Vox ministers in Castile and León defy party to keep posts

Vox ministers in Castile and León cling to power after coalition collapse

The breakup between the People's Party (PP) and Vox in five autonomous communities has exposed an uncomfortable reality: several Vox ministers in Castile and León have decided to defy Santiago Abascal and remain in office. Mariano Veganzones, the current minister of Industry, Commerce, and Employment, informed Vox of his decision to leave the party one day after the formation led by Abascal announced the end of their government agreements in five regions. The news, reported by ABC, is not linked to a possible continuation in the role, as this newspaper has learned that Veganzones will not remain at the head of the department he was leading.

The Veganzones case: from union critic to political defector

Veganzones, who was also president of Abascal’s party in Valladolid, has extensive experience in the Junta de Castilla y León since 2008, holding various positions in the Education, Family, and Employment departments, always associated with the PP. He also served as Technical Secretary in the Public Employment Service of Castile and León and as Advisory Technician for the Territorial Delegate of Valladolid. For several years, he held the position of Secretary of the Economic and Social Council of Castile and León and coordinated the Employment and Industry Department from 2019 to 2020.

As a minister, he was a fierce critic of trade unions, adhering to the principles maintained by his former party. As reflected in the coalition government agreement, he boasted about substantially reducing subsidies to both UGT and CCOO, maintaining a brutal confrontation with them over these two years.

The PP seeks defectors to maintain its governments

The People's Party did not hesitate to act. According to published reports, the PP will offer continued roles to Vox officials: "Many want to stay." The Popular strategy involves retaining technicians and regional leaders from Santiago Abascal's party who oppose the split. PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo appeared before the press at 13:00 hours after learning of the breakup.

Related news indicates that García-Gallardo does not clarify whether Vox ministers will also resign: "It is a personal decision." The former vice-president of Castile and León acknowledges that the Culture minister, Gonzalo Santonja, has not conveyed "a clear decision" to him, while he believes those responsible for Agriculture and Employment will ultimately step down.

Forum reaction: "Money talks"

In the debate generated around this news, one of the most repeated arguments holds that the ministers' move responds to economic interest. "Money talks," summarizes one intervention, adding that "Vox's principle was to ignore autonomy politics, but tell that to those who have walked on carpets and moved from apartments to townhouses and ordered Teslas." Another voice points out that "bills don't pay themselves, and principles are readjusted to fit the pocket."

Some go further, labeling the non-resigning officials as "systemic parasites like the entire political spectrum; they won't do anything that puts their public perks at risk." The conclusion drawn is that "the solution lies outside the system, never within it."

"Raise crows and they'll peck your eyes out": diagnosis of Vox

Part of the analysis points to an error in candidate selection. "Vox has been filling its lists with PP rejects since 2019. What could go wrong?" asks one participant. Another attributes it to rapid growth: "They grew very fast, and there was no time for proper vetting; anyone carrying a Spanish flag was let in. And clearly, under those conditions, you attract all kinds of fauna, mainly opportunists wanting to ride the good wave."

Comparisons with Podemos appear in several messages: "Something similar peine with Podemos. I still remember their candidates in my town's municipal elections years ago; a true gallery of pavor." The repeated conclusion is that "Vox and the PP are controlled dissidents" and that "they are all the same. They sat in the chair in their fiefdoms and saw how comfortable it is, so getting up now seems unlikely."

The PP as a job agency

The PP's strategy of offering continuity to Vox officials generates unexpected consensus in the analysis: "This speaks worse of the PP than of Vox." The most widespread reading is that "the PP is exactly that: a job agency for political freeloaders." Another message suggests that "the PP will eventually remove all these rebels to install its own people. They will be left without jobs and without honor."

However, not everyone sees the glass half empty for Vox. "This is the best thing that can happen to Vox; all these new parties fill up with opportunists who want to enter politics to leech off the state, so good riddance to cleaning out the scum, leaving only the patriots." In the same vein: "It seems those with principles stay in Vox, and the others go to the PP. Nothing we didn't already know."

Warning regarding future elections

The most pessimistic analysis for the right-wing bloc suggests that "their only way to survive is to be an independent party from the classic right. To become an AfD. Otherwise, voters will choose the original. This translates into the PSOE governing again in the next general elections." Another message states that "they have just renounced power in five autonomous communities."

The conclusion drawn from the evolution of the debate is that the episode has served, at minimum, to "filter out those who were there for money and not for ideas." The reserved prediction left by the matter is that the PP will try to retain the technicians and regional leaders opposing the split, while Vox attempts to reconfigure itself as an independent force. Whether their calculations succeed or fail remains to be seen.