Aznar y el PP
Cable sobre el liderazgo de Rajoy, según la legación estadounidense
En junio de 2008 la Embajada informa a Washington: "Creemos que [Rajoy] debe su longevidad en el cargo más que nada a la ausencia de un sucesor creíble dentro de su partido"
| ID: | 159373 |
| Date: | 2008-06-24 07:33:00 |
| Origin: | 08MADRID691 |
| Source: | Embassy Madrid |
| Classification: | UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY |
| Dunno: | 08MADRID537 |
| Destination: | VZCZCXRO1704 PP RUEHAG RUEHDF RUEHIK RUEHLZ RUEHROV DE RUEHMD #0691/01 1760733 ZNR UUUUU ZZH P 240733Z JUN 08 FM AMEMBASSY MADRID TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC PRIORITY 4975 INFO RUCNMEM/EU MEMBER STATES COLLECTIVE RUEHLA/AMCONSUL BARCELONA 3474 |
UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MADRID 000691 SENSITIVE SIPDIS DEPARTMENT FOR EUR/WE E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: PGOV, PREL, SP SUBJECT: SPAIN'S OPPOSITION PARTIDO POPULAR: RAJOY FIRMLY IN CONTROL FOR NOW, BUT MUST SHOW RESULTS REF: MADRID 537 MADRID 00000691 001.2 OF 002 1. (U) Mariano Rajoy, the embattled head of Spain's main opposition Partido Popular (PP), was re-elected as party leader on June 21 during the three-day PP congress held in Valencia. As reported in REFTEL, Rajoy's leadership had been challenged on several fronts since his party lost a second straight national election to President Zapatero's Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) and it was unclear if he would be able to hold on to power. Over the past few weeks, would-be challengers found insufficient support for their candidacy to unseat Rajoy and faded back into the woodwork, leaving Rajoy to run unopposed. He further distanced himself from the shadow of former President Jose Maria Aznar by announcing a younger, more moderate party secretariat on June 19 that won plaudits from even left-leaning national newspapers, and now appears to be basking in the glory of a successfully-completed party congress. However, many in Spain believe Rajoy has overcome only the first in a long series of leadership battles in advance of the next round of national elections in 2012, and he will need to show positive results in off-year regional and European elections if he hopes to have a third consecutive chance to grab the brass ring of the Spanish presidency. 2. (U) Approximately 3,025 PP delegates gathered from 20-22 June in the seaside city of Valencia, Spain, to approve the party's political platform for the next four years, under the motto "We Grow Together." Over 84% of these delegates voted for Rajoy to continue as party leader. This vote tally was the lowest of any PP leader since the party was reformed in 1989, but should serve to silence critics for now. Rajoy was coming off a tough 100-day period following the March 9 election loss and had to deal with tumult and dissension in his party's ranks and open criticism from staunch PP members such as Madrid Regional President Esperanza Aguirre, former Interior Minister Jaime Mayor Oreja, Congressional foreign policy spokesman Gustavo Aristegui, party communications secretary Gabriel Elorriaga, and PP campaign strategist Juan Costa. In addition, the popular leader of the PP's political allies in the Basque Country, Maria San Gil, stated publicly in May that she had lost confidence in the leadership of Rajoy and his team. Nevertheless, opposition to Rajoy proved to be a mile wide and an inch deep and faded away once it became clear that no single alternative candidate had enough support to overthrow the sitting leader. //COMMENT// 3. (SBU) Rajoy appears to have put to rest for the time being any doubts about his PP leadership, and his new team is receiving generally positive reviews from across the political spectrum. Pundits are highlighting not only the collective experience and competence of the group gained from positions at the local, regional, and national levels, but also their backgrounds (including a single working mother) designed to present a more moderate face and hopefully appeal to a wider swath of Spanish voters. We believe Rajoy is definitely strengthened coming out of the party conference and has a mandate to reform the party in his own image--but his new team will be expected to achieve results quickly if he hopes to lead the party's national ticket in 2012. As we have reportedly previously, we believe Rajoy owes his longevity as much as anything to the lack of a credible successor within his own party, but many are waiting in the wings should he stumble again. Key off-year elections are coming up in the Basque Country (scheduled for early 2009), Galicia (June 2009), and the European Parliament (June 2009), and PP supporters will demand to see positive results as reward for having remained patient while Rajoy finds his way. //XXXXXXXXXXXX// AGUIRRE |
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