Vox | |
|---|---|
 | |
| President | Santiago Abascal |
| Secretary-General | Ignacio Garriga |
| Vice president | Ignacio Garriga |
| Spokesperson | José Antonio Fúster |
| Spokesperson in Congress | Pepa Millán |
| Leader in theEuropean Parliament | Jorge Buxadé |
| Founded | 17 December 2013 |
| Split from | People's Party |
| Headquarters | C / Bambú 12 28036Madrid |
| Think tank | Fundación Disenso |
| Youth wing | Vox Jóvenes |
| Labour wing | Sindicato Solidaridad[1] |
| Membership(2021) |  63,468[2] |
| Ideology | |
| Political position | Far-right[A][22] |
| Religion | Christianity (Catholicism) |
| European affiliation | ECR Party (2019–2024) Patriots.eu (since 2024) |
| European Parliament group | ECR Group (2019–2024) PfE (since 2024) |
| Colours | Green |
| Congress of Deputies | 33 / 350 |
| Senate | 3 / 266 |
| European Parliament | 6 / 61 |
| Regional parliaments | 114 / 1,268 |
| Regional Governments | 0 / 19 |
| Mayors in Spain | 33 / 8,122 |
| Town councillors | 1,695 / 67,121 |
| Party flag | |
 | |
| Website | |
| voxespana.es | |
^ A: Vox is often considered part of theradical right, a subset of the far-right that does not oppose democracy.[3][23][24][25] | |
Vox (Spanish pronunciation:[boks];Latin for 'voice'; often stylized inall caps) is anational conservative[9]political party inSpain. Founded in 2013, it is currently led by party presidentSantiago Abascal, and vice president and secretary-generalIgnacio Garriga.[26] Vox has been described asfar-right orradical right.[21]
The party entered the Spanish parliament for the first time after winning seats in theApril 2019 general election. Later that year, it received 3.6 million votes in theNovember 2019 general election, winning 52 seats and becoming the third-largest party in theCongress of Deputies. Its public support reached its peak within the next few years, according tothe results of subsequent regional elections andopinion polling, but in the2023 Spanish general election showed worse results: a loss of 19 seats in parliament (albeit whilst remaining the third-largest political party in Spain with roughly 3 million votes). In theEuropean Parliament, the six deputies of Vox are members ofPatriots for Europe after a stint in theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists Group.
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Vox was founded on 17 December 2013, and publicly launched at a press conference inMadrid on 16 January 2014, as a split from thePeople's Party (PP).[27][28][29] This schism was interpreted as an offshoot of "neoconservative"[30] or "social conservative"[31] PP party members.[a] Theparty platform called for the rewriting of theSpanish constitution so as to curb regional autonomy and abolish regional parliaments.[29] Several founding members of the party (for example,Alejo Vidal-Quadras,José Antonio Ortega Lara, andSantiago Abascal) had been members of the platform "reconversion.es",[b] which had issued a manifesto in 2012 calling for arecentralization of the State.[33] Vidal-Quadras was proclaimed as the first chairman in March 2014.[34]
Their initial funding, totalling nearly 972,000 euros, came in the form of individual donations from supporters of theNational Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) and ofPeople's Mojahedin Organization of Iran (MEK), thanks to their "personal relationship" with Vidal-Quadras, who had supported the NCRI during his stint in the EU Parliament. There is no evidence that Vox has broken Spanish or EU funding rules accepting these donations.[33][35]
The2014 European elections marked the first time the newly formed Vox fielded a candidate, with Vidal-Quadras running under its banner, though he narrowly failed to retain his seat in theEuropean Parliament.[36] Vidal Quadras later left the party due to both the political failure at the European election and his inability to impose his stances in the party. He would argue in 2018 that the party shifted from a "liberal conservative,Europeanist, andreformist" proposal (represented by himself), to a "nationalist,revisionist,Eurosceptic andconfessional" one.[37]
In September 2014 the party elected Santiago Abascal, one of the founders, as its president, andIván Espinosa de los Monteros, also a founder, as General Secretary.[38][39] Eleven members of the National Executive Committee were also elected.[40]
The party took part in the2015 and2016 general elections, scoring 0.23% and 0.20% of the votes respectively.[citation needed]
Amidst theSpanish constitutional crisis precipitated by theCatalan referendum, Vox opted to not participate in theCatalan regional elections of 2017.[41] After theCatalan declaration of independence, the party sued theParliament of Catalonia and several independentist politicians.[42] Its membership grew by 20% in the span of forty days immediately following this action.[43]
On 10 September 2018, Vox enlistedJuan Antonio Morales (an independent legislator in theregional parliament of Extremadura who had dropped out of the PP parliamentary group) as a party member.[44] On 2 December 2018, they won 12 parliamentary seats in theAndalusian regional election,[45][46] entering aregional parliament for the first time. It supported the coalition regional government by Ciudadanos and the Popular Party. With this result, Vox was also given a first seat in theSenate, which was taken byFrancisco José Alcaraz.[47]
