Conservative People's Party hoping for a comeback on July 23 

The Conservative People's Party is hoping to make a comeback on July 23, five years after it was ousted from power in a vote of no confidence following the Gürtel corruption scandal.

Polls suggest the party does indeed have a chance at ruling again - not, so it seems, with an absolute majority, but perhaps with the support of far-right Vox, because combined they could possibly obtain more votes than the left-wing Socialist and Sumar bloc. 

Although the People's Party has never been a major party in Catalonia, they are expected to pick up a handful more seats here than they did in the last election in late 2019. 

Against Catalan independence and language immersion

Policy-wise, the party is, generally speaking, pro-business and private property, socially conservative, pro-EU, and very staunchly against Catalan independence. 

"We will adopt measures that will counter the independence movement. But I should point out that we don't care [if this bothers anyone] because this is what citizens want," Alberto Núñez Feijóo, the People's Party candidate, said to resounding applause at a recent political rally. 

The Conservatives are in favor of reinstating the crime of sedition that the Catalan independence leaders were convicted of and which was recently repealed in the latest criminal code reform. 

"The crime of sedition will be reintroduced in the criminal code," Feijóo said at the same campaign event. 

In Catalonia, and in other parts of Spain with two co-official languages, they are in favor of making both working languages in schools, and would therefore try to do away with the Catalan immersion system in public schools.

They also say they would repeal the housing law passed a few months ago that limits rent increases and would instead build more housing to make it more affordable. 

Socially conservative policies

When it comes to social issues, the party has evolved ideologically since initially opposing gay marriage and abortion.

But, for example, they will once again try to require parental consent for 16 and 17-year-olds seeking abortions, and, only months after the current government passed a gender self-determination law, they say they will pass a new trans law altogether. 

The party's electoral program claims they are in favor of fighting gender-based violence; however, in recent coalitions with the far-right in other parts of Spain, they talk of "violencia familiar" or family violence instead. 

They are also in favor of "revising" Spain's euthanasia law and the 'only yes means yes' consent law.

No historical memory and tough on immigration

Founded by a Francoist minister after the dictator's death, the conservatives favor repealing the historical memory law that acknowledges the crimes of the past. 

The party also wants to, quote, "tackle Gibraltar's decolonization process and recover sovereignty" while also strengthening the borders and easing the deportation of migrants.