16th National Congress of the People's Party (Spain)

16th National Congress of the PP

20−22 June 2008
3,025 delegates in the national congress Plurality needed to win
Opinion polls
Turnout	2,643 (87.4%) (president) 2,638 (87.2%) (board)
Candidate Mariano Rajoy Blank ballots Delegate vote 2,187 (84.2%) 409 (15.8%) Board 2,177 (84.1%) 413 (15.9%)
President before election Mariano Rajoy Elected President Mariano Rajoy

The 16th National Congress of the People's Party was held in Valencia from 20 to 22 June 2008, to renovate the governing bodies of the People's Party (PP) and establish the party's main lines of action and strategy for the next leadership term. It saw Mariano Rajoy being re-elected unopposed for a second term as party president, with 84.2% of the delegate vote in the congress (2,187 votes) and 15.8% of blank ballots (409).^[1][2][3][4]

Overview

The congress of the PP was the party's supreme body, and could be of either ordinary or extraordinary nature, depending on whether it was held following the natural end of its term or due to any other exceptional circumstances not linked to this event. Ordinary congresses were to be held every three years and called at least two months in advance of their celebration. Extraordinary congresses had to be called by a two-thirds majority of the Board of Directors at least one-and-a-half month in advance of their celebration, though in cases of "exceptional urgency" this deadline could be reduced to 30 days.

The president of the PP was the party's head and the person holding the party's political and legal representation, and presided over its board of directors and executive committee, which were the party's maximum directive, governing and administration bodies between congresses. The election of the PP president was based on an indirect system, with party members voting for delegates who would, in turn, elect the president. Any party member was eligible for the post of party president, on the condition that they were up to date with the payment of party fees and were proposed by at least 20% of congress delegates.^[5]

Timetable

The key dates are listed below (all times are CEST. Note that the Canary Islands use WEST (UTC+1) instead):^[6][7]

• 31 March: Official announcement of the congress.
• 21–22 April: Election of congress delegates.
• 20–22 June: Party congress.

Candidates

Candidate		Age	Notable positions	Announced	Eliminated	Ref.
Elected
Candidate elected as president.
Mariano Rajoy		53	President of the PP (since 2004) Leader of the Opposition of Spain (since 2004) Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Pontevedra and Madrid (1986 and since 1989) Secretary-General of the PP (2003–2004) Spokesperson of the Government of Spain (2002–2003) Minister of the Presidency of Spain (2000–2001 and 2002–2003) First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain (2000–2003) Deputy Secretary-General of the PP (1990–2003) Minister of the Interior of Spain (2001–2002) Minister of Education and Culture of Spain (1999–2000) Minister of Public Administrations of Spain (1996–1999) President of AP/PP in Pontevedra (1983–1986 and 1987–1991) Vice President of the Xunta de Galicia (1986–1987) President of the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra (1983–1986) City Councillor of Pontevedra (1983–1986) Deputy in the Parliament of Galicia for Pontevedra (1981–1985) Director-General for Institutional Relations of Galicia (1982)	11 March 2008	Y Elected	[8]

Declined

The individuals in this section were the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy, but publicly denied or recanted interest in running:

• 
  Esperanza Aguirre
• 
  Juan Costa
• 
  Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón
• 
  Rodrigo Rato

