VOX pulls out of Senate races in six Spanish provinces, leaving PP unopposed on the right

VOX has decided not to field a Senate candidacy in six constituencies —Valencia, Castellón, Cádiz, the Balearics and the two in the Canary Islands—, meaning its voters will only be able to choose PP or PSOE ballots. In return, it keeps lists in Lleida, Tarragona and Gipuzkoa.

The decision affects six Senate constituencies: **Valencia**, **Castellón**, **Cádiz**, the **Balearics** and the two in the **Canary Islands**. In all of them VOX will not contest the Senate, so anyone wanting to vote for that party in the upper chamber will have to back another party or leave that ballot blank.

## A deal that leaves the PP without competition on its right in the Senate

In those six provinces, the Senate ballot no longer includes VOX. The PP is left as the only right-wing candidacy in elections where the Senate is chosen by provincial constituency and every seat counts toward the majority of the upper chamber.

The trade-off lies at the other end of the map. VOX does run candidates in **Lleida**, **Tarragona** and **Gipuzkoa**, territories where the party has no meaningful presence and where a Senate seat is out of its reach.

## Fourteen constituencies with a single candidate

In **14 constituencies** VOX is fielding just one Senate candidate. The electoral system allocates four seats per province and each voter may mark up to three names, so a VOX voter can only tick their own candidate and, if they wish, complete the ballot with PP names.

The practical result is that VOX voters in those provinces end up filling in PP boxes rather than casting a half-empty ballot. The tally of ballots benefits the Popular Party list in the count.

## The "only VOX remains" rhetoric clashes with the withdrawal

The move comes after years in which VOX has claimed the PP is a "cowardly little right" and that there are only two real parties: VOX and the PSOE. Withdrawing from six provinces to avoid competing with the PP in the Senate contradicts that message.

The decision does not affect the Congress, where VOX keeps its lists in every constituency. The Senate is elected under a different system and the impact of a withdrawal is measured province by province.