PP and Ciudadanos fail to reach agreement on joint ticket for elections

Ciudadanos and the People's Party (PP) will not run on a joint ticket for the upcoming Catalan and European elections on May 12 and June 9 respectively. 

Talks between senior members of the two pro-Spanish unity parties ended abruptly on Friday with no deal. 

Ciudadanos issued a statement saying it regretted that it was impossible to reach a satisfactory agreement, due to "internal tensions" and "external noise." 

The party's general secretary, MEP Adrián Vázquez, issued his own statement shortly after announcing he was stepping down "with immediate effect."  

The talks had to culminate on Friday, the deadline for parties to declare coalitions for the May 12 Catalan election.  

The PP also issued a statement, saying it regretted that the talks with Ciudadanos "did not bear fruit despite the honest willingness of both parties." 

The leader of Ciudadanos in Catalonia, Carlos Carrizosa, opposed the party joining with the PP, because "it would be the end of Ciudadanos." 

Opposition to independence 

Ciudadanos were founded in opposition to the Catalan independence movement and reached their zenith in the Catalan elections of 2017, where they won the most seats but were unable to form a government. 

Their popularity has plummeted since, and in the last elections to the Spanish Congress in 2023 they did not stand any candidates.