• Esperanza Aguirre (age 56) — President of the PP of the Community of Madrid (since 2004); President of the Community of Madrid (since 2003); Deputy in the Assembly of Madrid (since 2003); Spokesperson of the PP Group in the Assembly of Madrid (2003); Senator in the Cortes Generales for Madrid (1996–2003); President of the Senate of Spain (1999–2002); Minister of Education and Culture of Spain (1996–1999); First Deputy Mayor of Madrid (1995–1996); Spokesperson of the PP Group in the City Council of Madrid (1995–1996); City Councillor of Madrid (1983–1996).^[9][10][11]
• Juan Costa (age 42) — Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Castellón (1993–1996, 2000, 2004 and since 2008); Minister of Science and Technology of Spain (2003–2004); Secretary of State of Trade and Tourism of Spain (2000–2003); President of the Spanish Tax Agency (1996–2000); Secretary of State of Finance of Spain (1996–2000).^[12][13][14]
• Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (age 49) — Mayor of Madrid (since 2003); City Councillor of Madrid (1983–1987 and since 2003); President of the Community of Madrid (1995–2003); Deputy in the Assembly of Madrid (1987–2003); Spokesperson of the PP Group in the Senate of Spain (1993–1995); Senator in the Cortes Generales appointed by the Assembly of Madrid (1987–1995); Spokesperson of the AP/PP Group in the Assembly of Madrid (1987–1993); Vice President of AP (1987–1989); Secretary-General of AP (1986–1987).^[15]
• Rodrigo Rato (age 59) — Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund (2004–2007); First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain (2003–2004); Deputy Secretary-General of the PP (1996–2004); Deputy in the Cortes Generales for Cádiz and Madrid (1982–2004); Second Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Spain (2000–2003); Minister of Economy of Spain (2000–2003); Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain (1996–2000); Minister of Economy and Finance of Spain (1996–2000); Spokesperson of the PP Group in the Congress of Deputies (1989–1996).^[16]

Endorsements

Candidates seeking to run were required to collect the endorsements of at least 20% of congress delegates.

Summary of candidate endorsement results

Candidate		Delegates
		Count	% T	% V
	Mariano Rajoy	>2,000	>66.12	100.00
Total		>2,000
Valid endorsements		>2,000	>66.12
Not endorsing		<1,025	<33.88
Total members		3,025
Sources[17]

Opinion polls

Poll results are listed in the tables below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first, and using the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. If such date is unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the candidate's colour. In the instance of a tie, the figures with the highest percentages are shaded.

PP voters

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size								Other /None	?	Lead
			Rajoy (Inc.)	Aguirre	Gallardón	Rato	Costa	Camps	Aznar
Obradoiro de Socioloxía/Público[p 1]	16 Jun 2008	1,000	–	13.7	26.8	8.2	1.3	–	–	12.8	37.2	13.1
Opina/Cadena SER[p 2][p 3]	12 Jun 2008	1,000	15.4	18.8	29.7	27.0	2.0	2.0	–	1.7	3.4	2.7
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 4]	10–12 Jun 2008	1,000	21.7	9.3	31.8	24.2	0.9	–	–	12.1		7.6
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 5]	24–25 Apr 2008	1,000	25.8	14.5	25.4	18.4	–	–	–	15.9		0.4
InvyMark/laSexta[p 6]	20 Apr 2008	?	45.9	32.5	–	–	–	–	–	–	21.6	13.4
Opina/Cadena SER[p 7]	28 Feb 2008	?	–	14.0	26.0	15.0	–	–	4.0	41.0		11.0

Spanish voters

Polling firm/Commissioner	Fieldwork date	Sample size							Other /None	?	Lead
			Rajoy (Inc.)	Aguirre	Gallardón	Rato	Costa	Camps
Opina/Cadena SER[p 2][p 3]	12 Jun 2008	1,000	11.4	11.2	44.9	16.2	2.0	1.4	2.2	10.7	28.7
Sigma Dos/El Mundo[p 1][p 4]	10–12 Jun 2008	1,000	13.9	7.5	41.0	15.9	0.8	–	20.9		25.1
InvyMark/laSexta[p 6]	20 Apr 2008	?	35.3	29.3	–	–	–	–	–	35.4	6.0
Opina/Cadena SER[p 7]	28 Feb 2008	?	–	8.0	38.0	8.0	–	–	46.0		30.0
Opina/Cadena SER[p 8][p 9]	29 Aug 2007	1,000	15.0	–	44.0	25.0	–	–	–	16.0	19.0

Results

Summary of the 21 June 2008 PP congress results

Candidate		President		Board
		Votes	%	Votes	%
	Mariano Rajoy	2,187	84.24	2,177	84.05
Blank ballots		409	15.76	413	15.95
Total		2,596		2,590
Valid votes		2,596	98.22	2,590	98.18
Invalid votes		47	1.78	48	1.82
Votes cast / turnout		2,643	87.37	2,638	87.21
Abstentions		382	12.63	387	12.79
Registered voters		3,025		3,025
Sources[2][18]

