Partido Popular will elect new leader towards the end of July

FORMER Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo is touring Spain, drumming up support for his bid to become leader of the Partido Popular (PP) following the resignation of Mariano Rajoy.

On Friday, he hit Malaga City, Estepona and Granada as part of his whistle stop tour and today (Saturday) he was in Palma de Mallorca speaking to PP supporters there.

Recognising that he FORMER Foreign Minister José Manuel García-Margallo is touring Spain, drumming up support for his bid to become leader of the Partido Popular (PP) following the resignation of Mariano Rajoy.

On Friday, he hit Malaga City, Estepona and Granada as part of his whistle stop tour and today (Saturday) he was in Palma de Mallorca speaking to PP supporters there.

Recognising that he is very much an outsider in the race to take over leadership, he believes that he can defend the basic aims of the party better than those who were in power during the time of the vote of no confidence.

He is quoted as saying that he is standing because he has dedicated his whole life to the PP and is not prepared to “stand by and watch the ship being shipwrecked.”

There are six candidates for the election which takes place on July 20 and 21 including the former deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría and Defence Secretary María Dolores de Cospedal.

The 73-year-old Margallo (who is a strong believer in Spain taking over sovereignty of Gibraltar) is also facing the 37-year-old Pablo Casado and 47-year-old José Ramón García-Hernández both from Avila and with less than 10 per cent of those eligible to vote registering to do so, the outcome could surprise many