Aldama, Ortega Smith, and Dani Desokupa: the "friends" of Abascal's adversary.

MadridIt's been two years since Iván Espinosa de los Monteros left Vox due to disagreements with the direction set by Santiago Abascal. After being away from the political frontline for so long, the founder of the far-right party presented a "civil platform" this Thursday, called Atenea, through which he aims to influence the "non-left" parties. Espinosa de los Monteros asserted that his association is not against anyone nor does it want to "join" any specific party. However, while no member of Vox's current leadership attended the presentation event, the PP, which is focused on halting the shift of votes to the far right, did show interest. The attendance of the PP's number two, Miguel Tellado, was confirmed, although he dropped out at the last minute. Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, deputy spokesperson in Congress, and the party's deputy secretary, Juan Bravo, were also present.

For days, Génova has been praising Espinosa de los Monteros and Alberto Núñez Feijóo's team. Feijóo hasn't ruled out a possible signing, in what would be a replica of the strategy the PP followed with Cs, from which it brought back some cadres. This is, in fact, what the former Vox leader has done in Atenea. In addition to other critics of Abascal, former officials from Albert Rivera's party have also joined the project. But Espinosa de los Monteros stated that he is not seeking "internal division" but rather "summary." However, the decision of another of Vox's founders, still a party official although relegated from the front line, to attend the presentation has been a discordant note in the far-right party.

"I don't know how [Abascal] will take it, I know that it's very good for me [to have come]," stated Javier Ortega Smith upon arrival at the event. To take the sting out of the gesture, the Vox representative in Congress justified his visit by saying he had come to see "a good friend." More surprising was the discovery that among Espinosa de los Monteros's "friends" were Víctor de Aldama, under investigation by the Supreme Court for the Koldo case, and Daniel Esteve, leader of Desokupa, who came forward citing this "friendship" and not any political ties.