Spain’s new PP leader seeks to move the party ‘back to its roots’

PABLO Casado has vowed to move the People’s Party to the right after being elected leader, succeeding former PM Mariano Rajoy.

The 37-year-old politician was first known as the head of the Nuevas Generaciones which helped represent the youngsters of the party. Casado’s political views are more right-wing than his rival, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, who was considered by most people to be the most liberal candidate.

Casado has conservative views about abortion, family, euthanasia, gender issues and also wants to outlaw pro-independence parties to avoid future separatist movements seeking independence bids.

Symbolic personalities of the PP, like Esperanza Aguirre, support Casado and consider the politician as a ‘return to the roots’, while Soraya Saenz de Santamaria was seen as a continuation of the Rajoy’s legacy, more distant from the classical economic neoliberalism.

The Casado’s supporters expect a harder opposition against Sanchez, while their detractors believe that this will engulf the party, due to his conservative ideas that will alienate the moderate voters.

Many of the hardcore conservatives have already fled to Vox, a more traditional right wing party, created by Jose Antonio Ortega Lara, who considered that the PP was losing its identity.