The party obtained 10.26% of votes in theApril 2019 general election, electing 24 Deputies and entering theCongress of Deputies for the first time.[48] Later, the party entered theEuropean Parliament for the first time with 6.2% of the votes and threeEurodeputies, which afterBrexit became four. After the election, the party joined theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists group and theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists Party,[49] having declined the invitation to join theIdentity and Democracy group (which included such far-right parties asNational Rally,League, andAlternative for Germany).[50] In thesecond general election of the year in November, Vox came third and increased its number of deputies from 24 to 52.[51] It was the most-voted party in theRegion of Murcia and the autonomous city ofCeuta.[52]
At the beginning of 2020, during the onset of the globalCOVID-19 pandemic, Vox called for travel restrictions between China and Spain, and later between Italy and Spain, to safeguard against the "Chinese virus".[53] At that time the epidemic was already in full swing in those countries, but it was prior to any COVID cases being officially confirmed within Spain in significant numbers. That position found no support among other parties, and it was criticized asxenophobic rhetoric.[54][55] The party claims thatserious counter-COVID measures were deliberately delayed in Spain by the government, which hid the information and downplayed known risks to allow for mass public events onInternational Women's Day (8 March) to take place, as these events were important for the left wing agenda of the newly formedcoalition government ofPSOE andUP.[56] At the same time, Vox went forward with their own global party conference on 8 March in Vistalegre, where party supporters from all parts of Spain were invited. The conference resulted in numerous cases of COVID infection, including confirmed cases of COVID transmission between members of Vox leadership.[57][58] This fact was often brought up by Vox opponents to criticize Vox attitude towards COVID situation in Spain.[59]
During the anti-COVID lockdown and follow-up restrictions, Vox routinely criticized government measures as inefficient, partisan, and partially unconstitutional.[60] In April 2020 the party appealed to theConstitutional Court of Spain against the firstState of Alarm (15 March – 21 June) declared by the government.[61] In October 2020, Vox's parliamentary group at the Congress of Deputies tabled amotion of no confidence against the current Prime MinisterPedro Sánchez, bringing Santiago Abascal as alternative candidate.[62] The motion failed to gain any support among the other parliamentary groups, gathering 52 'yes' votes (those of Vox legislators) and 298 'no' votes (the rest of the chamber).[63] In November 2020 Vox appealed to the Constitutional Court of Spain against the second State of Alarm (October 25, 2020 – May 9, 2021) declared by the government.[64]
In the face of the2020 United States presidential election, Vox was fully supportive ofPresidentDonald Trump's candidacy,[65] eventweeting from its official account thatJoe Biden was the preferred candidate of "El País,Podemos,Otegi,Maduro, China, Iran and pedophiles", which according to the international news agency EFE was echoingQAnonconspiracy theories.[66] Vox took part in the2021 CPAC conference and refused to acknowledge Biden's victory.[67]
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At the beginning of 2021, Vox's abstention was instrumental in securing European COVID-recovery funds on Socialist terms.[68] Many Vox supporters considered this as the "largest error in Vox's history".[69]
During 2020 and 2021 electoral campaigns for regional elections in theBasque Country,[70]Catalonia,[71] and theCommunity of Madrid[72] multiple legal electoral events of Vox were physically attacked by radical political opponents on the premises of "Vox's legitimate electoral events in some regions being provocative acts". The view of the events as provocations was endorsed by high rankingUP members, including their speakerPablo Echenique, and their leader, theSecond Deputy Prime Minister of Spain at the time,Pablo Iglesias.[73]
On 14 July 2021, in response to the Vox's appeal the previous year, the Constitutional Court of Spain declared by a narrow majority (six votes in supportvs. five votes against) that the first anti-COVID State of Alarm was unconstitutional in the part of suppressing thefreedom of movement established by the Article 19 ofthe Constitution.[74] In October 2021 the Constitutional Court of Spain supported two other appeals by Vox, and declared unconstitutional the closing down of Spanish Parliament and Senate in the beginning of pandemic, and the second State of Alarm.[75][76] As reported on 22 October 2021, the Government of Spain ordered all fines collected in relation to the first State of Alarm to be returned to citizens.[77]
On 13 February 2022, Vox came third in the2022 Castilian-Leonese regional election, raising its representation from 1 up to 13 seats, and becoming the key player for the rivalPeople's Party (PP), who won the elections, to form a government.[78][79] Following this election result, and an unfolding leadership crisis in PP,[80] Vox for the first time was recognized as the Spain's second political force, according to some opinion polls for the next general elections.[81] In March 2022, it was announced that Vox would formgovernment with the PP in Castile and León, taking three of ten ministerial positions including vice president for regional leaderJuan García-Gallardo.[82] Vox memberCarlos Pollán was elected President of theCortes of Castile and León, the position ofspeaker.[83] This represents the first participation of Vox in any regional government.
