Opacity in the PP: Feijóo and his leadership hide income from Congress

Lack of transparency in the Partido Popular leadership

Political transparency is a fundamental pillar for public trust in democratic institutions. However, the Partido Popular (PP) maintains a troubling policy of opacity: its top leaders, headed by Alberto Núñez Feijóo, have stopped reporting changes in their income and assets to Congress, failing to comply with both electoral regulations and the Transparency Law itself.

Although the law requires parliamentarians to declare their assets upon acquiring or losing their status as deputies and in the event of any substantial change in their circumstances, the reality is that the data available on the opposition leader and his team mostly dates back to 2022. This strategy of concealment prevents citizens from knowing the current earnings of those who aspire to govern the country.

Assets under lock and key and invisible bonuses

The case of Feijóo is paradigmatic. While regulations are intended to monitor the financial evolution of public officials, the PP leader relies on the Permanent Deputation to avoid updating his status until the end of the legislative term, scheduled for 2027. This means that voters will go to the polls without knowing if their candidate has increased his investments, sold assets, or how much money he actually receives through the party's bonuses.

The impact of asset omissions

The failure to update does not only affect salaries. Many leaders have omitted relevant changes to their primary residence, the acquisition of new real estate, or the signing of a new mortgage. Unlike the transparency required of media outlets, as we detail in Las cuentas de elDiario.es en 2025: periodismo sin hipoteca ni deuda, the PP seems to apply a criterion of selective opacity:

• Miguel Tellado: Has reported a new property but omits his current income as secretary-general.
• Ester Muñoz: Declares a monthly rent, but her reference data still dates back to when she held positions in the Junta de Castilla y León.
• General leadership: Most party officials ignore the representation expenses that the party pays to its top leaders.

"The law requires high-ranking officials to make their assets and income public, but the PP leadership routinely and systematically fails to meet this requirement."

Conclusion: The cost of opacity

It is paradoxical that the party that promoted the Transparency Law a decade ago is the same one that now evades its compliance through lax interpretations of the rule. While the debate on public spending control and political ethics remains relevant, the PP's refusal to disclose their real income weakens accountability. In a democratic society, the right to know how those in power are funded and how much they earn should not be subject to electoral calendars, but to a constant obligation of clarity toward the citizenry.

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Source: elDiario.es (https://www.eldiario.es/politica/feijoo-direccion-ocultan-congreso-ingresos-perciben-pp_1_13369452.html)