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. 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." He was first removed as deputy speaker in Congress, after having been removed as speaker and secretary general previously, 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 approach, 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" caused by his independent actions and his failure to follow the usual communication and decision-making channels of the national leadership.

Constant clashes

Garriga's string of emails and letters to Ortega cover a variety of issues. In April, according to sources within the leadership, the Catalan leader lamented that he had not informed the general secretary's office about his visit to the Torrelavega municipal group, "a party event with political content." "I understand that this is 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 declared.

But the relationship deteriorated more and more, and on May 20th, he criticized her for scheduling a media event at the same time as another important party press conference, which undermined the "unity of message" due to the communication mix-up. He was then criticized for the fact that the regional leader in the Assembly, Isabel Pérez Moñino, had been chosen to speak at the demonstration. Along the same lines, on July 7th, the tone escalated due to direct criticism of a Vox agreement in Valladolid regarding a low-emission zone. Although 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 remained unheard, as Ortega waged a public war but did not respond privately to Garriga. On September 8th, the Secretary General returned, attacking Ortega's "distortion, blurring, and unnecessary noise," once again covering up Ortega's actions. "I ask you to act with responsibility and loyalty," the Secretary General maintained. Meanwhile, Ortega was publicly stating that the loyalty he wished 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 stated, 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 is to publicly question the party's strategy, which Garriga himself points out is a "very serious offense." But he also goes so far as to criticize Ortega for using "the narrative that Genoa is trying to impose." However, in this open confrontation, the last email reminded him that he greeted critics like Espinosa with "affection," despite having written "scathing reports" against him to expel him.

But he also resorts 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're not even capable of unsettling Almeida's disastrous administration, where no poll indicates growth for Vox," he retorted.

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 the first major dismissal last year.