A congress with Mazón?

Alberto Núñez Feijóo became president of the PP three years ago in an extraordinary congress that ended the leadership of Pablo Casado, elected in a turbulent primary and who had dared to challenge Isabel Díaz Ayuso. This ultimately cost him his position. Feijóo's calling card to the party members was that of a good manager who had governed with successive absolute majorities in Galicia and who arrived with the intention of reaching state pacts with Pedro Sánchez's government. But from the opposition, it is impossible to manage, and the agreements with the coalition government have only materialized in one: the renewal of the General Council of the Judiciary. They have not gone any further.

After winning the elections, Feijóo thought Sánchez wouldn't last long, that his coalition government was stillborn, and that his allies would end up abandoning him at the first opportunity. That wasn't the case, and he struggled to accept the long-term government and define an opposition project.

At the 2017 PP conclave, Vox still had no parliamentary representation.

During this time, the PP leader has pursued a policy of saying no to everything and wearing down the government. He has positioned himself against and voted with Vox on important issues, such as the omnibus decree that included the revaluation of pensions, arguing that the proposal meant giving away a "small palace to the PNV," or more recently on anti-tariff aid.

The congress convened for July seeks to strengthen its political vision ahead of future legislative elections, as well as update the party's ideology and organizational structure—which it has modified twice without ever feeling comfortable with—to bolster its image, which has often been questioned in the media and politically.

It's been eight years, since Mariano Rajoy's administration, since the PP held a conclave, and much has changed in the political situation since 2017. Back then, Vox had no representation in Congress and posed no threat to the PP. Now, the situation is different, and although there are already voices, such as that of Andalusian President Juanma Moreno Bonilla, advising "not to waste time with Vox," the agreements reached in city councils and autonomous communities suggest otherwise.

Feijóo takes the reins of the party, but it seems difficult to spur on the membership ahead of the upcoming election without addressing the anomaly that is hampering the PP's interests in the Valencian Community. Carlos Mazón is the elephant in the room for the PP, and the PP leader must make a decision as soon as possible on the future of the Valencian president. If he doesn't, Mazón will once again be an awkward figure at the July meeting, as was the case at the EPP congress. This time, sending him on a trip won't work.