Santiago Abascal turns regional gains into national pressure
Spanish politics has entered a turbulent week. The ruling People’s Party has lost its absolute majority in Andalusia, while Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, is celebrating a result that gives his party far greater leverage.
Sunday’s election delivered an uncomfortable surprise for many in Madrid. The People’s Party can no longer govern the region alone. It now needs allies, and the obvious partner is Vox, the Eurosceptic party led by Abascal.
“Lo logramos, we did it.” Abascal wrote on social media.
His party gained 80,000 more votes than in 2022. In seat terms, that brought only one additional mandate. Politically, however, the meaning is much bigger. Without Vox, passing laws in Andalusia will now be far more difficult.
From Andalusia to Madrid
Abascal did not wait long before taking the fight to the national level.
The trigger was a new case involving former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, who has been removed from office following a request by a Spanish court. The case forms part of a broader corruption scandal linked to the airline Plus Ultra.
For Abascal, this is not an isolated episode.
“The accusation against Zapatero is not a one-off case. It is simply another chapter in the Sánchez government. It is further proof that Pedro Sánchez is the central figure in all corruption schemes,” he said.
He then called for a no-confidence vote.
“That is why I believe a motion of no confidence is necessary, one that will help the Spanish people uncover the full scale of this mafia and the position of every deputy towards it,” Abascal said.
Healthcare row sharpens the divide
The clash also moved onto another issue: healthcare and national priorities.
It began after El País published an interview with Pedro Sánchez, in which the prime minister spoke about global solidarity and protecting the health of all citizens “without exception”.
“Faced with those who today call for national priorities in order to exclude, many of us understood long ago that the true priority of every country is to protect the health of its citizens without exception,” Sánchez said.
Abascal responded almost immediately.
“The man under whom thousands of Spaniards die on waiting lists is giving lessons in humanity while handing our healthcare system to the planet. He is a fraud. And a traitor. Every day he remains in Moncloa, our people pay with their health,” he said.
For Vox, this is exactly the problem: the Spanish government remains tied to Brussels’ globalist agenda while ordinary Spaniards face overcrowded services, rising insecurity and a state that often seems more concerned with external obligations than its own citizens.
Vox puts national priority at the centre
Abascal is now focusing on simple themes that resonate with many voters. The most important is national priority.
Vox says Spaniards should come first not migrants, not foreigners, but the Spanish people.
Responding to criticism from the ruling party, Abascal said: “They will have to explain why, for them, a recently arrived foreigner matters more than your son, your grandmother, your friend, your compatriot.”
The phrase has been widely quoted. Its appeal goes beyond the traditional Vox electorate.
Opponents accuse Vox of fear politics
The Socialists and the left have accused Abascal of xenophobic rhetoric. Sánchez has called Vox a party of “selfishness and fear”. Deputy Prime Minister Yolanda Díaz said Abascal was playing on “the lowest instincts”.
But the numbers are difficult to ignore. After the Andalusian vote, Vox has strengthened its position. National polling also shows the party rising — not dramatically, but steadily.
A no-confidence vote against Sánchez remains, for now, more of a political signal than an immediate threat. Vox does not have the parliamentary numbers to force it through. But Abascal is playing a longer game.
His message is clear: Spain is governed by a corrupt elite that has forgotten ordinary people.
Andalusia suggests that voters are listening.
The election was regional. Its consequences are now national. Abascal intends to use the moment — and it looks as though he is only getting started.
