PP considers Aznar over Feijóo as presidential candidate

PP weighs seismic shift: Feijóo out, Aznar in

What sounds like a December rumor has more substance than it appears. According to several internal sources, the People's Party (Partido Popular) is seriously considering replacing Alberto Núñez Feijóo as its presidential candidate and reinstating José María Aznar at the helm. An operation that, if confirmed, would reshape the political landscape and reopen wounds many believed were closed.

The masterstroke that would divide the PSOE

Among those defending this maneuver, the argument is that Aznar is the only profile capable of neutralizing accusations dogging the PP. With Feijóo, the opposition has focused on his past as president of Galicia’s regional government, tainted by a photo with a smuggler on a yacht. With Aznar, the debate would shift to the Iraq War and the 11-M terrorist attacks, two issues that, according to this analysis, the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) prefers not to disturb. "It would be a masterstroke," summarizes a veteran party member, aware that neither the left nor separatists have an interest in reopening that can of worms.

Ayuso, the alternative blocked by the party machine

However, not everyone views the former president's return favorably. A significant sector of the party and its social base backs Isabel Díaz Ayuso, whom they consider the only politician capable of mobilizing urban and young voters, especially outside Madrid. "She would mobilize more votes than Feijóo, except in Galicia," her supporters say. But the PP establishment sees her as a risk: too loud, too autonomous. An Ayuso candidacy would imply an unprecedented internal purge, according to some analysts, and would put the party's old structures in check.

Ghosts of the past: corruption and nostalgia

The discussion cannot ignore the PP's judicial burden. One of the starkest interventions recalls that eleven high-ranking party officials have been convicted, charged, or investigated for corruption: from Jaume Matas to Rodrigo Rato, including Francisco Álvarez-Cascos or Mariano Rajoy. "Count them, there are 11," summarize those who see the Aznar operation as an attempt to bury these files under the narrative of the Iraq War. The party's historical memory weighs heavily, and not everyone is willing to look the other way.

A cautious outlook

The operation is far from imminent. Internal resistance is huge, and polls do not yet endorse either Aznar or Ayuso against Pedro Sánchez, who remains the frontrunner in hypothetical elections according to surveys. If the PP does go ahead with Aznar, the impact would be immediate, but it risks opening a Pandora's box no one wants to unleash. Time will tell if it proves to be a strategic genius move or political suicide.