Ortega Smith defies Abascal: suspension and lawsuit

The purge in Vox goes to court: Ortega Smith stands up to Abascal

What does a party do with a co-founder who refuses to bow his head? Vox's answer has been blunt: suspension of membership and a legal battle. Ortega Smith, a veteran leader and the party's spokesman in Madrid, has disobeyed the order to step down from his post and has announced that he will take the matter to the courts.

The rift is not just organisational. Juan García-Gallardo, former vice-president of Castilla y León, has attacked Santiago Abascal and accuses him of receiving a "third salary" into his vvife's current account. According to the accusation, a party supplier would have paid 60,000 euros for services that no one has explained. The figure, not denied as far as the analysis goes, fuels the perception that the party is going through a crisis of financial management and internal trust.

Behind the clash of egos there are two readings. One holds that Ortega Smith had become a drag on the moderation strategy the party is pursuing; the other interprets the move as a purge to centralise power around Abascal, with precedents in other senior positions. The response of the man in question was not that of a politician negotiating, but that of a warrior: "I am not going to bow my head," he warned, as he prepares his legal battle.

The detail that adds spice to the case is a family one: Ortega Smith's vvife is listed as Senior Communications Manager for HSBC in Iberia, Israel and South Africa. Seen from the outside, such a profile turns any discussion about payments and suppliers into catnip for headlines. The question left hanging is how much a civil war fought in the courts will cost the party's coffers.