Vote by delegates (President) Rajoy   84.24% Blank ballots   15.76%

Vote by delegates (Board) Rajoy List   84.05% Blank ballots   15.95%

References

Opinion poll sources

1. "Los votantes del PP quieren a Gallardón". 20 minutos (in Spanish). 16 June 2008.
2. "PSOE y PP aparecen igualados en intención de voto". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 16 June 2008.
3. "Pulsómetro 16/06/2008". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 16 June 2008. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008.
4. "Gallardón aventaja ya en 10 puntos a Rajoy como candidato a La Moncloa". El Mundo (in Spanish). 16 June 2008.
5. "Primarias". Diario de Almería (in Spanish). 28 April 2008.
6. "Casi el 40 por ciento de los españoles ve positivo que Aguirre se presente como alternativa a Rajoy, según una encuesta". Europa Press (in Spanish). 20 April 2008.
7. "Los votantes del PP creen que Gallardón debe sustituir a Rajoy si éste no continúa". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 29 February 2008.
8. "Rajoy se hunde en valoración y pasa a ser el tercer candidato del PP preferido". Cadena SER (in Spanish). 3 September 2007.
9. "Los ciudadanos prefieren a Gallardón y a Rato como líderes del PP". El País (in Spanish). 3 September 2007.

Other

1. "Rajoy es ya el único aznarista al mando". El País (in Spanish). 6 May 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
2. Rojo, Iratxe (21 June 2008). "Rajoy, reelegido presidente del PP pese a no tener el apoyo del 21% de los compromisarios". El Mundo (in Spanish). Valencia. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
3. "Así fue el congreso más amargo de Rajoy". El País (in Spanish). 17 February 2012. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
4. "Alianza Popular / Partido Popular". Historia Electoral.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 16 March 2023.
5. "Estatutos aprobados por el XV Congreso Nacional del Partido Popular" (PDF). PP (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2022.
6. "XVI Congreso Partido Popular". PP (in Spanish). 31 March 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
7. "Compromisarios al XVI Congreso Nacional del Partido Popular" (PDF). PP (in Spanish). 31 March 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
8. Remírez de Ganuza, Carmen; González, Lucía; Carvajal, Álvaro (11 March 2008). "Rajoy optará en junio a la reelección en el PP: 'Esto es lo que hay'". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
9. "Esperanza Aguirre se descarta como sucesora de Rajoy en el próximo Congreso". Cinco Días (in Spanish). 12 March 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
10. Elordi Cué, Carlos (8 April 2008). "Aguirre amaga con presentarse". El País (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
11. "Aguirre no se presentará en el Congreso del PP pero pide a Rajoy que "aclare" si quiere echarla". Faro de Vigo (in Spanish). EFE. 21 April 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
12. Quevedo, Federico (30 May 2008). "Costa no consigue los seiscientos avales ni los apoyos suficientes para presentar candidatura". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2022.
13. "Costa deja la puerta abierta a una candidatura tras denunciar una crisis de ilusión en el PP". Diario de Sevilla (in Spanish). OTR Press. 2 June 2008. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
14. Iglesias, Magis (10 June 2008). "Costa asumirá el liderazgo de Rajoy cuando lo apruebe el congreso del PP". La Voz de Cádiz (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 March 2022.
15. "Gallardón también descarta presentarse contra Rajoy". La Voz de Galicia (in Spanish). EFE. 13 March 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
16. Quevedo, Federico (9 May 2008). "Sectores del PP preparan una candidatura alternativa: el entorno de Rajoy teme que Rato esté detrás". El Confidencial (in Spanish). Retrieved 18 March 2022.
17. Sanz, Luis Ángel (4 June 2008). "Mariano Rajoy y sus barones han logrado ya los avales del 70% de los delegados". El Mundo (in Spanish). Madrid. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
18. "Mariano Rajoy es reelegido presidente del Partido Popular con un respaldo del 84,24%". La Cerca (in Spanish). 21 June 2008. Retrieved 18 March 2022.