Share

Spain's far-right Vox party allies with mainstream rivals

Share

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s far-right Vox party has edged toward the political mainstream, dropping its more extremist positions to help form a regional government in Andalusia as far-right parties build their influence across Europe.

The anti-migrant, anti-feminist and euroskeptic party played kingmaker by supporting an alliance of the conservative Popular Party and the center-right Citizens party that is poised to end 36 years of center-left Socialist party rule in Spain’s most populated region.

Vox initially demanded the deportation of 52,000 immigrants and the scrapping of tough laws protecting women from domestic abuse in return for its 12 votes in the 109-member Andalusian parliament.

But the Popular Party and Citizens party balked at those terms, and they didn’t feature in a deal announced late Wednesday.

Support for the four-year-old Vox party surged in the Andalusian elections last month, making it the first far-right party to secure parliamentary seats since Spain installed a democratic system of government following dictator Gen. Francisco Franco’s 1975 death. It won’t have a seat in the new Andalusian government, however.

Trending:
Prince Harry Named in Major Sex Trafficking Lawsuit Against Rapper

Vox leader Santiago Abascal tweeted that his party had “consolidated its success by demonstrating its useful role in bringing about change.”

The party’s strategy is to make a dent in national politics and European elections in March.

The Andalusian developments agitated politics in the eurozone’s fourth largest economy as parties gear up for a general election that could be held as early as this year.

Being unseated in Andalusia, in a vote expected in coming days, deals a severe blow to the Socialist party which runs the country with a minority government.

The Popular Party, meanwhile, is taking the risk of being connoted with an extremist party. While it rejected Vox’s more extreme demands, the Popular Party agreed to keep bullfighting legal despite calls for its prohibition and gave an undertaking not to introduce any measures that might encourage illegal immigration.

Vox has made the fight against illegal immigration one of its headline policies. The European Union says about 57,000 migrants crossed from North Africa to Spain last year — double the figure for 2017.

The Western Journal has not reviewed this Associated Press story prior to publication. Therefore, it may contain editorial bias or may in some other way not meet our normal editorial standards. It is provided to our readers as a service from The Western Journal.

Truth and Accuracy

Submit a Correction →



We are committed to truth and accuracy in all of our journalism. Read our editorial standards.

Tags:
Share
The Associated Press is an independent, not-for-profit news cooperative headquartered in New York City. Their teams in over 100 countries tell the world’s stories, from breaking news to investigative reporting. They provide content and services to help engage audiences worldwide, working with companies of all types, from broadcasters to brands. Photo credit: @AP on Twitter
The Associated Press was the first private sector organization in the U.S. to operate on a national scale. Over the past 170 years, they have been first to inform the world of many of history's most important moments, from the assassination of Abraham Lincoln and the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the fall of the Shah of Iran and the death of Pope John Paul.

Today, they operate in 263 locations in more than 100 countries relaying breaking news, covering war and conflict and producing enterprise reports that tell the world's stories.
Location
New York City




Conversation