Feijóo adds more than 20,000 new members to the PP in his two years as president of the party

This increase in militants is part of the PP leader's strategy of "widening" the formation

MADRID, 7 Abr. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has added more than 20,000 new members to the PP in the two years he has been president, a fact that fits into his objective of "widening" the formation, either by attracting new militants or recovering old voters. who went to other political forces.

Specifically, since the Extraordinary Congress that was held in Seville on April 1 and 2, the party has 20,750 more people with a party card, as 'popular' sources have informed Europa Press, who have specified that there are also 1,500 more supporters.

The PP distinguishes between affiliate and sympathizer. "The full status of a sympathizer is acquired on the date on which their registration is reflected in the national census of the party. The acquisition of full status as a member will also require that the fee has been paid," the Statutes of the party state. training, which a few years ago set the minimum fee for members at 20 euros.

The PP has always been reluctant to provide the total number of members it has, despite boasting of being the party with the most militants in Spain. In 2018, after the motion of censure against Mariano Rajoy and before the extraordinary congress that was held to succeed him at the head of the PP, the party then reported that it had 869,535 members.

However, in the congressional processes it has been seen that many fewer members registered to participate. Thus, in 2018 Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría won the PP primaries in the first round with 21,513 votes, above Pablo Casado, who achieved 19,967 supports (but then defeated the vice president in the second round with the support of the delegates), and former minister María Dolores de Cospedal (15,090 votes).

The same thing happened in the conclave that in April 2022 elevated Alberto Núñez Feijóo to the Presidency of the PP to replace Casado, since there were 41,681 members registered to vote for him president, a figure even lower than the number of endorsements (50,000). that he had previously gathered to present his candidacy.

In any case, the PP has increased its members and sympathizers with the arrival of Feijóo to 'Génova 13', figures that were on the table at the meeting of the National Board of Directors - the highest body of the party between congresses - which Feijóo presided last Tuesday.

The 'leadership' of the PP maintains that it has 20,750 more new members since Feijóo's arrival in Madrid in 2022. A year ago at this same time, the PP detailed that since the extraordinary congress in Seville, 11,600 people had joined, so that more than 9,000 people have signed up for training in the last year.

This increase in membership coincides with the objective of "widening" the PP that Feijóo set with his arrival to the Presidency of the formation and which, according to sources from his team, has been reflected with the increase in territorial power in the last year. .

Thus, the 'popular' boast of governing for 70 percent of Spaniards and Feijóo himself has taken advantage of that regional and local support. "Two years ago our party had 22 fewer seats than the PSOE and today it has 16 more. Two years ago we only had 27 more seats than Vox and today we have 104. Two years ago we governed in five Autonomous Communities and in 10 provincial capitals and today We govern in 14 Autonomous Communities and 30 provincial capitals," he stated before the Board of Directors of the PP.

Of course, he highlighted that, although the PP governs many CCAA, he is not in Moncloa. "When I became President of our party in the PP, Feijóo and four others governed. And today almost all of you govern but Feijóo does not govern. So we have a task ahead of us," he exhorted them.

Before the senior staff of the PP, Feijóo also expressed himself convinced that "the alternative to the Government's excesses" will come with the reunification of a large majority, and the vindication of the Constitution, equal opportunities and coexistence "without submission of nobody to nobody."