VOX vs PP: The battle for strategic voting ahead of Spain's July 24 election

VOX and PP: The fight for strategic votes one week before the July 24 election

One week before the July 24 general elections in Spain, an online forum debate reflects the tension within the right-wing bloc. One participant argues that some voters devote more energy to undermining VOX than criticizing the coalition government. According to this user, the phenomenon exposes the fracture between the "useful vote" demanded by the People's Party (PP) and the identity-based vote that persists with VOX.

The diagnosis leveled at the PP's strategy is harsh: according to him, Feijóo stated live on air that he was willing to let Sánchez remain president, implying he will not repeal key laws from the current executive. Starting from this premise, right-wing voters ask a simple question: what does the PP offer if its program is merely a continuation of Sanchismo? This sector concludes that the PP relies on media rents and clientelist networks rather than a differentiated project.

The 2011 "scam" accusation and the ghost of Ciudadanos

The parallel with Ciudadanos is recurrent. The thesis held by this forum user is that the PP intends to repeat the 2011 operation: absorbing alternative right-wing votes through media wear-down and psychological warfare. However, their analysis insists that VOX is not Ciudadanos. The difference, they argue, is that VOX belongs to the European alternative right movement which, in this view, addresses problems the PP ignores or censors.

The forecast is that, even if VOX remains at 20 seats, the PP will not achieve the numbers to govern alone or replicate the absolute majority of 2011. The warning is clear: the PP will burn its last cartridges, and only then will VOX hurt them. Psychological warfare, they conclude, will not work.

The European axis: Orbán, Le Pen, and the "mole" accusation

The international front is another battlefield. From positions critical of VOX, the party is accused of serving Kremlin "moles," citing Abascal's contacts with Orbán and Buxadé's ties with Le Pen. The response from the other side is blunt: accusing VOX of being a tool of the ULS is "disinformation." The argument presented is that VOX is no more pro-Russian than Poland, which maintains its own alliances without anyone demanding it break them.

The internal front: salaries, drag queens, and coherence criticism

The most uncomfortable criticism for VOX comes not from the PSOE, but from those pointing out internal contradictions. Specific cases are mentioned: VOX councilors raising their own salaries in collusion with PP members, exclusive subsidies for Roma women, and the presence of a drag queen councilor. The response from the VOX camp is that one cannot expect a party with exponential growth to be a monolithic block without a single scandal.

The counterattack is a repeated question: why does one VOX councilor bother people more than four more years of the PSOE? The defended thesis is that there is deliberate asymmetry: isolated VOX cases are amplified while decades of systematic corruption are normalized. The death of one man is a tragedy; the death of millions is a statistic, summarizes one of the most cited analyses.

The media factor: polls, Michavila, and subsidized outlets

Distrust toward the media and polls is widespread in this sector. "Michavilas of life" are cited as examples of rigged polls, and paid opinion pieces are criticized as weapons of war. The ironic recommendation is that media outlets "open their wallets" if they want to maintain influence.

The closing of the analysis is a warning that admits no nuances: on July 24, voters will spit in the face of those who took them for fools. Ultimately, the conclusion is that the battle for the useful vote will not be won with polls, but with facts.