On 19 June 2022, Vox came third in the2022 Andalusian regional elections. WithMacarena Olona as the leading candidate, the party improved over the previous regional elections, gaining about 100,000 more votes, and two more seats in theParliament of Andalusia, but failed short of the expectations to achieve significantly better results and become the key to the new regional government.[84] In the aftermath of elections, despite initial promises to stay and lead Vox's opposition group in Andalusia, on 29 July 2022, Olona announced her decision to resign and left politics due to unnamed "medical reasons".[85][86]
In March 2023, Vox, for the second time, tableda motion of no confidence against the government of Pedro Sánchez, withRamón Tamames as alternative, independent candidate. The motion failed with 53 votes in favour, 201 votes against, 91 abstentions, and four absentees.[87]
In May 2023,local andregional elections were held in Spain. Vox, as the minor partner, formed the government with the PP in theValencian Community, though the PP ordered that Vox's lead candidateCarlos Flores would not take part in the government, due to his 2002 conviction for harassment of his ex-wife.[88] After protracted negotiations, Vox also joined PP governments inExtremadura andAragon.[89] Despite not forming the government, Vox was awarded the speaker's role in theParliament of the Balearic Islands in exchange for abstaining on the vote and thereby allowing a PP government.[90] Again as the smaller of the two parties, Vox formed local governments with the PP in cities such asElche,Toledo,Valladolid,Guadalajara andBurgos.[91]
Ageneral election took place in July 2023, for which the PP was widely forecast to win and obtain a majority with support from Vox.[92][93][94] In whatBBC News called a surprise result, Vox fell from 52 seats to 33, losing half a million votes; the PP took the most seats but fell short of a majority even with Vox's support. Vox's reduced presence in the Congress meant that it lost its ability to appeal the government's legislature to theSupreme Court; it had previously used this right to challenge Sánchez's legislation ontransgender issues,euthanasia and theCOVID-19 pandemic. After the election, some political journalists noted Spain had followed an opposite trend to other European countries such as Sweden, Finland and Italy where conservative-nationalist parties had scored strong results and opined Vox's communication style had turned off voters and that the disappearance ofCiudadanos (whose votes mostly went to the PP) had indirectly penalized Vox as the electoral system is weighted to favour bigger parties. Abascal partly blamed the People's Party whom he argued had been too triumphalist in campaigning on behalf of the right, claiming "They sold the bear's skin before they had even hunted it. That is clearly the reason why there was a lack of mobilisation [of voters]."[95][96][97]
In the aftermath of the general elections, many members of the "liberal family of Vox" left the party or lost their influence in favour of the syndicalist wing, headed by Jorge Buxadé.[98]
In late 2023, Vox promoted the youth organizationRevuelta, which is seen by some media as the party's covertyouth wing.[99][100] Revuelta took part in the2023–2024 Spanish protests.[101]
Vox held a major rally in Madrid in May 2024 in anticipation of theEuropean elections. Receiving support from international politicians including Argentinian PresidentJavier Milei and France's presidency candidateMarine Le Pen, as well as other politicians from Italy, Hungary, France, and Portugal.[102][103]
In response to the conservativePeople's Party's decision to grant asylum to a number ofundocumented underage immigrants [es] in their respective regions, Vox decided on 11 July 2024 to step out of the coalition governments it had formed in the regions ofAragón,Castile and León,Murcia,Extremadura and theValencian Community, as well as withdrawing their external support to the regional governments of theBalearic Islands andCantabria.[104][105] On 5 July 2024, the party joined thePatriots for Europe European party, abandoningGiorgia Meloni's ECR.[106] With their new group, Vox held a rally of force on 8 February 2025, in Madrid, alongsideViktor Orbán and other right-wing leaders, vowing to reconquer Europe as a reference to Spain's ownReconquista against Islam.[107]
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Vox identifies as a "right-wing without complexes"[108] and regards itself as an alternative to both the "cowardly right" of thePeople's Party and the "orange fickle" ofCitizens.[109] In November 2018, during a party event inMurcia, party leaderSantiago Abascal defined his party as "antifascist, anti-Nazi andanti-communist".[110] The party has been described as simply right-wing,[111] a populistradical-right (in contrast to anextreme right),far-right,[112][113][114] and also neo-Francoist.[115][116][117][118][119]
According to certain analysis, the main tenets in Vox's ideology are: (i) a stronganti-immigration stance and advocacy for stricterlaw and order policies; (ii) a strong defence of theunity of Spain against all who allegedly want to break or undermine it; (iii) an opposition to what it labels the "progressive dictatorship"; and (iv) a strong defence ofCatholicism and so-calledtraditional values.[120] Guillermo Fernández Vázquez, who described Vox as "economically anti-statist and neoliberal" as well as "morally authoritarian", believes that the party holds similar positions to those held byJörg Haider'sFreedom Party of Austria orJean Marie Le Pen'sNational Front, thus likening its emergence to an archaic stage of currentradical right parties, more worried about modernizing their image than Vox; the latter's approach to cultural issues would be in line with old schoolSpanish nationalist parties, restricting the scope of "culture" to "language and tradition".[121][122]
