The country’s political context and Spain’s constitutional crisis offer some insight into VOX’s electoral success, which appears to be related to the Catalan independence crisis. VOX had already existed since 2013, but the 11% votes the party gained in the regional elections in Andalusia showed its rising popularity (Gálvez, 2018). Meanwhile, the Spanish government had appointed the referendum as illegal and jailed the leaders of the movement. This also came a year after the Catalan independence movement had initiated a referendum for independence from Spain. According to Santiago Abascal, the leader of the party, this can only be realized through cultural and political change, after which representation will be increased for those who do not feel represented and the existing democracy will be improved (RTVE, 2019).Ģ018 was the year that signified the rise of this new right-wing political movement in Spain because of its success in the regional elections in Andalusia. The name of one of its position papers, " 100 medidas para una España viva" (100 measures to promote Spanish life) clarifies the party's main goal: increasing the wellbeing of the Spanish population in Spain (VOX, 2019c). According to VOX, the nation is declining. With this description on the first page of its website, VOX already tries to make statements opposing the current government, or even the whole political system in Spain. " This party was born out of extreme necessity to put institutions at the service of the Spanish population, in contrast to the current model that puts the Spaniards at the service of the Politicians." (VOX, 2019a) VOX is the name of the right-wing political party that was founded in Spain by former members of the Populist Party in 2013. This article will explain how VOX is using meta-politics to realize national unity while remaining part of the political debate. By hegemonizing the ideology of the New Right, the party re-introduces nationalism in the public sphere. Spain’s next general election is slated to take place no later than December 2023.The rise of the far-right party VOX is changing the political climate of Spain. VOX’s first outing as a regional coalition partner in Spain comes as the more moderate centre-right Ciudadanos party, the PP’s previous partner in Castile and Leon, tumbles in the polls. PSOE, which leads the national government but sits in the opposition in Castile and Leon, warned the PP’s presumed next leader Núñez Feijóo – the current leader of the Galicia region – against what it termed a “shameful coalition” with Vox. The PP, recovering from vicious in-fighting that culminated in a leadership change, previously limited its cooperation with VOX to supply-and-confidence deals, which function in the regional chambers of Madrid, Murcia and Andalusia, as well as a number of city halls. “It is the first time that we have joined a regional government, and we accept it with the utmost responsibility,” said the regional leader of VOX, Juan García-Gallardo. With this deal, Vox has obtained the vice-presidency, three of 10 ministries, and the Cortes’ presidency, the regional parliament. “There is going to be a solid and stable government, you will see it now and we will explain it later”, said the leader of the PP in Castilla y León, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco. With this deal, Castile and Leon become a forerunner of the shifting political sands in Spain after VOX boosted its seat share in the regional chamber from just one to 13 in last month’s snap election. The Spanish government is a coalition between the socialists (PSOE) and Unidas Podemos. VOX is the third political force in the Spanish parliament, after the socialists, left-wing Unidas Podemos (United We Can), and the PP. The PP will lead the coalition in Castile and Leon, an expansive but relatively sparsely populated region north of Madrid, a stronghold for conservative politics for 35 years. VOX, Spain’s ascending far-right party, is to form part of a regional government for the first time after striking a deal with the conservative People’s Party on Thursday, EURACTIV’s partner EFE reported.
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