The general secretary of the PP, Miguel Tellado, has traveled to Extremadura to participate in a decisive meeting with Vox with the aim of unblocking the investiture of María Guardiola as president of the Junta. The meeting, in which national leaders of the party of Santiago Abascal also participate, seeks to close an agreement that avoids a repeat election in the autonomous community.
Conversations between both parties have intensified in recent hours after weeks of tension and disagreements. The current movement comes after a previous meeting, scheduled for February 26, was suspended, which Vox canceled, accusing the national leadership of the PP of leaking its celebration. Just five days later, Guardiola's first investiture attempt failed when Vox voted against it along with PSOE and Unidas Podemos.
According to negotiation sources, the programmatic agreement between PP and Vox is practically closed, so the main stumbling block is now in the distribution of powers within the future regional Executive. Vox demands key areas such as the Ministry of Agriculture and powers in Forest Management, in addition to aspiring to take on portfolios such as Industry and Security.
In this context, the structure of the Government is also being negotiated. María Guardiola is considering the creation of two vice-presidencies, a figure non-existent in the previous legislature, in order to facilitate the pact. One of them would fall to the PP, with the current Minister of Agriculture, Mercedes Morán, as a possible candidate, while the other could be for Vox, with the regional leader Óscar Fernández as the main option.