According toXavier Casals, the unifying part of Vox's ideology is a war-likeultranationalism[123] identified by the party with apalingenetic and biological vision of the country—the so-calledEspaña Viva—as well as a Catholicism-inspired culture.[7] He says that ideological roots of the party's ultranationalism lie inincondicionalismo, 'unconditionalism', the nationalist discourse based on the "fear of amputation of the homeland" coined in the 19th century inColonial Cuba against Cuban separatism, andautonomist concessions (replicated in Catalonia in the 1910s).[124] Casals writes that the party's discourse has also revived the myth of theAntiespaña ("Anti-Spain"), an umbrella term created in the 1930s by the domestic ultranationalist forces to designate the (inner) "Enemies of Spain",[4][125] creating a simplisticEspaña viva/Antiespaña duality that comes handy for communicating via social media.[126] Casals notes, regarding the external projection of its discourse, that the party has reanimated the concept of "Hispanidad"; party leader Abascal has stated that an immigrant coming from a "brotherlyHispanic-American country" is not comparable to the immigration coming from "Islamic countries".[127]
The party has appealed toconspiracy theories invoking the figure ofGeorge Soros as a mastermind behindCatalan separatism and the alleged "Islamization" of Europe.[128] During his participation in theApril 2019 general election debate, Santiago Abascal used a phrase of the fascistRamiro Ledesma, founder of theJuntas de Ofensiva Nacional-Sindicalista (JONS): "only the rich can afford the luxury of not having a homeland".[129]
In 2023, Barcelona-based journalist Stephen Burgen and Spanish political scientist Pablo Simón argued that Vox had grown to contain twofactions which adhere to different influences; they cited a more hardline wing close to leader Santiago Abascal whom they claim take inspiration from nationalist European parties and figures such asViktor Orbán in Hungary and the right-wing nationalist faction ofLaw and Justice in Poland, and a second wing containing former party spokesmanIván Espinosa de los Monteros who identify more with theBritish Conservative Party and whose role models would beMargaret Thatcher andRonald Reagan.[130] Espinosa quit politics in August 2023, although he officially remained a member of the party, and downplayed his discrepancies with Vox's main line.[130][131]
Vox supports theconstitutional monarchy[132] and wants to repeal theHistorical Memory Law.[133][134] The party wants to reform the Spanishelectoral system "so the vote of every Spaniard is worth the same".[135]
Vox publicly criticised and opposed theexhumation of Francisco Franco.[136] The party has been described as taking arevisionist approach towardsFrancoist Spain.[137]
Vox advocates therecentralization[13][138][139] of Spain by abolishing Spain'sautonomous communities,[138][140] in order to establish aunitary state.[138] Vox is aSpanish nationalist party and as such it strongly opposesseparatistmovements in the country, particularly theCatalan independence movement andBasque nationalism. Vox promotes the illegalization of separatist parties in Spain,[141] such asEH Bildu orERC. The party opposed the pardoning of Catalan independence activistsconvicted for organizing anillegal independence referendum.
Vox has been described associally conservative[135] and the party has positioned itself as a defender of the "natural family" by advocatingtraditional family values andnatalism.[142][143] Party memberRocío de Meer has accused the left of trying to "abolish the family".[142] The party opposes "gender ideology".[144]
Vox has been described asanti-feminist,[145] and wants to repeal thegender violence law [es],[146] which they see as "discriminatory against one of the sexes", and replace it with a "family violence law that will afford the same protection to the elderly, men, women and children who suffer from abuse".[147] Left-leaning critics believe Vox undermines the importance of feminist struggle in the advancement of women's liberties by means of linking the latter to a culture with "Christian foundations".[148]
Vox is opposed toabortion[149][150] and rejects the legalization ofeuthanasia.[150] The party supportsbullfighting, which it considers an important element ofSpanish culture that should be defended.[151]
Vox advocateslaw and order policies and calls for "safe neighbourhoods",[152][153][154] typically linking the notion to "safe borders" in opposition to the "immigrant invasion".[154] The party supports preventive measures against crime, including the increase ofsentences for violent crimes[153] and imposinglife sentences for sexual offenders and abusers.[155][156] Casals writes that Vox's specific brand of Spanish nationalism is linked to an unconditional support of theState Security Forces and Corps.[126]
Vox has proposed that citizens should be allowed to keep arms at home, and supports thecastle doctrine,[157][158] but does not support the right to carry arms or the free sale of firearms.[158] Current party leaders, Santiago Abascal and Javier Ortega, are both licensed to carryhandguns forself-defence due to recurrent threats to their lives for their political activities.[159][160]
Vox opposessame-sex marriage[161] but supports same-sexcivil unions.[162] While not openly opposed tohomosexual adoption, party members want to prioritise heterosexual couples in the process.[163][164] Vox opposes theLey Trans approved by the Spanish government in June 2021,[165][166] believing that the law "attacks the rights of women, children, biology, and common sense".[167] Vox congratulated theHungarian parliament forpassing legislation[168] that would ban media and educational content which may be seen by minors from depicting LGBT individuals or addressing LGBT issues.[169]
