The president of the Popular Party, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, reproached Pedro Sánchez this Tuesday for not accompanying Felipe VI and Queen Letizia on their official visit to Ceuta. "I would have accompanied the Kings on this historic visit," he wrote on X, where he highlighted the support that the trip represents for a city that continues to face the consequences of the massive entry of people from Morocco at the end of July.
Feijóo linked that support with his political message as a candidate for the Presidency of the Government. "The hope they transmit today in Ceuta and wherever they go is what Spain needs to rebuild its future," he maintains in the publication.
Yo sí habría acompañado a los Reyes en esta visita histórica.
— Alberto Núñez Feijóo (@NunezFeijoo) October 13, 2026
La esperanza que transmiten hoy en Ceuta y allá donde van es la que necesita España para reconstruir su futuro. https://t.co/tmMd8Jgkh2
The representation of the Executive falls to the Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory, Ángel Víctor Torres, in charge of coordinating the response to the crisis as the sole command. Torres accompanies the monarchs on the trip to Ceuta and Melilla, scheduled for this Tuesday and Wednesday.
The Government defends Torres' presence
Sánchez's absence had been announced since the trip was confirmed on October 1. The visit was agreed upon between the Government and the Royal Household, with the purpose of conveying the Crown's support to the institutions and society of the two autonomous cities.
The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes, Félix Bolaños, defended last week that Torres should accompany the Kings. In an interview on 'Hoy por Hoy', on Cadena SER, he recalled that Sánchez "has already been to Ceuta" and explained that it is customary for a minister to accompany the head of state on these visits.
Feijóo's reproach therefore focuses on the president participating personally. The popular leader had been demanding the monarchs' trip for weeks and has visited Ceuta five times since the July crisis, the last time a week ago.
In August, during an interview with Europa Press, he maintained that Felipe VI wanted to travel to the city and linked the date to the Executive's authorization. "I am convinced that the King wants to go to Ceuta and will do so when the Government of Spain authorizes that trip," he affirmed then.
A visit awaited since 2007
The trip has a special institutional significance. It is the first official visit of Felipe VI to Ceuta as King, and it takes place 19 years after the trip of Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía to the two autonomous cities in 2007. The monarchs will spend tonight in Ceuta and will continue their agenda tomorrow in Melilla.
The president of Ceuta, Juan Jesús Vivas, thanked the gesture in an interview on 'Herrera en COPE'. "The visit of the Kings brings hope to a place that greatly needs hope," he said, after describing the last two months as a period in which residents have felt "in a tunnel with no way out."
Vivas estimates that about 15,000 people still remain in the city out of the more than 80,000 who, according to his data, entered on July 30 and 31. The situation continues to condition humanitarian aid, public services, and the recovery of normality.
Felipe VI maintained contact with Vivas from the first hours of the crisis and received him in Marivent on August 6. During the following weeks, he has also called for European solidarity with Ceuta due to its status as a border of the European Union.
Tuesday's agenda includes meetings with authorities and representatives of Ceuta society, a visit to a school where students of different faiths coexist, and a tribute at the Sidi Embarek cemetery to those who died at sea during the events of July. The day will conclude with a meeting with citizens before departing for Melilla.
