Internal rebellion in Vox

BarcelonaInternal rebellion within Vox, with Murcia and Madrid as key focal points. Following the defiance of the party leader in the Madrid city council, Javier Ortega Smith, who he ended up being expelledNow it's the turn of the Murcian leader, José Ángel Antelo. This Friday, he decided to join forces with Ortega to confront Santiago Abascal's leadership, whom he has challenged, refusing to "submit" to his proposals and rejecting his resignation from the regional leadership. In his opinion, he hasn't committed "any serious error": "I wasn't born to submit; loyalty is telling the truth," he declared in an interview with Onda Cero.

According to Vox sources consulted by ARA, the leadership, balancing internally amidst the chaos between the two factions in the region with deep disagreements, proposed a restructuring of the leadership to Antelo, including his replacement, in exchange for him continuing as leader in the regional parliament and as a candidate in the upcoming elections. But things didn't go as planned. Antelo clung to his position as president of Vox Murcia, and this Thursday there was a mass resignation to force him to step down. The resigning members cited a "profound disagreement" with his leadership and wanted to leave the party in the hands of the national leadership, but this Friday Antelo further hampered Abascal's plan, explaining that he had spoken with him and that Abascal had raised the possibility of him running for office. However, Antelo added that he didn't understand why this would imply his resignation as president of the Murcia regional branch. In his view, the position is a decision for the national leadership, but resigning would mean assuming a responsibility he refuses. Antelo confirmed that he will retain his seat in the regional parliament and intends to honor his commitments, but warned that "all options are on the table." Sources within the far right emphasize that the matter will not escalate further for now, as they are focused on the election campaign in Castile and León. But this doesn't change the fact that they acknowledge the Murcian political landscape is "very unstable," just as it is in the Balearic Islands—where it's even more extreme, with non-affiliated members of parliament and even a newly created political platform. They also point out the unique situation of potentially becoming the leading force in Murcia, which has an impact. Despite the internal conflict and the palpable tension in Murcia, the national leadership intended for Antelo to run again as the lead candidate, but now attention will be focused on his next moves. It is anticipated that cases of insubordination could follow the path of Ortega Smith, and in fact, the situation is expected to explode most significantly when everything unfolds in the Spanish capital.

Madrid-Murcia Connection

In this context, it's no coincidence that Antelo reposted a message of support from Ortega Smith on social media. "Time puts everyone in their place," Ortega Smith warned. The Madrid councilman declared total war on Abascal more than a week ago, after disobeying the state order to be relieved of his duties as spokesperson in the Madrid City Council. He has threatened the state leader with legal action. and continues to position himself as a representative of Vox despite the expulsion – of him and of two councilors who have supported him, Ignacio Ansaldo and Carla Toscano.

Critics are seizing the opportunity to escalate the internal conflict, as is the case with former Castilian-Leonese leader Juan García-Gallardo, who resigned due to political disagreements with the national leadership: "Abascal throws the stone and hides his hand, forcing the 'voluntary' resignation of all the members of the Murcia Provincial Executive Committee to make it appear spontaneous. A leader who bases his leadership on fear, instead of authority, is not a leader, but something else," he emphasized on X. He even pointed out that it is "curious that they want to get rid of the only regional leader with a current chance of winning the elections in the short term" and that the maneuver has been "driven from the shadows by a boomer expert who depends on the CEO to pay his mortgage and alimony to his ex-wife,” referring to Murcia councilman Luis Gestoso, who is said to be close to Abascal. He further embellished the statement by talking about “dirty war” and “the whims and fancies of the apparent leader.”

Former Vox spokesperson Iván Espinosa de los Monteros expressed similar sentiments, lamenting in an interview with COPE “the internal impoverishment of Vox” and “the silencing of anyone with any leadership potential.” He was even more forceful, recalling that “in 2023, Vox went from 52 seats to 33 and there was no self-criticism,” and that “then came the party’s illiberal and statist turn, with decisions that no one understands, such as leaving Giorgia Meloni’s Conservatives and Reformists group” to join Viktor Orbán and Marine Le Pen’s Patriots group. On Thursday I had already said that "they haven't even put out the fire they started with Ortega Smith and they're already taking down another one of the best candidates."