Vox has been accused ofhomophobia,[170][165][171] which the party denies.[161][157][172] Party leader Santiago Abascal has denied said allegations by stating that Vox merely opposes "LGBT ideology", going on to say that many homosexuals are party members, and that he personally has gay friends.[157][165]José María Marco, agay conservative, contested theApril 2019 Senate election in Madrid as Vox's candidate, and also ran second in the party list for the2019 Madrilenian regional election.[161][173] In some discourses, party leaders have suggested that their opposition to mass immigration fromIslamic countries effectively protects theLGBT community, as homosexuality is largelyprosecuted in Islamic cultures, and that most immigrants do not alter their attitude upon arrival to Spain.[174][165]
Vox positions itself strongly againstillegal immigration. It calls for the unconditionaldeportation of all illegal immigrants, as well as the legal ones who commit crimes; the tightening of Spanish immigration laws; legal actions against non-profits (e.g.Proactiva Open Arms) andorganized crime facilitating illegal immigration; and the militarization of problematic borders. The party emphasizes its support forlegal immigration complied with theSpanish law. It promotes a stricter control of immigration according to the needs of the national economy, with preference for immigration fromHispanic America on the premise of easier integration of such immigrants into Spanish society, as opposed to those fromIslamic countries.[175][176][177] Opponents of Vox consider the partyxenophobic andanti-immigrant.[178][179]
Vox has been described asnativist[144] and advocatesnatalist policies.[142][143] The party is verycritical of multiculturalism;[180][181][177] in 2020, Vox deputyRocío de Meer described neighbourhoods such asMolenbeek inBrussels orBarbès inParís as "multicultural dung heaps".[182] Other members have used the same term, such as party leader Santiago Abascal during a failedmotion of censure, and deputy Ignacio Garriga.[183] The party has been accused of giving credit to theGreat Replacement theory.[184][185]
Vox supports increasing the requirements to acquire theSpanish nationality, which would include the lack of acriminal record, increasing the years of residence required from 10 to 15, and proving knowledge of theSpanish language,culture andhistory.[186] The party advocates thedenaturalization of foreigners who commit certain crimes.[186]
During theRussian invasion of Ukraine, Vox supported the accommodation ofUkrainian refugees in Europe. According to Abascal, "these are real war refugees, women, children, and elderly people", unlike "young Muslim males of military age invading Europe's borders with the intention to destabilize and colonize it".[187]
In June 2025, Vox published an economic and housing program calling for "remigration" of legal immigrants who "decide not to integrate" in Spain, "mass deportations" of immigrants, and an "exhaustive audit of all nationality concessions granted in recent years" with the goal of withdrawing them.[188]
The party has faced criticism from ultranationalist groups, such as Nucleo Nacional, for its support of immigration from Latin America.
While Vox's official platform only contains proposals againstIslamic fundamentalism, public statements made by party figures have been accused of constitutingIslamophobia, helping to underpin, according to Casals, their discourse againstMaghrebi immigration, and in favour of the development of a closer bond to Catholicism.[148] The party advocates for the closure of fundamentalistmosques as well as the arrest and expulsion of extremist imams.[147] Vox has openly called for the deportation of tens of thousands of Muslims from Spain.[189] In 2019, the party's leader demanded aReconquista, 'reconquest' of Spain,[190] explicitly referencing a new round of expulsions ofMuslim immigrants from the country.[191]
Vox's economic policy is often described aseconomically liberal[192][193][194] orneo-liberal.[195] The party defends theliberalization of Spanishlabour laws,lower taxation, and support for theself-employed.[147] Its discourse also includes calls to cut inefficient and superfluousgovernment spending,[147] particularly pointing out at the costs associated with the administration ofregional andlocal governments.[147][196] Its platform also includesprotectionist stances, advocating some benefits for national companies over largemultinational corporations, and criticisingglobalization.[197][135] In 2020, Vox launched its ownanti-communistworkers' union named Solidaridad (Solidarity).[198]
In its program for the2023 Spanish general election, Vox proposed an overhaul of theSpanish fiscal system, with a radical reduction ofincome tax down to two levels of 15% and 25%, reduction of added-value taxes, and the abolishment or reduction of other state taxes.[196] The party supports suppressing theVAT in the purchase of a first house, but only forSpaniards.[199]
Vox supports the re-centralization of the competences ofeducation,healthcare, andsecurity from theautonomous communities.[138][135][147]
Vox promotes the "pin parental [es]" policy, which aims to guaranteeparental rights over the public education their children receive by vetoing their children from obligatory attendance to classes contradicting their parents' values.[200] Party representatives claim that Spanish national and regional authorities abuse the control of the public education system to impose theirpolitical andideological agenda on children.[200]
Vox supports establishing a singlemedical card useful in the entire country, as opposed to the current model.[201] The party opposedmandatory vaccinations during theCOVID-19 pandemic.[202] Vox favours Spain's withdrawal from theWorld Health Organization (WHO).[203]
The party's discourse about theenvironment has changed over time, going fromclimate change denial to aconservationist approach.[204] However, the party still opposes the mainstream environmental views, labelling them as "Green religion", and has voted against theLaw for Climate Change and Energy Transition [es], which was adopted anyway.[205]
