The People's Party chooses Casado as president and turns right

Yesterday, the Popular Party took its right turn with the election of Pablo Casado as successor to Mariano Rajoy within the conservative conglomerate. The 37-year-old MP will have the task of leading the first force of the political opposition in Spain, hit by corruption cases and his expulsion from power by the Socialists two months ago.

who were called to vote 3,082 delegates, Casado won with 57% support to his rival, the former vice president of government and right Rajoy Soraya Senz of Santamara. The party opted for the generational and ideological relief proposed by Casado, with no government experience but with an ascending trajectory, which began in the political world as a collaborator of the former president of the government Jos Mara Aznar (1996-2004 ). "Today begins a new stage" in which the PP returns to "try to win back the hearts of all Spaniards, after the hard weeks we had to live as a political party," said the leader of the conservatives In his first speech he referred to the motion of censure with which, on June 1, the Socialists succeeded in sending Rajoy back to the presidency of the government. "The Popular Party is back (…) we are again ready to lead this society," he added in his speech

Casado, which belongs to a new generation of Spanish political leaders and defines itself as " liberal conservative ", was until yesterday responsible for communications from the PP. In what some call a "right turn," he promised a "stronger and more united" party and maintains a rhetoric for the life, the family, the dignity of the victims of terrorism. ETA and "firmness" against the Catalan separatist challenge.

In recent times, the deputy has already emerged as an emerging value of the PP, which confirmed in the July 5 primary elections, when he was the second most voted candidate by the militants, remaining behind Santamara. On this occasion, the four other candidates who were defeated, including former Secretary General and former Defense Minister Mara Dolores of Cospedal, decided to support him.

Despite a series of questions about obtaining some of his professional titles Married remained firm to arrive at the final vote, supported by much of Rajoy's ex-ministers. Previously, he had rejected Santamara's offer to appear on a joint list run by her.

With his election, the PP "opted for a programmatic party" instead of "a more technocratic model" like Santamara ", He told" El Mercurio "Javier Redondo Carlos III University of Madrid: "It is presented as a return to programmatic essences because the PP had chosen to be a management party. The party breaks with Rajoy's style, "adds the expert.

His biggest challenges will be raising the party – hit by the corruption scandal known as the Grtel affair. , which ends up costing him to leave the government – prepare him for the 2019 municipal and regional elections and, most importantly, win the next general election, presumably in 2020.

In addition, must deal with the rise of citizens (C) , center-right training who, under the leadership of Albert Rivera, MP for one year more than Casado, he took up space on the political scene. In recent years, he "robbed" many of the three million votes that the party lost between the elections of 2011 and 2016, and in the surveys maintains a business promotion

That's why Casado will soon have to "convene a programmatic convention, renew the party's executive committee and nominate candidates for the next ines local and regional elections as soon as possible. The struggle with C is difficult and will not be resolved soon. He must try to regain his footing without entering into an open confrontation that the center-right electorate does not understand, "Redondo explains.

In this sense, the new president of the PP announces his intention to integrate his rival's team in the new leadership of the party "Now we must integrate and we must work together. And I will do it, "badured Santamara.