Abascal falls into Sánchez's trap, urges Spaniards not to vote by mail

Santiago Abascal has asked Spaniards not to vote by mail and to cast their ballot in person instead, claiming he does not trust "anything Pedro Sánchez might do". The message comes amid a possible early election call and questions the postal voting channel without providing any evidence of irregularities.

The leader of Vox, **Santiago Abascal**, has sent a direct message to voters: do not vote by mail. He did so in a video shared on the social network X, in which he urges Spaniards to go to the polls and justifies the request with an explicit distrust of the Government.

## What the message actually says

Abascal states: "I encourage you not to vote by mail. Vote in person, because right now I do not trust anything **Pedro Sánchez** might do." The statement mentions no specific irregularity, no documented case and no verified suspicion about the postal system. It is a declaration of political distrust, not a complaint backed by evidence.

Context matters: the message comes at a time of electoral uncertainty in Spain, with a possible early general election on the table after several government decrees fell. In that scenario, any statement about postal voting carries extra weight.

## Why postal voting is a sensitive issue

Postal voting in Spain is regulated by the Organic Law on the General Electoral Regime (LOREG) and managed by **Correos** (the Spanish postal service) under the supervision of the Central Electoral Board. The procedure requires a prior application, identity verification and handover to the postman, with cross-checks between the electoral roll and the applications.

Questioning that system without evidence is not neutral: it can discourage voting by people who rely on that channel, such as those who work outside their municipality, older people or those with reduced mobility. And that, in a democracy, has consequences.

## The economic cost of sowing doubt

Unfounded distrust in postal voting is not free. Every time a political leader questions an electoral mechanism without evidence, it opens the door to administrative appeals, challenges and extraordinary recounts that extend deadlines and increase public spending. A general election in Spain costs hundreds of millions of euros; post-election disputes add layers of legal and logistical cost.

Abascal has presented no proof of fraud. His message is therefore a political opinion expressed with an implicit accusation. Voters are free to decide how to exercise their right, but it is worth remembering that postal voting is legal, audited and questioned by no official report.