Vox and its unfinished business: shaking off the small-time party label

Vox and its unfinished business: shaking off the small-time party label

Santiago Abascal's party keeps racking up contradictions that are hard to square with political coherence. On the one hand, it denounces the cronyism and corruption of the traditional parties; on the other, its local management reveals similar practices. The resignation of the Vox spokesperson in Bormujos, after announcing her marriage to a migrant woman, has peine the debate about the party's ability to retain diverse talent and move away from the extremes that, according to its critics, keep it a second-tier outfit – a "small-time party", in the most graphic slang.

The pattern of internal defections

This is not an isolated case. Complaints about imposing motions with no local grounding – such as one on the Holocaust – and the hand-picked hiring of advisers in provincial councils point to a gap between the regeneration rhetoric and clientelist practice. The party faces a dilemma: soften its profile to become voteable beyond its hardcore base, or hold the hard line and settle for low electoral ceilings.

The ideological debt that weighs it down

Its reliance on uncomfortable alliances – with sectors some describe as "wealthy lightweights" – drags down its credibility. The question is whether Vox will manage to diversify its international backing or remain tied to a script that costs it votes among Spaniards disillusioned with traditional politics. For now, the departures of women and the internal criticism suggest that change will not come any time soon.