusian elections. He also reported having a 'safety reserve' of signatures in case of possible administrative difficulties. Camps dismissed the question of whether his participation could be an obstacle to convening the congress, stressing the transparency of his intentions and his conviction that the party needs a new direction.
Amid internal strife within the Partido Popular in Valencia, political competition is also intensifying in other regions of Spain. For example, Carmen Romero recently commented on the pressure on the prime minister’s family and internal differences within the PSOE, reflecting a broader rise in tensions in Spanish politics—learn more about this in the article on Carmen Romero’s reaction to the situation around Pedro Sánchez.
