Spain's main conservative opposition People's Party (PP) Thursday appeared virtually certain to elect Maria Dolores de Cospedal its secretary-general at a party congress beginning Friday, according to dpa. Party president Mariano Rajoy, 53, proposed Cospedal, 42, for the second most important post in the party. Cospedal is PP leader in the southern Castile La Mancha region. The election of Cospedal was expected to buttress up the leadership of Rajoy, who has come under heavy criticism after suffering his second consecutive election defeat to Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero in March. Madrid regional Prime Minister Esperanza Aguirre and former science minister Juan Costa were tipped as new party leaders, but neither of them decided to challenge Rajoy, reportedly for fear of not mustering sufficient support. Rajoy has been criticized by PP hardliners such as Aguirre over his attempts to counter what many see as the party's reactionary image, and to anchor it in the centre of the political spectrum. Rajoy has sought to renovate party leadership by replacing hardliners such as former interior minister Angel Acebes, Cospedal's predecessor as secretary-general.