Vox supportsnuclear energy and wants to stop the closure ofnuclear plants.[206]
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Vox is opposed toglobalization and advocates a strongnation-state, wishing to recover national sovereignty.[135] The party wants to emphasisebilateralism in international relations, and supports abandoningsupranational organizations opposed to Spain's interests.[135] It supports increasingmilitary spending.[207]
Vox's views on theEuropean Union have been described as eitherEurosceptic orSoft Eurosceptic,[16][17] arguing that Spain should make nosovereignty concessions to the EU in order to guaranteenational sovereignty.[17] The party is strongly opposed to the EU becoming afederal superstate and instead argues for a Europe of "strong and sovereign states" that "defends its borders and its Christian roots and opposesmulticulturalism and mass immigration".[208][209] Political scientists Andrés Santana and Lisa Zanotti noted that out of all the parties in Spain, Vox's voters and grassroots activists were the most likely to oppose Spain'smembership of the EU.[210] In July 2021, party leader Abascal signed a statement opposing the EU's "federalist drift" withViktor Orbán,Marine Le Pen,Jarosław Kaczyński andGiorgia Meloni, among others.[211]
Vox calls for Spain to regain sovereignty overGibraltar,[212] and supports extra efforts to safeguard Spanish control ofCeuta andMelilla.[176] The party opposes recognisingKosovo's independence.[213] Abascal has condemned theannulment of the 2024 Romanian presidential election, describing it as a stolen election and an attack on Romanian sovereignty.[214]
At the beginning of the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Vox took a strong pro-Ukrainian stance, announcing its support to "all measures" to defend Ukraine, including shipments of armaments to Ukraine.[215] However, in 2024, Vox began to shift its views on Ukraine, with Abascal criticising the €1 billion "that Spaniards do not have" in Spanish aid to Ukraine,[216] expressing concern over potential escalation throughWestern countries supplying Ukraine with long-range missiles for use against Russian soil, and calling for an end to the conflict "as soon as possible".[217] The party supportsU.S.-led peace efforts in Ukraine, accusing other Spanish political parties of "celebrating the continuation of the war".[218] However, Vox opposes deployment of Spanish troops as peacekeepers in Ukraine.[219]
Vox took a strongpro-United States stance, particularly during theTrump administration,[65][67] while strongly criticizingBiden's presidency.[220] The party welcomedTrump's second term,[221] although it was divided on histariff policy.[222]
Vox opposes theGovernment of Cuba[223] and supports closer relations withJavier Milei's Argentina.[224] The party is strongly opposed toNicolás Maduro'sregime in Venezuela,[225] recognising bothJuan Guaidó[226] and laterEdmundo González[227] as rightful presidents, and opposing the alleged fraud in the2024 elections.[228]
Vox supports theState of Israel within the context ofIsraeli–Palestinian conflict.[229] A document on their website titled "VOX, Israel and the Middle East" commends Israel's democratic system and its fight againstIslamic extremism. The document criticizes theBoycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement and advocates for strengthening ties betweenSpain and Israel in all areas.[230]
In May 2024, Abascal voiced criticism towards Prime MinisterSánchez for unilaterally recognizing aPalestinian state, describing this action as a scandalous reward toHamas,[231] and promised to reverse said recognition.[232]
In November 2024, Abascal advocated for stronger relations between Israel and Saudi Arabia along with Argentine PresidentJavier Milei for Spain to form a trio of the following three.[233]
| President | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Alejo Vidal-Quadras | 8 March 2014 – June 2014 (provisional) |
| – | José Luis González Quirós | June 2014 – 20 September 2014 (interim) |
| 2. | Santiago Abascal | 20 September 2014 – present |
| Secretary-General | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Iván Espinosa de los Monteros | 2014 – 2016 |
| 2. | Javier Ortega Smith-Molina | 2016 – 2022 |
| 3. | Ignacio Garriga | 2022 – present |
| Vice-president | Time in office | |
|---|---|---|
| 1–3. | Jorge Buxadé,Javier Ortega Smith andReyes Romero | 2022 – 2024 |
| 4. | Ignacio Garriga | 2024 – present |
According to the party's annual reports, the party's membership per year is listed below.
| Year | Joined | Left | Num. of members at 31 December | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 |  3,496 | [234] | ||
| 2017 | 2,045 | 569 | 4,792 | [234] |
| 2018 | 20,153 | 1,102 | 23,843 | [235] |
| 2019 | 29,927 | 1,363 | 52,407 | [235] |
| 2020 | 17,253 | 7,286 | 62,374 | [236] |
| 2021 | 11,118 | 10,024 | 63,468 | [2] |
A 2020 study based on a statistical analysis ofApril 2019 general election results found that Vox's support is stronger among themiddle-aged,urban population with highersecondary education and at the higher end of income distribution. Authors say that such a voter profile is in direct contrast with that of a typical supporter of radical right parties in other European states, expected to be a man from arural area with low education and a low income. Vox's support is stronger among voters dissatisfied with the current political situation in Spain, and voters who identify themselves asSpaniards.[237]
A 2021 study of the influence of Spanish party leaders on Twitter during theApril 2019 general election campaign[238] found that the messages tweeted during the electoral campaign by Santiago Abascal (Vox) reached the highest diffusion and viralization capacity compared toTwitter messages by leaders of Cs, PSOE, PP and UP. The main focus of Abascal's tweets, according to the authors, was the Spanish territorial model (27.2%), government and parties (19.3%) and economy (14.5%).
