The Extraordinary General Assembly of Vox has proclaimed this Saturday Santiago Abascal as president of the party, for the fourth consecutive time in the ten years of the formation’s life, in a procedure without the need for any vote due to the absence of competitors for the position.
The leader of Vox was elected president of the party for the first time in September 2014, after defeating businessman Ludovico López Cadé in a vote open to militancy. He was re-elected two years later, in March 2016, and already with overwhelming support from members, 98% of the votes. And again in March 2020, when, as now, it was not necessary to vote as Abascal lacked an opponent. Thus, he will remain in office until 2028.
The internal congress was scheduled for March of this year, but Abascal decided to bring it forward to, as he explained, face this 2024 election – there will be elections in Galicia, the Basque Country and the European Parliament – with the organic remodeling already undertaken.
However, Abascal’s movement was interpreted by some critical sectors as a way to shield himself as president, since a margin of about twenty days made it practically impossible for any affiliate to gather the more than 3,600 endorsements necessary to compete.
The only name that was heard as a possible rival for Abascal was that of the spokesperson for the Madrid City Council, Javier Ortega Smith, but he did not take the step. Thus, the current leader of Vox was the only one who formally announced his candidacy and managed to obtain the necessary endorsements. The party decided not to hold a vote.
Together with Abascal, the Extraordinary General Assembly has ratified Abascal’s proposal to remodel the National Executive Committee (CEN), the leadership of Vox. The current secretary general, Ignacio Garriga, remains the only vice president, while relegating the other three as members; Ortega Smith, MEP Jorge Buxadé and Deputy Reyes Romero.
The members go from five to 17. Ortega Smith, Buxadé and Romero are joined by new faces, figures on the rise at the national level and others linked to the territorial power that Vox has held since the municipal and regional elections of May 28 and which requires updating the organizational chart in line with the power that training accumulates in the regions.
They are the spokesperson in Congress and the general secretary of the parliamentary group, Pepa Rodríguez de Millán and José María Figaredo, in addition to the vice presidents of Castilla y León; Juan García-Gallardo; Murcia, José Ángel Antelo; the Valencian Community, Vicente Barrero; and Aragón, Alejandro Nolasco. He has also introduced the Vox spokesperson in the Murcia City Council, Luis Gestoso, and the president of the Valencian Cortes, Llanós Massó.
Rocío de Meer, Enrique Cabanas and María Ruiz remain and Pedro Fernández leaves, while the current Director of Communication of the Presidency and press chief of the parliamentary group, Rosa Cuervas-Mons, enters; the Deputy Secretary of Government Action, Montserrat Lluis; and deputy Blanca Armario.
