Feijóo vows abortion and euthanasia law overhaul if he wins, open to governing with far-right Vox

Spain's opposition leader and People's Party (PP) chief Alberto Núñez Feijóo has pledged sweeping conservative reforms on social issues if he wins the November 29 election — rewriting the abortion and euthanasia laws is on that list. He made the remarks in an interview on Spain's Cadena SER radio network on Friday.

In Feijóo's words, his main objective is to remove Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez from government. 'My main objective is to get Sánchez out of government and start a new chapter in my country,' he said, vowing to undo eight years of Socialist rule.

Feijóo's PP has led opinion polls for years. But those same polls indicate the PP may need the support of the far-right Vox to secure a parliamentary majority. Feijóo confirmed he would consider forming a governing coalition with Vox if the election results required it.

'I cannot rule out doing what the Spanish people tell me,' he said in the interview. 'If they tell me to provide stability with Vox, I will do so.'

If such a partnership is needed, Vox is expected to demand a deputy prime minister post and at least one ministry, as it has in regional coalitions with the PP. Politico's Madrid Playbook reported this week on speculation that the far-right party could be given the agriculture portfolio, but Feijóo said he had held no formal talks on allocating ministries.

Feijóo vowed to revise Spain's abortion law. The current law, amended in 2023, allows minors over 16 to terminate pregnancies without parental consent. Feijóo said he was keen to involve legal guardians in the decision, arguing that 'many 16-year-old girls who have their parents' support will not want to have an abortion.'

Whether that measure would satisfy Vox, however, is unclear. The party has sought to completely repeal the current abortion law and rejects abortion as a legal right.

The PP leader also pledged to restrict access to euthanasia. Spain legalized euthanasia in 2021 for adults with serious, incurable illnesses or severe, chronic and disabling conditions, under strict safeguards. 'Spain must become the country where it is easiest to sustain life,' Feijóo said.

He also promised to scrap the standalone Equality Ministry as part of a broader effort to reduce the size of government. He insisted the move did not undermine his commitment to feminism.

'I grew up in a house with more women than men. How could I think that a woman doesn't have the same rights as a man?' he said.

Feijóo declined to explicitly commit to further increases in the minimum wage. The minimum wage has risen eight times under Sánchez, from 735 euros a month in 2018 to 1,221 euros today. His goal, he said, was to raise 'the average wage, so that people's purchasing power improves.'

Ahead of the November 29 vote, Feijóo's conservative agenda is now fully clear. But if the polls are right, forming a government will require him to turn to the far-right Vox — and speculation over the terms of such a coalition is already under way.