Vox asks to join the government of Aragon and sets conditions for the PP

MadridWith less than a month to go before the elections in Castile and León – they are on March 15 – the People's Party (PP) is seeing the scenario from Extremadura repeat itself in Aragon. Like María Guardiola, Jorge Azcón (PP) won the regional elections, but not with a sufficient majority; he is now more dependent on Vox than before the election was called. The far-right party doubled its results in Sunday's Aragonese elections and is now demanding its share of the pie: this Monday, the national spokesperson for the far-right, José Antonio Fúster, expressed interest in joining the regional government and outlined his priorities: he has conditioned his support on combating green policies, immigration, and [unclear - possibly "BK_SLT_LNA"]. Thus, he has demanded ministries with real powers and a budget to be able to influence day-to-day management, even though the snap election was precisely due to a disagreement between the PP and Vox over agreeing on a new regional budget. "We want very clear responsibilities with very clear budgets to implement the policies we want to implement," explained Fúster, who urged the PP to sit down and negotiate tomorrow. "When you don't have an absolute majority, you have to reach an agreement," the president of Aragon, Jorge Azcón, had anticipated just before entering the PP's national executive committee meeting this Monday, which met in Madrid to analyze the results of the Aragonese elections. This message was later echoed by the PP leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, who did not hesitate to explicitly address Santiago Abascal's party: "Responsibility," Feijóo demanded of Vox. The Popular Party acknowledges its dependence on Vox, and while they warn that they will establish their own profile—"we are not the same," Feijóo asserted—they are aware that they will have to find common ground. "We must reach an understanding," reiterated the leader of the PP, who demanded that Santiago Abascal's party not generate "frustration" among the people. "Vox cannot become a wall," he said. In fact, the PP fears that the situation in Aragon will replicate that of Extremadura, where Guardiola won the elections and has yet to reach any agreement with the far right. Tomorrow, the president of the Extremadura Assembly, Manuel Naharro, will propose Guardiola as a candidate to be invested as president, knowing, however, that she still does not have guaranteed support. Vox, in this sense, does not rule out a repeat election: "Guardiola must understand that our positions are very reasonable and theirs are insufficient," said Fúster, adding that they are demanding ministerial positions or a vice-presidency to be able to change policies "with structure and a budget." A strategy of the far right which is different from what he did in 2024, when it decided to withdraw en masse from all regional governments in opposition to immigration policies.

The PSOE rules out supporting Azcón

Beyond the problems the PP is currently facing with Vox, during his address to the national board, Feijóo didn't hesitate to use the results in Aragon to take a swipe at Spanish President Pedro Sánchez: "People are telling him enough is enough [...] The PSOE is losing because people can't stand it." In fact, the regional election campaign has once again adopted the national framework, as Azcón himself acknowledged, lamenting that Vox "has benefited from it."

And what does the PSOE have to say about all this? The Spanish government accepts the defeat, but the Socialists aren't engaging in self-criticism and are clinging to the PP's decline to demand Feijóo reflect on his performance. Spokesperson Montse Mínguez championed the PSOE as a party "more necessary than ever" and proclaimed that the "political loser" of the elections is the PP, despite having won them. "You don't call elections to lose seats. Nor do you call them to become more dependent on Vox, and that's what has happened," declared Mínguez. Thus, despite the PSOE's plummeting from 23 to 18 seats, he expressed support for candidate Alegría and considered that the only thing she lacked was "time": "Politics is a marathon," he replied, emphasizing the importance of the former minister's role in the opposition from now on.

The PSOE, therefore, rules out any direct or indirect support for Azcón's investiture. "It's not our responsibility," stressed Mínguez, who recalled that Alegría offered her support to the Aragonese president to pass the budget and that the PP preferred to call early elections. "Feijóo is obsessed with La Moncloa and is putting everything at its service. He has become the best campaign manager for Vox, which is multiplying like gremlins," declared the Socialist spokesperson, who also dismissed the idea that the financing model agreed upon with Esquerra had harmed Alegría's interests: "Gu.

The PSOE's reaction comes after Spanish President Pedro Sánchez stated on Monday night that, despite the Socialist defeat, the PSOE "will continue to be the only progressive alternative." In a message to X, he also congratulated Azcón on the victory and the Socialist candidate, former minister Pilar Alegría, for her "great work and commitment" to Aragon.

Musk echoes the elections

Elon Musk, the owner of Xbox, has also taken the opportunity to comment on the elections in Aragon. who has declared war on Sánchez's governmentHe has once again attacked the Spanish government following the regional elections, in which the PSOE equaled its worst result ever.

He didn't issue his own statement, but he responded to a message from Mike Benz, former US Secretary of State for Communications, in which he links the defeat of "the corrupt Spanish government" to the need to "flood the country with 500,000 immigrants"—referring to the extraordinary regularization approved by the government. Despite the extraordinary regularization approved by the government, those without Spanish nationality could not have participated in those elections or in any that may be called soon.