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Join on Telegram Rabat – During a visit to Melilla earlier this week, Spain’s Popular Party (PP) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo delivered a fiery speech attacking the Spanish government and sending a message that went far beyond local politics.
Standing in the city’s main square, he declared that Melilla “is and will remain Spain,” promising more security, more institutional presence, and a special plan for Ceuta and Melilla if he becomes prime minister.
But behind this message lies a broader strategy. As Morocco strengthens its international position on Western Sahara, especially after the latest UN Security Council resolution reaffirming the autonomy plan as the most credible solution, the PP has entered a phase of open confrontation with Rabat.
The PP’s recent actions mark one of its most aggressive campaigns on Morocco in years. If anything, their reaction shows an unwillingness to accept a new geopolitical reality, with Spain’s long-held dominance over the Sahara question having faded and Morocco now enjoying broad international support.
Spain officially endorsed in 2022 Morocco’s autonomy plan as the basis for resolving the Western Sahara conflict. Since then, cooperation between the two countries has expanded in security, migration, and trade. Most major European partners, including Germany, France, the Netherlands, Belgium, and global players such as the US have adopted similar positions.
Read also: EU-Morocco Deals: Spain’s Popular Party Maneuvers Against Morocco in European Parliament
This shift has frustrated hardline ranks of the PP, who accuse the Sanchez government of abandoning a so-called “historic consensus,” even though Spain’s stance now aligns with global developments.
Days before Feijóo’s Melilla speech, the PP submitted a parliamentary proposal demanding that the government “clarify” its Sahara policy. The text calls on Spain to reaffirm old EU court rulings against agricultural and fisheries agreements with Morocco.
The proposal also demands €7 million in aid for the Tindouf camps and a detailed report on Spanish assistance between 2021 and 2025.
At the same time, Feijóo moved his party’s leadership meeting to Melilla. Presented as a defense of “Spanish sovereignty,” the visit was largely aimed at Spanish conservative voters, suggesting that the current government is failing to protect Ceuta and Melilla.
The PP has also revived old economic arguments, calling for restrictions on Moroccan agricultural imports, especially from the southern provinces. Some party figures even accused Moroccan tomato exporters of tax evasion.
Despite the noise, Spain’s official position remains unchanged, as Madrid continues to back Morocco’s autonomy plan, and cooperation between the two countries continues to grow. Meanwhile, international support for Morocco’s autonomy plan has reached unprecedented levels over the past few months.
