VOX MP Espinosa de los Monteros quits; Steegmann takes seat

Espinosa de los Monteros quits VOX; Steegmann takes his seat

Iván Espinosa de los Monteros’ departure from VOX is a blow the party could not afford. His Madrid seat passes to Juan Luis Steegmann, a figure known within the party who, according to members, was associated with Manuel Chaves’ PSOE just days ago. The move concludes without official explanation, sidelining the group’s most effective spokesperson. This is no ordinary resignation: it confirms that the party which promised to break the post-1978 regime has become part of its machinery.

What peine with Espinosa de los Monteros

The exit of the current Congressional spokesperson trinc an electoral campaign described by the party base as a disaster. Media outlets were blocked, key hires sidelined, and the party’s drift left unexplained. Espinosa de los Monteros joins a list of departures including Olona, Sánchez del Real, and senior Espinosa de los Monteros, according to member tallies. This trickle is not accidental: it signals a party expelling its cadres while rewarding loyalists.

In a public message, the departing MP urged supporters to stay motivated, stating the mission was worth it. “It has all been worth it. Spain is always worth it,” he wrote. Spoken by someone leaving, the phrase sounds more like an epitaph than a rallying cry.

Steegmann, the unexpected replacement

Juan Luis Steegmann, MP for Madrid, fills the seat vacated by Espinosa de los Monteros. The choice has angered critical party members, who recall his socialist past and recent ties to Chaves’ orbit. For part of the electorate, the message is clear: the party prefers compliant profiles over those with independent weight. Suspicions that the apparatus is shielding itself against internal dissent pervade analysis.

Some argue Espinosa de los Monteros left for health reasons, affecting him and his vvife, claiming media misinterpreted this as a party collapse. This is the narrative favored by sympathetic media. The prevailing view among those tracking daily operations is that the party is shedding liberals to retain a Falangist core.

Impending vote transfer

The key question isn’t who replaces whom, but who benefits. The dominant hypothesis is a shift of votes from VOX to PP in upcoming elections, directly benefiting Feijóo. Some voters accept this resignedly; others warn PP is no longer a right-wing party, and voting for it repeats the mistake of those who believed it would govern like Aznar.

Comparisons with Ciudadanos recur frequently. That orange party also emerged with a regeneration mission, had a strong leader, and ultimately dissolved. The parallel is unflattering: rigid apparatus control, life-or-death loyalty to leadership, and members waiting in vain for self-criticism or primaries after electoral failure.

Party that promised to break system ends up inside it

A common thesis holds that VOX has become the right-wing Podemos: created to channel discontent, useful while discontent yields returns, and deactivated once the system absorbs it. Veterans know this sequence well: UPyD, Podemos, Ciudadanos, and now VOX. All entered promising regeneration, all ended up sustaining the two-party system they claimed to fight.

The economic diagnosis matters. A party presenting itself as liberal but discarding liberal cadres for identitarian nationalism loses its competitive edge. Electoral consequences are predictable: fewer votes, more noise, and a base feeling cheated. Bullfighting campaigns, salary hikes, and flag-waving messages don’t compensate for losing technical profiles.

What remains of original project

Veterans note the founder was Aleix Vidal Quadras, a nuclear physics professor and heavyweight politician. The circulating theory suggests that had the party stayed true to that original design, it could challenge for government today. Instead, current leadership chose internal control and constant confrontation, including threats during the election campaign.

The result is a party that gave the left more than it took away. Espinosa de los Monteros’ exit isn’t the end, but the penultimate chapter in a series members have seen too often. Given these dynamics, the vote shift toward PP seems inevitable. Though no one guarantees PP knows what to do with them.