Vox expels Ortega Smith, the last remaining critic

BarcelonaThe clash between the Vox spokesperson in the Madrid City Council and also founder of the party, Javier Ortega Smith, and the leadership of the far right headed by Santiago Abascal It comes from far awayBut Ortega's "disrespect" towards the state leadership following the recent decision to remove him as municipal spokesperson has led to his definitive expulsion, according to reports. Vozpópuli And ARA has confirmed this with sources within the leadership. "He refuses to comply with an internal resolution adopted unanimously, and Vox is expelling him from the party as a precautionary measure," they maintain, following the executive committee's decision on February 12.

Specifically, it was decided to replace him with Arantxa Cabello, but he flatly refused to accept. The leadership had indications that he might make dismissals within the municipal group and entrench himself, and they have expelled him swiftly. It should be remembered that Ortega is not only a councilor and holds the seat, which is personal and non-transferable, but he is also a member of Congress, where he could wage a battle. Ortega had repeatedly accused Abascal of setting up a party like "modus vivendi"...like a crony placement agency." First he was removed as deputy speaker in Congress—he had already been removed from the positions of speaker and secretary-general—then He was expelled from the state leadership And finally, this Wednesday he was expelled from the party – he is formally suspended from membership pending ratification of his full expulsion.

According to sources within the leadership who confirmed this to ARA, the decision to replace him "was formally communicated to all councilors by the general secretary" and they were asked to "notify" the City Council immediately. But Ortega Smith refused to accept subordination to Cabello.

The disagreements between Abascal and Ortega have paralleled the fall from grace of the Madrid leader. He came to prominence during the trial of the former president of the 1986 Catalan independence leaders, acting as a private prosecutor, and has spent more than three years waging an internal battle within Vox, visiting critics and meeting and being photographed with dissident friends, such as former spokesperson Iván Espinosa de los Monteros. With a forceful battle against the leadership and by maintaining a free-spirited profile, supposedly to defend Vox's "original" ideals, he has led to a fratricidal struggle that could escalate in the coming weeks.

Now he could dig in his heels and retain his seats as an independent member. Numerous emails obtained by this newspaper confirm that, since April 3rd of last year, he had been informed of the "displeasure" expressed by the fact that he was acting independently and not following the usual communication and decision-making channels of the national leadership.

Constant clashes

The string of emails and letters from Ignacio Garriga to Ortega cover a variety of issues. In April, according to sources within the leadership, the Catalan leader expressed his regret that the general secretary's office had not been informed of his visit to the Torrelavega municipal group, "a party event with political content." "I understand this to be a communication error and that, although you followed the established channels, the information did not reach this office, with the resulting disruption to coordination that I'm sure you understand, and the resulting dysfunctions." He concluded with a plea that would be repeated in the following months: "You are aware, given the positions you have held, of the importance of working in a coordinated manner and following procedures," he told him.

But the relationship deteriorated further, and on May 20, Garriga criticized him for scheduling a media appearance at the same time as another important party press conference, adding that this undermined "the unity of the message" due to the communication mix-up. It was then pointed out that the regional leader in the Assembly, Isabel Pérez Moñino, had been chosen to speak. Along the same lines, on July 7th, the tone escalated with direct criticism of a Vox agreement in Valladolid for a low-emission zone. Despite being significantly weakened, the agreement was moving forward in the city with the party's support: "I am writing to you with unease [...]. You seek notoriety even at the cost of creating division and hindering the project."

The emails and letters fell on deaf ears, as Ortega waged a public war but did not respond to Garriga privately. On September 8th, the Secretary General returned, attacking Ortega's "distortion, obfuscation, and unnecessary noise," which was once again overshadowing the leader. "I ask you to act with responsibility and loyalty," the Secretary General told her. Meanwhile, Ortega was publicly stating that the loyalty he wanted to uphold was exclusively to his "principles."

The final letter was on November 20th of last year, when at the beginning of the month He had been removed from his position as deputy spokesperson in Congress. "Although you have never responded to my previous letters or messages, I cannot fail to address you again to reproach you, in all clarity, for your repeated conduct," Garriga said, criticizing his interviews in The Debate and Cope.

"It doesn't add up"

The crux of the matter is the "serious violation of internal rules," drawn up by Ortega himself when he was Abascal's second-in-command. All of this to publicly question the party's strategy, which the leadership reminded him is a "very serious offense." But he is also criticized for using "the narrative that the party headquarters in Genoa is trying to impose." In this open confrontation, the latest email also reminded him that he greeted critics like Espinosa with "affection," despite having written "scathing reports" against him to expel him.

But the leadership also resorted to the electoral factor. "All the polls, all the internal studies, and all the media impact analyses agree: your profile, far from being an asset, is now an electoral liability, and you aren't even capable of unsettling Almeida's disastrous administration, in which no poll indicates growth for Vox."

Before Christmas, Ortega was expelled from the state leadership and in January he was also removed from his position as justice spokesperson, while being sent to the back benches of the lower house, far from Abascal and emerging figures like the newly appointed deputy spokesperson Carlos Hernández QueroHe railed against each of these decisions, saying he didn't "understand" them: "It's unfair," he said of last year's first dismissal.