PP's internal crisis: the inside story.

After yesterday's incredible announcement by Rajoy that Gallardon won't be joining him in the Madrid list to Congress, today Arsenio Escolar has published in his blog an insider's story about what really happen. It seems the revolt was bigger than it actually looked yesterday.

According to Escolar:

At 5 pm yesterday Gallardon's name was included in the Congressional list as number 5 or 6. Rajoy wasn't sure yet because he didn't know if Zaplana was going to be head of list in Valencia, he was President there from 1995 to 2002, or if not he would have to be number 5 in Madrid.

Around 6 pm Francisco Camps, current President of Valencia and Zaplana's archienemy, spoke to Rajoy and threatened to resign if Zaplana became head of the list in Valencia. Camps' idea was to resign as President to be able to run for a Congressional seat himself. Rajoy gave up to Camps' pressure and accepted to include Zaplana in the list in Madrid. So by 6 pm Zaplana was number 5 and Gallardon number 6 in Madrid's list and Camps remained as President of Valencia.

But the key moment arrived at 7 pm, Aguirre, President of Madrid, found out on her way back from Malaga, most probably from the man himself, about Camp's victory over Rajoy. She went straight into Genova HQ to put a challenge of her own. With Gallardon present, Aguirre threatened Rajoy to resign as President of Madrid and run for Congress if Gallardon was included in the Madrid list. Rajoy once again gave up and removed Gallardon's name from the list.

After Rajoy's display of weakness, some allies of Gallardon started leaking to the press that the Mayor of Madrid had threatened to resign after the March 9 election if he wasn't included in the party's list. Rajoy today has been trying to regain his authority within the party. He's been pressuring Gallardon last night and this morning not to announce his departure from politics as the media was reporting. But it seems he's lost all authority, Gallardon has announced this morning in a press conference that after the March 9 election he will reflect on past events and take a decission on his political future.

So what looked as a terrible enough story about Rajoy's lack of authority has become an INMENSE story about Rajoy's lack of authority. Moreover, it says how little regard PP elected officials have for the offices they hold that are willing to use them as weapons to advance their political career in Madrid. But the most worrying development of it all I have just found out is that if Gallardon resigns as Mayor of Madrid, his successor will be Ana Botella, Aznar's own wife! who currently is Deputy Mayor. After all I'm not even sure if I want him to resign now...

Zaplana and young Francoists.

PP has always opposed all kinds of condemnation of the Francoist regime both in Parliament and publicly but equated the PSOE government to it, well...let images speak for themselves...Eduardo Zaplana, PP's official spokesperson, went to watch the Spain-France football match during the 2006 World Cup in Germany and took a picture with a pre-democratic flag. So much for hipocrisy. I would like to hear PP's explanation for this, it's not like he looks sad or surprised the picture is being take.

Whose PP's real leader?

When Aznar decided to leave the leadership of PP in 2004 he appointed Mariano Rajoy as his succesor. Following PP's tradition of lack of internal democracy and pluralism, he imposed his decision on the party. However after he left he was appointed Honorary President of PP and president of FAES, the most influential conservative think tank within PP.
He also made sure that his voice was heard within the new 'leadership' through the appointment by Rajoy of Eduardo Zaplana (Government spokesperson with Aznar) as party's spokesperson and Angel Acebes (Minister of the Interior with Aznar at the time of the Madrid bombings and its aftermath of accusations of manipulation of information) as Secretary General of the party.
The appointment of the two Aznar hard-liners together with his control of FAES have proven Rajoy's lack of independence from his predecessor and his inability to take control of the party to set up his own political agenda.