On Monday, Santiago Abascal inaugurated the political course with a press conference in which he strongly criticized the Popular Party (PP) and denounced a supposed “invasion” of irregular immigrants, blaming both socialists and populares equally. Abascal, the leader of Vox, broke the five coalition governments he had with the PP earlier in the summer (in Castilla y León, Valencia, Aragon, Murcia, and Extremadura) due to their support for the distribution of unaccompanied foreign minors in the Canary Islands. He warned that it would be difficult for Vox to approve budgets in regions where the PP governs in minority if they vote in favor of a reform of the immigration law to make this distribution mandatory. Abascal stated that Vox will be in total opposition in both national and regional parliaments, and suggested that if the PP does not change its immigration policy, they may have to partner with the Socialist Party.
During his press conference, held at the national headquarters of Vox, Abascal accused the PP of “refusing to pursue corruption” by not summoning Begoña Gómez, the wife of the Prime Minister, to testify before the Senate’s investigation committee, where they have a majority. Abascal criticized the PP for appearing to be an opposition party while making deals with the Socialist Party, such as in the European institutions and the agreement to renew the General Council of the Judiciary (CGPJ). While briefly mentioning the unusual funding deal the Socialists made with ERC in Catalonia to support Salvador Illa’s presidency, Abascal made it clear that Vox’s main focus in the coming months will be rejecting irregular immigration. He claimed that there is an “invasion” of Islamist character promoted by the left and the PP, attributing to immigrants both citizen insecurity and the collapse of public services.
When asked about the victory of the “neo-Nazis” of Alternative for Germany (AfD) in the elections in the federal state of Thuringia, Abascal accused the journalist of lying for using that term. He emphasized that he does not defend neo-Nazis but is pleased with the German people’s reaction. Abascal attributed Vox’s lack of electoral success compared to European counterparts to a later start and the fact that immigration issues in Spain are not as intense as in countries like Great Britain, Germany, or France, due to the social and electoral response of the Spanish people. Abascal made it clear that Vox’s main focus in the coming months will be rejecting irregular immigration, which he considers to be an “invasion” promoted by the left and the PP, leading to citizen insecurity and the collapse of public services.
