The Partido Popular (PP) has sharpened its criticism of the Spanish left by invoking unrest in France, adding friction to its political relationship with Paris. At a Madrid event on 19 October 2026, PP president Alberto Núñez Feijóo presented the party’s “Contract with Spain,” a programme setting out 12 commitments. He said Spaniards had an chance to turn away from the path represented by the images coming from France and urged voters to express their discontent at the ballot box.
Feijóo framed the unrest as evidence of violence encouraged by the radical left, making events in France part of the PP’s domestic political argument ahead of the 29 November election. Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares condemned the violence as “unbearable” and “entirely condemnable,” while distinguishing violent acts from the rights to demonstrate and strike. The same events have thus been used to advance competing political messages in Spain.
Feijóo’s remarks came amid wider tensions over the Spain-France relationship and the PP’s opposition to the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. The party has also sought to expand its international profile beyond Europe, presenting closer ties with Latin America as a strategic priority. Its stated ambition is to build connections with conservative movements across the region and position the PP as a European interlocutor for Ibero-American partners.
That international strategy also reflects competition for influence on the right. Vox has built relationships in Latin America through its Disenso foundation, while the PP has pursued its own contacts with conservative and right-leaning political figures. The party has engaged with figures such as Argentina’s Javier Milei and Colombia’s Abelardo de la Espriella. Peru’s Fujimorismo has also drawn its attention. The effort gives the PP a platform to distinguish its foreign-policy profile while appealing to a broader conservative constituency.
Former prime minister and honorary president of the Partido Popular de Galicia Mariano Rajoy has, in a separate intervention, urged party supporters to help Feijóo, saying the PP leader “needs us to be active.” His appeal focused on mobilising the party, reinforcing the importance of cohesion as Feijóo seeks to lead it through political competition at home and abroad.
The PP’s positioning on France and its outreach to Latin America form part of a wider contest with Sánchez’s government over Spain’s international role. The party has also criticised the government’s approach to the EU-UK agreement on Gibraltar, arguing that Madrid should protect Spain’s negotiating position. These disputes show how foreign policy has become another arena for domestic political conflict, as the PP seeks to present itself as a leading voice for conservative cooperation across Europe and Latin America.
