Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, one of the most well-known faces of the extreme right in Spain, leaves the front line of political life. Vox’s last parliamentary spokesperson announced yesterday – two weeks after winning the seat in the general elections of July 23 – that he will not collect the parliamentary record “for personal and family reasons”, despite the fact that internal party sources they assure that behind his resignation is the distance with the bunker that currently leads the ultranationalist formation.
The departure of Espinosa de los Monteros, the same sources explain, was a matter of time. The most ultra sector – led by Jorge Buxadé and his squires Ignacio Hoces and Ignacio Garriga – won the battle against the more liberal soul, led by Espinosa de los Monteros, months ago. The president of the party, Santiago Abascal, bet for the former with the latest reorganization of the organic structure, positioning Buxadé as a strong man – from today even more so – of the party.
Espinosa de los Monteros was sidelined after his role as negotiator in the previous Madrid and Andalusian elections was called into question. So much so, that he was despised by the ultra leadership when it came to making the lists for the last general elections. His relatives were relegated or purged by Buxadé. The same thing that happened in the last general election campaign, in which he saw his role reduced to the minimum expression.
Yesterday, the penultimate chapter of this civil war materialized with the resignation of its main victim, despite the fact that the leaders of the party tried to stage that there are no disputes at their headquarters. Minutes after noon, Espinosa de los Monteros entered the press room of the Congress of Deputies together with ten colleagues from the parliamentary group. Among them, some like Víctor González or Inés Cañizares, who will not repeat in the legislature that starts next week.
In a room full of journalists – whom he did not allow to ask a single question -, Espinosa de los Monteros announced his departure without referring to the internal squabbles. Nor to the bad results obtained by the extreme right in the last elections, in which it lost almost twenty deputies. He revealed that he had “thought about the vital moment” he is in for “enough” nights in hospital: “My parents are not so young anymore”. And so he announced that he was leaving his positions before clarifying that he will continue as another grassroots affiliate of Vox. “Always available”.
After endless credits of thanks – which were addressed to Vox voters, congressmen, the president, Meritxell Batet… -, Espinosa de los Monteros affirmed that being a deputy has been the “honor ” greatest in his life, which has given him “great” opportunities, such as going to the receptions at the Royal Palace on the occasion of October 12.
With first and last name he referred to Abascal, Buxadé and Garriga. And they all returned the gesture via Twitter. The ultra leader lamented the loss of “a great spokesman” whom he thanked for his dedication; the vice-president of political action and MEP wished luck to “a friend, colleague and patriot”, and the general secretary and head of ranks in the Parliament assured that Espinosa de los Monteros “will always be a great asset of Vox’s patriotic project” .
His departure, 48 hours after the ultra-right offered its 33 deputies to the Popular Party without any conditions, widens the rift in a party that is experiencing one of its lowest hours, despite the fact that only 20 days ago they saw each other with possibility of living together in Moncloa.
The internal tension between the two souls of the party came to light yesterday through recognized faces of the formation. Former General Secretary Javier Ortega Smith regretted that Espinosa de los Monteros had thrown in the towel, but that he regretted “much more the reasons that lead to (his departure)”. Much tougher was Rubén Manso, deputy of Vox last term, but who will not repeat. With an article in Vozpópuli entitled “Vox has no future”, the ex-parliamentarian from the extreme right accuses Vox of having fallen into “the caricature” that many outsiders made of the party.
The ex-deputy of the ultra formation believes that Vox “will be the first non-conventional right-wing party to fail in Europe”. “Like some teenagers, he has decided to punish his parents by behaving irresponsibly, because Vox had a responsibility that he has resigned from. Espinosa de los Monteros, no”, he concludes.
