Spain’s conservative People’s Party launched its electoral manifesto in Madrid on Tuesday in the run-up to the Nov. 29 snap election, as almost all pollsters point to a looming coalition of the PP and far-right Vox.
The PP already set out some of these measures in the ‘Contract with Spain’ — a list of commitments modeled on the 1994 Republicans’ ‘Contract with America’ — which PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo signed on Oct. 19. They also mirror those of the European People’s Party in the European Parliament.
Here are five ways in which the PP plans to take Spain in a dramatically different direction after eight years of Socialist rule.
1. Clampdown on migration
The PP plans to harden Spain’s stance on immigration — a move that goes hand in hand with Vox.
The conservatives “will promote agreements to establish return centers in third countries,” following in the footsteps of other EU countries such as Denmark and Germany, which are already exploring this option. They will propose deportation as “the standard procedure” for migrants convicted of sexual, violent and repeated offenses.
The party will ban future mass regularizations such as Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s move to grant legal status to 500,000 people — which Feijóo has fiercely criticized. The PP will also make it mandatory for foreign nationals who want to renew their temporary residence to sign an “integration agreement,” learn Spanish and become “familiar with the Constitution and the values of the EU.”
2. Not so green
As first reported in POLITICO’s Madrid Playbook, five nuclear plants would see their licenses extended. The PP will also relax climate rules, putting “an end to the imposition of unrealistic timelines,” based on three factors: “What is happening in the rest of the world, the technology that is available at the moment and changes in demand.”
On data centers, the manifesto calls for additional capacity on the electricity grid to meet Spain’s demand. On the fiscal side of energy, the document proposes to “immediately eliminate the 7% tax on electricity production and reduce fixed-rate energy contracts.”
3. All quiet on the foreign front
While Sánchez has been particularly vocal on foreign policy, criticizing Israel for its war in Gaza and the U.S. administration, at times diverging from most of his European partners, the PP will keep a lower profile.
The conservatives will have a “stable and predictable” policy focused on aligning Spain with the wider European consensus and prioritizing its relationship with Latin America.
The PP, usually dominated by pro-Atlanticist figures, also calls for a “balanced and strong relationship between the United States and Spain,” marking a shift in tone from the strained relationship between Sánchez and U.S. President Donald Trump.
On the southern flank, the PP will have a “policy of balance with Morocco and Algeria” but steers clear of a tougher line on Rabat after July’s Ceuta crisis. On Western Sahara — on which the Socialists made a dramatic shift by backing Morocco’s 2007 autonomy plan — the PP says that it will support the United Nation’s efforts, but it falls short of calling for self-determination for the Sahrawi people.
4. 1M more houses
On housing, one of the campaign’s flashpoints, the PP promises to build 1 million homes with a new land law and through streamlining building and renovation permits. It also proposes reducing VAT from 10% to 4% for first-time buyers under 40.
The party pledges to repeal the housing law, which allows regional governments to enforce caps on rent in the so-called “stressed zones,” areas in cities under extra pressure from tourism and a lack of rentals. The PP argues the caps reduce the supply of rental housing, pushing prices higher. It also calls for tax breaks for tenants and for landlords who renew leases.
The PP promises to make it possible to evict squatters within 48 hours, and has made Badalona Mayor Xavier García Albiol a key figure of its campaign on squatting.
5. Judicial and media overhaul
Some of the PP’s key proposals concern the renewal of institutions, as the PP has accused the Socialists of “invading” the state and “circumventing checks.”
The conservatives propose that the 12 judge members of the General Council of the Judiciary be elected by judges themselves, rather than through the main political parties. It also wants stricter eligibility requirements for members of the Constitutional Court.
The PP is also proposing changes to public broadcaster RTVE and to other institutions it has criticized as being too close to the government, such as public pollster the Center for Sociological Investigation.
It will call for an audit of public bodies within its first 100 days in office.
