The People's Party (PP) held its 14th national congress in Madrid from 25 to 27 January 2002, to renovate its governing bodies—including the post of president, which amounted to that of party leader—and establish the party platform and policy until the next congress

It saw José María Aznar being re-elected unopposed for a fifth term as party president, with 99.6% of the delegate vote in the congress (2,528 votes) and 0.4% of blank ballots (10).

Candidates Candidate Notable positions Announced Proposed Candidates who were officially proposed to contest the party congress. José María Aznar(age ) President pro tempore of the Council of the European Union Prime Minister of Spain President of the PP Member of the Congress of Deputies for Madrid Leader of the Opposition of Spain President of AP/PP of Castile and León President of the Regional Government of Castile and León Member of the Cortes of Castile and León for Ávila Member of the Congress of Deputies for Ávila Secretary-General of AP in La Rioja 29 October 2001

Declined The individuals in this section were the subject of speculation about their possible candidacy, but publicly denied or recanted interest in running:

Javier Arenas (age ) — Member of the Congress of Deputies for Seville ; Secretary-General of the PP ; Minister of Labour and Social Affairs of Spain ; President of the PP of Andalusia ; Senator appointed by the Parliament of Andalusia ; Member of the Parliament of Andalusia for Seville . Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón (age ) — President of the Community of Madrid ; Member of the Assembly of Madrid ; Spokesperson of the People's Parliamentary Group in the Senate ; Senator appointed by the Assembly of Madrid ; Spokesperson of the People's Group in the Assembly of Madrid ; Vice President of AP ; Secretary-General of AP ; City Councillor of Madrid . Jaime Mayor Oreja (age ) — Member of the Basque Parliament for Biscay ; Deputy Secretary-General of the PP ; Member of the Congress of Deputies for Biscay ; Minister of the Interior of Spain ; Member of the Congress of Deputies for Álava ; Spokesperson of the People's Group in the Basque Parliament ; Member of the Basque Parliament for Álava ; President of the PP of the Basque Country ; Member of the Basque Parliament for Gipuzkoa ; Delegate of the Government of Spain in the Basque Country ; Member of the Congress of Deputies for Gipuzkoa ; Minister of Industry, Tourism and Trade of the Basque Country . Mariano Rajoy (age ) — Minister of the Interior of Spain ; First Deputy Prime Minister of Spain ; Deputy Secretary-General of the PP ; Member of the Congress of Deputies for Pontevedra ; Minister of the Presidency of Spain ; Minister of Education and Culture of Spain ; Minister of Public Administrations of Spain ; President of AP/PP in the province of Pontevedra ; Vice President of the Xunta de Galicia ; President of the Provincial Deputation of Pontevedra ; City Councillor of Pontevedra ; Member of the Parliament of Galicia for Pontevedra ; Director-General of Institutional Relations of Galicia . Rodrigo Rato (age ) — Second Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs of Spain ; Minister of Economy of Spain ; Deputy Secretary-General of the PP ; Member of the Congress of Deputies for Madrid ; Second Deputy Prime Minister of Spain ; Minister of Economy and Finance of Spain ; Spokesperson of the People's Parliamentary Group in the Congress ; Member of the Congress of Deputies for Cádiz .

Opinion polls Poll results are listed in the tables below in reverse chronological order, showing the most recent first, and using the date the survey's fieldwork was done, as opposed to the date of publication. If such date is unknown, the date of publication is given instead. The highest percentage figure in each polling survey is displayed in bold, and the background shaded in the candidate's colour. In the instance of a tie, the figures with the highest percentages are shaded.

PP voters Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size Other/None Lead Vox Pública/El Periódico 25–28 Jun 2001 1,506 – 25.6 53.3 21.1 27.7 Vox Pública/El Periódico 16–18 Apr 2001 1,514 – 26.9 51.1 22.0 24.2 Vox Pública/El Periódico 29–31 Jan 2001 1,519 11.8 8.7 16.6 62.9 4.8

Spanish voters Polling firm/Commissioner Fieldwork date Sample size Other/None Lead Sigma Dos/El Mundo 26–28 Dec 2001? 7.9 11.8 7.6 4.9 0.7 4.4 3.3 – 59.4 3.9 Vox Pública/El Periódico 22–23 Oct 2001 1,509 – 35.5 33.0 – – – – 31.5 2.5 10.7 8.1 9.0 1.6 – 5.5 – 65.1 1.7 Vox Pública/El Periódico 25–28 Jun 2001 1,506 – 24.1 41.6 – – – – 34.3 17.5 11.9 4.9 9.5 1.5 – 8.8 – 63.4 2.4 Vox Pública/El Periódico 16–18 Apr 2001 1,514 – 27.4 37.5 – – – – 35.1 10.1 11.5 7.2 11.3 1.6 – 5.1 – 18.5 44.8 0.2 Vox Pública/El Periódico 29–31 Jan 2001 1,519 – 24.4 41.9 – – – – 33.7 17.5 9.8 5.9 9.8 4.0 – 5.3 – 19.4 45.8 Tie Vox Pública/El Periódico 30–31 Oct 2000 1,210 – 26.3 41.6 – – – – 32.1 15.3 7.0 7.3 15.2 3.1 – 5.6 – 61.8 7.9

Results + Summary of the 25 January 2002 congress results Candidate Votes % Votes % José María Aznar 2,528 99.61 2,525 99.53 Blank ballots 10 0.39 12 0.47 Total 2,538 2,537 Valid votes 2,538 99.88 2,537 99.84 Invalid votes 3 0.12 4 0.16 Votes cast / turnout 2,541 80.51 2,541 80.51 Abstentions 615 19.49 615 19.49 Total delegates 3,156 3,156 Sources

References Opinion poll sources

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