Spain: Opposition party to choose new leader in April

By JOSEPH WILSON and ARITZ PARRA
Associated Press

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s top opposition leader Pablo Casado will remain in charge of the Popular Party until early April, when party members are expected to choose a new leadership. The move follows an ugly internal clash that has benefited the conservatives’ rivals in the far-right. Casado resisted pressure from senior party members to resign immediately following a public exchange of accusations of corruption with a PP rising star, who in turn accused Casado of political espionage. The meeting was convened a day after the party’s secretary-general stepped down and the calls from Casado to follow him mounted. Casado’s hold on power was shattered by his fight with Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso.