The discursive cession to Vox in Extremadura, with the acceptance of the "principle of national priority", has borne the expected fruit for the PP. After a first attempt frustrated a month and a half ago, the popular candidate, María Guardiola, has been invested as president this Wednesday with the votes of the popular party and the far-right, which doubled its results in the regional elections of December 21. "As what the polls say does matter to me, I know that this project is only possible with Vox [...] That is why I will not apologize for governing with those who represent an important part of Extremadura," the president of Extremadura emphasized, who revalidates the position she has held since 2023. However, at the same time, in Congress, the popular party has rejected a motion from Vox defending the principle of "national priority" for access to public policies, understood as the differentiation between national and non-national when receiving aid, an interpretation that the PP rejects.

The PP will bring to a vote this Wednesday in Congress a text in which it asks to "prioritize access to aid, subsidies and public benefits, as well as access to protected housing and social rent, for people who prove a real, lasting and verifiable connection to the territory, inspired by the principle of national priority". In this way, the popular party affirms, they transfer to the lower house "the soul" of the agreement with Vox in Extremadura. Undoubtedly, this is a relevant move, as Alberto Núñez Feijóo decides to adopt a principle that has historically been linked to the far-right, and especially to French lepenism, despite the reservations expressed by prominent figures in his party such as Isabel Díaz Ayuso or Juanma Moreno Bonilla.

The PP has presented an amendment to a Vox motion for the first time to debate in Congress the establishment of a "national priority" when receiving aid and subsidies. This is an element that both parties agreed on in the pact signed to govern in Extremadura —although the candidate for re-election, María Guardiola, did not mention it in Tuesday's investiture debate— and which the Spanish government has already taken it upon itself to censor. The Minister of Justice, Félix Bolaños, in the Senate control session, stated that the pact between the right and the far-right is "discriminatory, inhumane, and xenophobic." In the Extremaduran investiture

The PP and Vox have taken four months to reach an agreement in Extremadura that seems like a pact of circumstances, signed because time was running out, but which contains enough conflictive points to think they will have many problems putting it into practice. Immigration and healthcare will be the most controversial aspects, because the mentality with which these two chapters are treated is clearly restrictive of rights. The campaigns that have been launched previously to prepare the ground will not satisfy the expectations of the signatory parties. Spanish society, by a large majority, does not share the idea that immigrants are a group of criminals responsible for the saturation of public healthcare, while receiving unjustified subsidies.

Vox left all the regional coalition governments with the PP in the summer of 2024 in protest because the Popular Party accepted the arrival of 400 minors from Ceuta and the Canary Islands. It is not strange that, two years later, the immigration folder has been key to resuming the alliance with the PP, for now, in the Extremadura executive. Four months after the elections, the PP has agreed with the far-right to limit the rights of immigrants, starting by committing to reject the arrival of irregulars by all means, "legal, juridical and political", whether they are minors or adults. The government of María Guardiola will not offer new places of reception and will try to empty the current ones "working actively to return unaccompanied minors to their countries of origin". A clear declaration of intent, despite the fact that Extremadura does not have the powers to expel people from its territory.

Three months after the elections in Extremadura, it seems the People's Party (PP) and Vox are seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. The two parties met this Wednesday in Mérida to finalize the agreement that would allow María Guardiola to be sworn in and re-elected as regional president. Speaking after the meeting, both parties affirmed that there is "harmony" and expressed optimism, although they cautioned that there are still "issues to be resolved" before the pact can be considered complete.

So far, it hasn't helped at all. the PP leadership has become involved in the negotiations in Extremadura. As expected, Vox voted 'no' to the investiture of María Guardiola in the second vote, held this Friday afternoon. The rejection means that Guardiola has once again lost her attempt to be invested by the Assembly of Extremadura, as It already happened two days ago in the first voteThe far-right party has fulfilled what it had conveyed to the People's Party this Thursday morning: a No The PP sources attributed the resounding defeat to "external factors" in the negotiations. However, despite this new setback, the baroness The Popular Party has avoided a clash with Santiago Abascal's party, ruled out stepping aside, and asserted that it will not throw in the towel.

Vox closes the door to investing María Guardiola in the first investiture vote in Extremadura. This was confirmed by the leader of the far-right party, Óscar Fernández, during his speech in the plenary session. Santiago Abascal's party continues to demand "certainties and guarantees" that the Popular Party will fulfill what is agreed upon. "There is much to be finalized," he warned. After Guardiolaimplored Vox for their support –"we are not incompatible, there is no wall between us," he said during his speech–, Óscar Fernández has asked her for "fewer nice words and more guarantees." "She kicked the ball forward, she remained in the form without getting to the heart of the matter," he reproached her. Vox reiterates that it wants to agree "measure by measure" in a negotiation that "is not broadcast live" and throws a poisoned dart at the PP's state leadership: "If an agreement has not been reached today, it is fundamentally because someone in Génova still does not want to." "We continue to believe that if you want and they let you, it is possible," he added.

Vox has derailed María Guardiola's first attempt at becoming president of the Extremadura regional government. More than two months after the elections, the People's Party (PP) and the far-right party have been unable to reach an agreement and remain deadlocked. During his speech in the plenary session, the regional leader of the far-right party, Óscar Fernández, reiterated his demand for "certainty and guarantees" that the PP will honor the agreements. "Much remains to be clarified," he warned. After Guardiola He will implore Vox for their support “We are not incompatible, there is no wall between us,” she said yesterday during her speech. Fernández asked her for “less talk and more guarantees.” “She kicked the can down the road, focusing on the form without getting to the heart of the matter,” he reproached her. The Vox deputy made it clear that his duty was to “prevent” the Popular Party candidate from “deceiving and breaking her word,” and launched a poisoned dart at the PP's national leadership: “Her enemies are within her own ranks. If an agreement wasn't reached today, it's fundamentally because someone in Genoa still doesn't want it.” With the vote, which resulted in 29 PP votes in favor of Guardiola and 36 against from the PSOE, Vox, and Unidas por Extremadura, the countdown to the repeat elections begins. There will be a second attempt this Friday afternoon, and if the investiture is also unsuccessful, the PP and Vox will have until May 4th to reach an agreement. If they fail to reach an agreement, Extremadura will hold repeat elections on June 28.

The People's Party (PP) and Vox had two meetings on Tuesday to test their cooperation in the autonomous communities. And it became clear that reaching an understanding will not be easy. In the morning, the two parties failed to reach an agreement on the election of the president of the Aragonese Parliament, a position the PP secured on its own. "We cannot give away positions without any guarantees from Vox," sources in Madrid explained—despite having granted them a seat at the table in Extremadura "in exchange for nothing." This staged event demonstrates that Jorge Azcón is still far from reaching an agreement with Santiago Abascal's party to remain as president of Aragon. In the afternoon, María Guardiola kicked off the investiture debate in the Extremadura Assembly without having yet obtained Vox's endorsement, appealing to the far-right party's "responsibility" to "not obstruct" the formation of a new government. "We are not incompatible, there is no wall between us," she declared.

Vox has a short-, medium-, and long-term plan to put Santiago Abascal in La Moncloa (the Spanish Prime Minister's official residence). The first step in this strategy is being taken these days in negotiations with the PP (People's Party) for the regional governments of Extremadura and Aragon, which will coincide with the elections in Castile and León and Andalusia. All of this is with an eye on the 2027 general elections. According to information obtained by ARA, the far-right's plan hinges on an initial demand: to enter the government of Extremadura. The excuse is that they don't trust the president, María Guardiola, but the reality is more complex; Vox intends to corner the Extremaduran leader while simultaneously making things easier for others. males Populars, for example, Jorge Azcón in Aragon.

María Guardiola is no longer what she used to be: while in 2023 she distinguished herself as one of the most moderate figures in the People's Party (PP), distancing herself from the far right—although she ultimately formed a coalition with them—and until a few weeks ago resisted yielding to Vox's demands, now she's surrendering to Santiago Abascal's party. "The feminism I defend is the feminism that Vox defends," she said this morning in an interview with Ok Diario, words that have not gone down well with the PP at the national level and which Guardiola herself has since been forced to clarify. The PP leadership in Madrid has disavowed her: "There's too much noise and not enough serious work," said the party's deputy secretary, Carmen Fúnez, when asked about the Extremadura president's remarks.

However much he now wrinkles his nose when asked about a possible renewal of the pact with Vox, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco was the first baron popular to embrace the far rightThe year was 2022, Alberto Núñez Feijóo had just become president of the PP, and the party was still trying to portray Vox as a party that couldn't be entrusted with governing duties. Feijóo pressured internally against the pact in Castile and León, thinking it was in his best interest to remain independent of the far right when the general elections came around. Soon, his absolute dependence on Vox forced him to change his strategy.

The Extremadura PP is now pinning all its hopes on Vox. After Wednesday's back-and-forth regarding whether they would be more comfortable with an abstention from the PSOE or Vox than with a coalition government with the far right, María Guardiola (PP), who aspires to re-election as president of the Extremadura Regional Government, now sees an agreement as the only possible path. "My only intention is to reach an agreement [with Vox]," Guardiola stated in a press conference Thursday morning. The PP member, who requested discretion, asserted that there are "more things" that "unite" them than "divide" them with Vox, even though it was the disagreement with the far right over the regional budget that led to the snap elections last December. Guardiola explained that she made a final call to Vox Tuesday night and is now awaiting their response. "There is every intention" to reach an agreement, she insisted. But a month and a half after the elections, in whichMaría Guardiola won againAnd with Vox doubling its seats, negotiations are more deadlocked than ever, raising the specter of a repeat election.

The People's Party continues to pull every string to retain the presidency of the Regional Government of Extremadura. A month and a half after the elections, in which María Guardiola won again And with Vox doubling its number of seats, negotiations are more deadlocked than ever. After Santiago Abascal's party announced yesterday one No After a resounding rejection of María Guardiola and the Extremadura candidate's call for "responsibility" from the PSOE to unblock the situation, the PP's national leadership has adopted the roadmap of the baroness The PP, which is focused on regional affairs, admits it prefers a single-party government through abstentions from either the PSOE or Vox to a coalition with the far right. Despite having negotiated a joint government with Santiago Abascal's party for over a month, the deadlock in talks has forced the PP to look to the PSOE. Sources close to Alberto Núñez Feijóo blame the Socialists for their agreement with the far right and justify their abstention by arguing that if the Socialists campaigned as a "deal to stop the far right," it is now "consistent" for them to abstain to prevent Vox from entering the regional government. These same sources make it clear that they would prefer "not to hand over any portfolios" and acknowledge that if Abascal's party doesn't lower its demands—they want ministries with budgets—"the situation becomes more complicated." "Postponing the negotiations is bad news," they add. What they do rule out, despite the impasse, is a repeat election. "What will be different?" they ask at the People's Party headquarters. They also don't foresee María Guardiola having to step aside due to disagreements with the far right, whom they criticize for wanting to "replace" her despite having obtained 26 percentage points less at the polls. Later, Feijóo's team clarified that it wasn't a change of position, but rather that "in a completely general sense," they prefer single-party governments to "handing power over to other parties." However, they also acknowledged that "since neither Vox nor the PSOE intends to abstain in exchange for anything, we are left with no option but to explore securing support in exchange for something, which could be seats in the cabinet," the same sources concluded.

Two days after the Aragonese elections, with Vox surges with double the number of deputies and a PP on the declineThe far right has made it clear that the males Popular parties seeking to form a coalition will have to pay a high price. This Tuesday, the focus was on Extremadura, where the snap election also failed to achieve the Popular Party's objective of gaining room to maneuver. The acting president of the regional government, María Guardiola, was nominated as a candidate and appealed for "responsibility," with harsh words for Santiago Abascal's party: "It cannot be that the PP, which won the elections with the support of 43.2% of voters, has to disguise itself as Vox," she added. But shortly afterward, she confirmed that the radical right had closed the door on supporting her and stated that it was up to her whether or not to hold new elections. Vox's secretary general, Ignacio Garriga, announced a "resounding no" to supporting her because "she has not understood the mandate of the ballot box."

Manuel Naharro Gata is the second most powerful person in Extremadura since his election this week as president of the regional parliament. Born in 1986, he has been the mayor of Valencia de Mombuey, a town of 700 inhabitants, since 2007, when he was just 21 years old. He combined this position with a rise within the People's Party (PP), where he has been the provincial president of Badajoz since 2021, and a trusted advisor to the president of Extremadura, María Guardiola, who fiercely defended him against accusations of committing a crime against sexual freedom (which were later dismissed by the courts). Naharro, who holds a higher technical degree in administration and finance, was reported in 2024 for offering jobs in exchange for sex, and since then, criticism has been a constant presence in his life. Specifically, when he was already vice-president of the Parliament, he offered a job as a driver to a member of the PP: "I could have a job as a driver: 14 payments of 1,800 euros net," his interlocutor told him in a message, according to a private chat included in a police report revealed by Daily NetworkThe complainant replied that it was a matter of "sitting down and talking about it," and Naharro told him to come whenever he wanted. A few days later, he asked for his resume, finally asking the question that would get to the point: "Do you want to screw a nail?" The PP member who was hoping for the job was astonished, especially considering that up to that point they had only spoken "three or four times," as he explained in the complaint. "You set the price," the politician then added. "What do you say?" the complainant asked, in a response that triggered a partial reversal: "Nothing, if you don't want to, nothing," he said in an initial message, adding that it was "a good deal": "What do you say?" he reiterated. A few days later, Naharro backtracked: "Sorry if I bothered you the other day."

One of the headlines that the elections last Sunday in Extremadura It was Vox's resounding improvement that stood out: Santiago Abascal's party doubled its seats and percentage of the vote, garnering 40,000 more votes than two and a half years ago and becoming the second-largest party in the city of Cáceres. "They've made a significant gain, which we respect," sources from the PP headquarters in Madrid (Génova) indicated on Monday. This decisive rise of the far right derailed one of the objectives set by María Guardiola, who aspired to be less dependent on Vox after the party's success. derail the legislature with the refusal to approve the budget. And not only that, but Vox's strength could have repercussions in the regional elections scheduled for the first quarter of 2026 in Aragon, Castile and León, and Andalusia.

The left-wing unity that Irene de Miguel achieved in Extremadura is on its way to becoming a mirage. Unidas por Extremadura is the coalition that brought together Podemos, Izquierda Unida, and Alianza Verde under the same umbrella – Sumar did not run but offered its support. It is also the alliance that injected optimism into a political space that is not going through its best moment following the breakdown between Sumar and Podemos, and at a time when polls predict a decline for the party at the national level. Therefore, the results in Extremadura, where Irene de Miguel increased the unitary coalition's seats by threeThey are a small oasis that, for now, is difficult to replicate in other regions with upcoming regional elections, such as Andalusia, but also throughout the country, where the unity that Yolanda Díaz forged for the 2023 elections is weakened: Podemos broke with Sumar, and Esquerra Unida also split.

In Extremadura, the results of a mediocre campaign, featuring mediocre candidates with even more mediocre platforms (if any platforms at all, really: Extremadura was merely a pretext; it was simply being used as a barometer for what might happen in Madrid), have been seen. Even voter turnout was mediocre. With such mediocrity, the outcome was predictable: a blow to the two major parties in the Spanish political system, favoring the far right, on which the PP depends, once again, to govern this region. Podemos also benefited, experiencing a slight, albeit insignificant, increase in support.