Feijóo summons his team in Congress this Tuesday to prepare the Debate of the Nation and show the "alternative" of PP

Bendodo sees Sánchez's delay in calling this debate as a "democratic anomaly", something that he sees as an "insult" to Congress

MADRID, 4 Jul. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has called this Tuesday a meeting in Congress with the Popular Group led by Cuca Gamarra to start working on the "axes" of the Debate on the State of the Nation that starts in a week in the Plenary of the Lower House, an appointment in which he wants to show that the PP is the "alternative" to the Government of Pedro Sánchez.

This has been announced by the general coordinator of the PP, Elías Bendodo, who has described Sánchez's delay in calling the Debate on the State of the Nation as a "democratic anomaly" -- it has not been done for seven years and he has been in Moncloa since 2018--, which is "an insult to Congress."

Bendodo recalled that since 1983 Spain has held 25 debates of this type when it was promoted by the socialist Felipe González. "Everyone has celebrated them with some regularity, except one: Pedro Sánchez. This is no coincidence, but rather the deterioration of the Government's institutions seems unstoppable," he proclaimed, adding that the chief executive "has plenty" of institutions and " They all have to bend to their interests".

In any case, Bendodo has indicated that the Debate of the Nation is "an opportunity" to show that Spain has "a clear and prepared alternative" to govern, led by the PP and Feijóo. "The Popular Party is not the opposition but the alternative and that can be seen in that debate and in the proposals for resolutions that they present", he has abounded.

In addition, Bendodo has indicated that if Sánchez believes that the PP has "dark interests" he will have to "tell Feijóo to his face" because he will be sitting on the bench of the Popular Group in the Congress chamber.

In his view, these statements by the chief executive show his "degree of nervousness" and he should "assume once and for all" that Spain "is not going to get out of the current situation without counting on the PP." As he has said, with the "extreme left", Bildu and the separatists, Spain is not going to get out of the crisis nor is it going to manage to lower inflation.

Although the leader of the PP will attend the Debate on the state of the Nation, it will be the general secretary of the party and spokesperson for the Popular Group who will reply to the Prime Minister in the speakers' gallery.

The PP has consulted the lawyers to see if there was any possibility that Feijóo, who has been a senator since May 25, could go up to the congressional speakers' rostrum for this general policy debate that has not been held since 2015 , according to 'popular' sources.

The legal services have confirmed that Feijóo will not be able to intervene in this debate and, therefore, it will be Cuca Gamarra who will establish the position of the Popular Party. Of course, it will be the first time that the leader of the opposition - who was elected president of the party on April 2 in Seville - sits in the hemicycle of the Lower House, a photo with which the party will focus media coverage on the first day of this event.

As of July 13, when the second day of the Debate of the Nation is held, the PP has convened its Summer School in San Lorenzo de El Escorial (Madrid) and Feijóo is expected to attend.

For the moment, PP sources have confirmed that Feijóo will be on the first day of the Debate of the Nation in Congress but have indicated that they could not yet specify if he will be there one more day or if he will be absent to attend the Summer School. Of course, in Genoa they have stressed that the PP conference had been planned for quite some time and the Debate of the Nation was convened on Friday.