Feijóo accepts two debates with Sánchez but rejects RTVE

The Partido Popular (PP) has settled its strategy for the debates ahead of the November 29 general election, according to the newspaper La Voz de Galicia. Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the opposition, has agreed to take part in a face-to-face debate with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on November 16 on Mediaset, and in a multiparty debate on November 26 on Atresmedia. However, Feijóo has refused to attend candidate debates organized by the public broadcaster RTVE, citing an alleged lack of neutrality on the part of its management.

Beyond the television screens, the clash of models will have a strong economic dimension. PP Secretary General Miguel Tellado said his party will demand that housing have a special and central weight in the debates. Housing is currently one of the greatest social and economic challenges in Spain, directly affecting young people's ability to become independent and the stability of household budgets.

Political tension is also focused on social spending and revenue. PP spokeswoman Ester Muñoz accused the government of trying to buy the will of Spaniards with a deluge of money, referring to negotiations over a possible increase in pensions and the minimum wage. While the opposition calls these measures electoral, the government argues for the need to sustain the purchasing power of the majority against the cost of living.

For its part, the PSOE responded by saying it will attend all the electoral debates that are organized, recalling that it is the media, not the parties, that should define the conditions. Transport Minister Óscar Puente said he sees the right very nervous and that the PP seems to accept only the playing fields that suit it best.

Regarding public television, the PP made Feijóo's participation in interviews on TVE and RNE conditional on their being held in programs produced in-house. Although the Popular Party agreed to a debate of parliamentary spokespeople on RTVE for November 23, it reiterated its criticism of the channel's management, distinguishing it from its technical professionals.