PP Proposes Reform for New Representative Primary Election System
On Wednesday, the Popular Party (PP) introduced a proposal aimed at reforming the election process for its presidential candidates, shifting to a representative primary system advocated by Alberto Núñez Feijóo. This new system would have party members vote for a closed list of delegates alongside a candidate. However, this proposal has not taken into account the preferences of influential figures like Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the President of the Community of Madrid, who recently expressed her support for a 'one member, one vote' system that would grant party affiliates more direct control.
Following the release of a statutory report that outlines this proposal, a window for submitting amendments to modify it either partially or wholly has opened. This sets the stage for Ayuso or her allies to potentially challenge the new proposal, which is expected to be voted on during the PP's XXI Congress, taking place in Madrid from July 4 to 6.
The statutory report is spearheaded by several key figures, including Fernando López Miras, the President of the Region of Murcia; María Guardiola, the President of the Junta of Extremadura; Gema Igual, the Mayor of Santander; and Dani Sirera, the PP spokesman in the Barcelona City Council. They presented the proposal at an event in Murcia, where they clarified that the reform is intended to strengthen the relationship between delegates—who are elected by the membership—and the candidate for the presidency. Under the new rules, members will cast their votes for both a candidate and a list of delegates supporting that candidate, thereby ensuring a more coherent decision-making process for the Congress.
Another noteworthy alteration is the shift towards a more parliamentary-style election, whereby a single list—comprising one candidate—will emerge victorious in each province, combining all provincial votes into one. Furthermore, the requirements for presenting a candidacy will be raised significantly; candidates will now need at least 500 endorsements from party members spread over a minimum of 25 provinces, a substantial increase from the current requirement of just 100 endorsements. This change seeks to highlight candidates with stronger national profiles and discourage nominations with weak regional ties.
Despite these upcoming changes, the national congress will still include a vote; however, members will have prior knowledge of which delegates have been chosen and the candidate they support. This process allows native delegates—those with inherent rights—to participate meaningfully, with the XXI Congress set to witness the largest representation in its history, featuring 584 native delegates out of a total of 3264.
Currently, the PP elects its president through a mixed and tiered system of non-open primaries, initiated during the XIX National Congress in 2017, when Mariano Rajoy held the presidency. The existing system consists of two rounds: the first takes place before Congress, where members select both the presidential candidate and the delegates, with the top candidate receiving 50% of the votes and a 15-point lead over the second candidate being declared the direct nominee. If no candidate meets this criterion, the two leading candidates move on to the second round, held at the Congress itself, which can result in a situation where the most popular candidate from the initial round is ultimately not selected, as seen during the XIX Congress in 2018 when Pablo Casado clinched victory over the more popular Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría.
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