Is Aznar preparing a comeback?
The former Spanish president, who joined Bush and Blair in the Iraq War in 2003, comes to the fore as his successor Rajoy resigns
Who will be Mariano Rajoy’s successor as leader of the People’s Party? A number of names are already in the list of favorites, including his deputy in the ousted government, and the president of Galicia. But no one expected Rajoy’s predecessor and the person who proposed him as party leader 14 years ago: José María Aznar. In the past few years the two had grown apart, but the man who led Spain from 1996 to 2004 never actually left the party.
Spain in a “delicate” situation due to a “crisis in leadership”
And few hours after Rajoy’s resignation, he came to the fore to contribute to the “reconstruction of the national center-right,” as he said in an event in Madrid on Tuesday. Up until 2015, Spain had only had one major right-wing party, the People’s Party. But now, more than a few commentators see Ciutadans (Cs) as the one taking part of PP’s old supporters. Yet he said he is not represented by any party, and is committed to “Spain and Spaniards.” According to him, a “crisis in leadership” is one of the main issues in Spain’s current “delicate” situation.