Vox was initially close toMatteo Salvini'sLega Nord party in Italy but, by 2021, it grew closer toGiorgia Meloni'sBrothers of Italy party instead.[239] In October 2021, Abascal said that Vox has an "unbreakable" alliance with the PortugueseChega party.[240] Vox has connections to theSerbian People's Party.[241]
In theEuropean Parliament, Vox joined theEuropean Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) after the2019 elections. As a member of the ECR, Vox shared group with parties such as the PolishLaw and Justice, Brothers of Italy, and theSweden Democrats.[242] In July 2024, Vox left the ECR in favour of thePatriots for Europe group, aligning with longstanding partners of Vox such as the FrenchNational Rally, the HungarianFidesz and Chega. However, upon doing so, it insisted that Giorgia Meloni's Brothers of Italy would remain a "friend and ally".[243] Abascal and Vox also expressed "full support" forAlternative for Germany, a member ofEurope of Sovereign Nations, in the2025 German federal election.[244]
In theUnited States, Vox is strongly supportive ofDonald Trump andhis political ideals.[65][67] Trump has virtually addressed the annual Viva conference hosted by Vox,[245] and Vox has invited pro-Trump factions of theRepublican Party to the SpanishCongress of Deputies.[246]
InLatin America, Vox maintains close ties with the ChileanRepublican Party,Javier Milei'sLa Libertad Avanza in Argentina, Peru'sPopular Renewal,Alvaro Uribe'sDemocratic Centre in Colombia, andJair Bolsonaro in Brazil.[247][248][249][250] In El Salvador, Vox is aligned with theNationalist Republican Alliance, which opposes the administration ofNayib Bukele.[251] In September 2021, 15 senators and three deputies from theNational Action Party of Mexico met Abascal to sign the Madrid charter.[252]
In February 2019, Vox presented theMadrid Charter; a document that divided political groups in the Americas into the two sides ofWestern democracies and "criminal" left-wing groups that were "under the umbrella of the Cuban regime", hoping to create ananti-communist alliance.[223][253][254] TheMadrid Charter called for scholars and the media to adopt and disseminate the ideas of the document.[255] The charter was primarily signed byVenezuelan opposition members,Cuban dissidents andFujimorists fromPeru,[253][256][257] withEl País writing that Vox gathered groups ofEvangelicals,Catholics,neoconservatives,right-wing populists and individuals "nostalgic formilitary dictatorships" to sign the document.[223]
| Cortes Generales | ||||||||
| Election | Leading candidate | Congress | Senate | Gov. | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | Seats | Votes | % | Seats | |||
| 2015 | Santiago Abascal | 58,114 | 0.2 (#15) | 0 / 350 | 196,457 | 0.3 (#14) | 0 / 208 | — |
| 2016 | 47,182 | 0.2 (#13) | 0 / 350 | 165,740 | 0.3 (#13) | 0 / 208 | — | |
| Apr. 2019 | 2,688,092 | 10.3 (#5) | 24 / 350 | 5,998,649 | 8.4 (#5) | 0 / 208 | — | |
| Nov. 2019 | 3,656,979 | 15.1 (#3) | 52 / 350 | 3,229,631 | 5.1 (#5) | 2 / 208 |  | |
| 2023 | 3,057,000 | 12.4 (#3) | 33 / 350 | 7,249,087 | 10.6 (#4) | 0 / 208 | | |
| European Parliament | |||||
| Election | Leading candidate | Votes | % | Seats | EP Group |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Alejo Vidal-Quadras | 246,833 | 1.6 (#11) | 0 / 54 | — |
| 2019 | Jorge Buxadé | 1,393,684 | 6.2 (#5) | 4 / 59 | ECR |
| 2024 | 1,688,255 | 9.6 (#3) | 6 / 61 | PfE | |
| Year |  ES |  EU |  AN |  AR |  AS |  CN |  CB |  CM |  CL |  CT |  CE |  EX |  GL |  IB | .svg) RI |  MD |  ML |  MC |  NC |  PV |  CV | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | N/A | 1.6 | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | N/A | |
| 2015 | 0.2 | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.2 | 0.3 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 1.2 | 0.3 | 1.2 | 0.8 | 0.4 | ||||||||||
| 2016 |  0.2 | 0.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 |  11.0 | |||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019 | 10.3 | 6.2 | 6.1 | 6.4 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 7.0 | 5.5 | 22.4 | 4.7 | 8.1 | 3.9 | 8.9 | 7.8 | 9.5 | 1.3 | 10.6 | |||||
| 15.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2020 | 2.0 | 1.9 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2021 | 7.7 | 9.1 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2022 | 13.5 | 17.6 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| 2023 | 12.4 | 11.3 | 10.1 | 7.9 | 11.1 | 12.8 | 20.6 | 8.1 | 13.9 | 7.6 | 7.3 | 9.9 | 17.7 | 4.3 | 12.4 | |||||||
| 2024 | 9.6 | 8.0 | 2.2 | 2.0 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Year | ES | EU | AN | AR | AS | CN | CB | CM | CL | CT | CE | EX | GL | IB | RI | MD | ML | MC | NC | PV | CV | |
Bold indicates best result to date. | ||||||||||||||||||||||
Vox initially included some formerneo-Nazis in party cadres and lists;[258][259] Vox has since expelled some of them from the party, while others have resigned.[260][261] The most notable example was the controversy surrounding the historianFernando Paz, the party's leading candidate inAlbacete for theApril 2019 general election,[262] who resigned after suffering what he described as "a mediatic hunt",[263] due toHolocaust denial andhomophobia.[262][263]
Multiple Vox politicians have made allegedly disparaging statements abouthomosexuals.[172][165] Thus,Fernando Paz Cristóbal [ca] (ex-leader of Vox inAlbacete, who left the party in 2019) said in 2013: "If I had a gay son I would help him, there are therapies to correct such psychology".[172][262]Francisco Serrano Castro (ex-leader of Vox inAndalusia, who left in 2020) tweeted in 2017: "Homosexuals have penises and lesbians have vulvas, and don't be fooled, nobody cares about it".[172] Juan E. Pflüger (director of communications of Vox in 2019) tweeted in 2013: "Why do gays celebrate Saint Valentine's day, if their thing is not love, it's just vice".[172]
