New purge at Vox: "Abascal is allergic to democracy"

BarcelonaVox has carried out a series of purges in recent years to remove critics of its leader Santiago Abascal's administration. The party operates with a hierarchical spirit that is fully embraced by the leadership, resulting in the dismissal of anyone who breaks this military-style attitude by issuing public criticism or organizing combative movements. In fact, sources within the party have always justified this as a desire to avoid men territorial or criteria that differed from the ruling party's line, despite criticism for a lack of internal democracy and autonomy. They basically demanded a "refoundation" congress, that Abascal be held accountable for his management, and that internal democracy be established. the mess of the last few months in Castile and León, with Juan García-Gallardo's resignation as leader in February following another open war in the region with two regional deputies who disagreed with the party's strategic line. This dispute comes on top of the controversial resignations of Iván Espinosa de los Monteros and Macarena Olona and the mess in Valencia—two city councilors were expelled and then readmitted to the party—now being reorganized, and the various rebels in the Balearic Islands, where the group broke up.

The latest uproar has escalated with forceful statements from the two former leaders, permanently expelled last Friday, who lament a purge of the leadership. There was even a press conference this Tuesday by the hitherto visible face of the far right in Palencia and now an unaffiliated councilor. Sonia Lalanda has continued to speak bluntly and has accused Abascal's party of "caudillismo", to the point that she has pointed out that "its allergy to internal democracy has become a systemic problem". "That is why they have been expelling such important people in the party, including its own founder, to keep only the most docile people, who are the ones who need politics to live", she concluded.

The accusation that Abascal functions as a framework for economic profit is recurrent among critics, exactly like the one expressed by Lalanda, who also told X that "those loyal to the project are beheaded" while "those subservient to the chiringuito are rewarded". The dissident from Pontevedra Antonio Budiño has also verbalized to him: "Those who know me know that I have not changed in my principles and values for six years; Vox has changed in this period of time, much worse now", the general has concluded. In his opinion, "the most painful thing is that they are deceiving many people by hiding behind a flag that doesn't belong to them and a discourse that is incomprehensible," which has exhausted his patience. That Vox members are now "profiteering from politics" is one of the cries of indignation from the dissidents, and Lalanda claims that Abascal and his shadow team "kidnapped the party." Lalanda and Budiño have even agreed in criticizing Vox. has opted for "ethnonationalism" with "the element of race above any other consideration." A critique of the harshness of the immigration discourse led by Jorge Buxadé.

With all this, the councilor of Palencia has continued to express an omnipresent clamor since July of last year, with the break of the regional governments with the PP, and lamented the move to "shouting, gathering discontent, and stirring up the streets," a "dangerous trend" that he sees as far removed from the "founding spirit." What they argue is the lack of internal debate and the party's evolution.

Those expelled have received support from other critics, such as the non-affiliated Castilian-Leonese MP Javier Teira, who added that "the party cult that Vox practices today is the most perfect form of socialism and the most contrary to the Spanish way of being." Former MP Juan Luis Steegman also supported them. Likewise, Balearic MP Idoia Ribas emphasized the use of "mobbing" or workplace harassment, which she also denounced when she broke with Vox. Ribas, Teira, and other dissidents have formed a new platform called Avanza en Libertad (Avanza en Libertad).