Madrid mayor and re-election candidate José Luis Martínez-Almeida has praised the People's Party (PP) slate of candidates for provincial capitals and highlighted the leadership of Alberto Núñez Feijóo, calling him the «best political selector» during a party event in Santiago de Compostela on Saturday. Speaking on the eve of the World Cup final between Spain and Argentina, Almeida drew a sports analogy to underscore the party's readiness for the upcoming municipal elections scheduled for May 2027.
«We have the best team and the best political selector,» Almeida declared, expressing that he feels «more enthusiasm and more desire» than when he first ran for office in 2019. The Madrid mayor emphasized that the key to the next electoral contest lies in «recovering coexistence» and «recognizing the diversity, plurality, and complexity of a nation like Spain and a society like the Spanish one.» He argued that only one person in politics embodies these values and can reach a broad social majority that translates into a political majority: Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
Almeida went further, stating that on election night, voters will think of all their neighbors but especially of «the first neighbor of Spain, Alberto Núñez Feijóo,» whom he pledged to «take to the Moncloa Palace, where I will finally register him.» In a pointed remark, the mayor questioned whether Pedro Sánchez's brother, David Sánchez, who was recently sentenced to nine years of disqualification, lives in the Moncloa Palace in Madrid. If so, Almeida said he has an «ethical and administrative obligation to register him» as mayor.
Drawing on his passion for Atlético Madrid, the club once emblemized by the late Luis Aragonés, Almeida recalled the former Spanish coach's famous phrase: «What we have to do, not for our benefit but for everyone, is win, win, win, and then win again.» This call for repeated success framed his message to fellow candidates as they prepare for the campaign.
Turning to his record in Madrid, Almeida defended his administration's achievements, asserting that «no city has a higher life expectancy than Madrid.» He described the capital as «the economic locomotive of Spain, but also the social locomotive,» highlighting that Madrid leads in social services and per capita spending. «We know that progress means doing it together, counting on everyone, leaving no one behind,» he said. The mayor noted that his government has invested more than 5,000 million euros in public spaces, facilities, and major infrastructure projects, which, while causing temporary inconvenience for residents, are necessary to «guarantee the best future for the city.»
Security was another focal point of Almeida's address. He called it «a hallmark of Madrid» and stressed that «the guarantee of coexistence is essential to make a better city every day.» His remarks underscored the PP's emphasis on public safety as a core campaign issue.
Following Almeida, the president of the PP of Galicia and the Xunta, Alfonso Rueda, took the floor. Rueda praised the «ambition» of the party's seven candidates for major Galician cities, urging them to win in the five municipalities where the PP does not currently govern — all except Lugo and Ferrol. He reminded the audience that all candidates are «candidates of Feijóo,» which he said is a «guarantee of many things: first, maximum demands; second, rigor and seriousness; and third, knowing that it will correspond to us.» Rueda directly addressed the national PP leader: «Alberto, we will not let you down.»
The event in Santiago de Compostela marks an early mobilization of the PP's electoral machinery, with the party presenting its candidates for all provincial capitals nearly ten months before the municipal elections. Feijóo himself has framed the upcoming vote as a «sentence» against what he calls «Sanchismo,» referring to the government of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, which he accuses of corruption and mismanagement. The PP leader has called on party members to turn municipalities and autonomous communities into «fortresses» against what he describes as the «socialist plunder.»
Almeida's speech, blending local pride with national ambition, reflects the PP's strategy of leveraging strong municipal candidates to build momentum for a broader challenge to the central government. The mayor's reference to registering Feijóo at the Moncloa Palace underscores the party's goal of unseating Sánchez in the next general election, while the municipal contests are seen as a crucial stepping stone.