During theApril 2019 general election, Vox shared a controversial tweet in which it invited its supporters to vote through the claim "Let the battle begin!". The message was accompanied by aphotomontage ofAragorn, a protagonist ofThe Lord of the Rings saga, in which he appeared facing a crowd oforcs, whose figure had been modified and replaced with symbols contrary to the party's ideology: thefeminist symbol, thehammer and sickle, theflag of theSecond Spanish Republic and theCatalan independencesenyera, several logos of media outlets such asEl País orCadena SER, the symbol of theraised fist, the symbol of theanti-fascist movement and, among them, a modified version of the ghost emoji (👻) of the Android 5.0 version with the colors of theLGBT flag.[264]
The use of the ghost in the tweet met with an initial negative reaction from theLGBT community on Twitter. However, it would later end up using it for the creation ofmemes, and finally as a symbol of the collective in a phenomenon ofreappropriation. The icon would end up being known asGaysper, in aportmanteau of the wordgay andCasper the Friendly Ghost; and subsequently spread in press and television.[265][266] TwoPSOE deputies would later attend a parliamentary session inCongress wearing a T-shirt bearing the icon.[267][268]
During theelections to the Assembly of Madrid of 2021 held on 4 May, Vox used a very controversial poster in which the faces of a young masked man and an old woman appeared, with the sign between the two saying: "Amena [unaccompanied foreign minor] 4700 euros per month. Your grandmother 426 euros of pension / month". These numbers were debunked by the Department of Social Policies, Families, Equality and Birth of the Community of Madrid.[269] The poster was denounced in court forinciting hatred towards this group, but the court and the appeal ruling did not consider it a crime.[270][271]
In March 2025, the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office began an investigation regarding Vox's financing, following a complaint lodged in December by thePSOE. The investigation concerns alleged illegal donations of 4.6 million euros from Hungary. The complaint is based on a report by theCourt of Auditors, which found 1.8 million unjustified euros accounted for as promotional sales, as well as an electoral credit of 6.5 million euros granted by a Hungarian bank during the2023 general election.[272]
Su ideario parece hallarse aún en construcción y tiene como eje vertebrador un ultranacionalismo bélico asociado a la "Reconquista" o a una "Covadonga 2.0", El partido lo identifica con una visión biológica y palingenética de la patria, la "España viva", pero también con una cultura de inspiración católica.
Vox holds positions of soft euroscepticism, arguing that Spain should make no sovereignty concessions to the EU, and its presence on the national stage pushed expectations towards an increased politicization of the debate around the European Union
the nationalist far-right party Vox
the far right Vox opposed the law
This provided an opportunity for Vox, a far-right populist party
Vistalegre dibuja a Vox como la expresión de que una parte de la derecha "neocon" española se ha desgajado de la nave nodriza del Partido Popular
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Santiago Abascal [...]definió a su formación como «antifascista, antinazi»
Vox, el partido de derechas liderado por Santiago Abascal
A tenor de lo que muestra el programa, cultura es para Vox lengua y tradición, siguiendo el viejo lema de los partidos nacionalistas.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)El líder de Vox afirma que su partido defiende que las personas del mismo sexo puedan tener una unión civil, pero no de matrimonio.
su nacionalismo se conjuga con [...] un discurso económico liberal
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Porque estamos convencidos de que nación y soberanía son conceptos íntimamente relacionados. Si somos soberanos es porque somos una Nación y no tenemos derecho a entregar lo que hemos recibido de nuestros mayores. España debe estar en Europa pero sin complejos, reivindicando el papel histórico, industrial y agrícola que merecemos. No debemos ser vasallos de Merkel ni de Tsipras. Ni camareros de Merkel ni paganos de las propinas de Tsipras. Las Cortes de Cádiz proclamaron que la Nación española era libre e independiente y que no podía ser patrimonio de ninguna familia o persona. Proclamaron asimismo que la soberanía reside esencialmente en la Nación, que es la única que tiene derecho a establecer sus leyes fundamentales. Esta declaración de soberanía ha sido una constante en toda nuestra historia constitucional.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Según informa Vox Alcalá de Henares en un comunicado, Bonito ya ha presentado ante la Junta Electoral de Zona un «escrito de renuncia a formar parte de dicha candidatura y a su acta de concejal electo» en el caso de que la obtuviera.
Tanto a Ortega Smith como a Rocío Monasterio les ha faltado tiempo para desvincularse de Ruiz Puerta. Sostienen que nunca ha militado ni pertenecido a Vox, lo que desdice lo que él mismo ha publicado en redes sociales y también lo que manifestó en "Alt News". En el espacio radial dirigido y conducido por Santiago Fontenla sostuvo que él tenía "acceso directo" a Abascal y daba por consumada su incorporación a ese proyecto político.
Parliamentary group:Patriots for Europe | |||||||
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European political foundation: Patriots for Europe Foundation | |||||||
