The Spanish far-right party VOX is growing its scope in Spain and expanding its influence across Europe. One of their slogans, which reads “Decide what matters” is used in posters hanging across Spanish cities, above images with the symbols of feminism, communism, the LGBTQI+ community, amongst others, being thrown into a trash can. The banners, used to attract those against the movements, point at the ideals that VOX advocates for. VOX progress in Spain has been rapid and remarkable. Back in 2019, only 6 years after the party was founded, VOX became the third strongest force in the Spanish Congress, securing 52 seats.
At the same time that VOX was showing national success, it started reaching across Europe which allowed the party to secure, as of last year, 6 seats in the European Parliament. To those efforts it is added that Santiago Abascal, the leader of VOX, entered the European Parliament in 2019 leading another group called The Patriots for Europe (PfE). The group shares VOX’s political ideas and goals and has declared its intention to disrupt the political dominance of the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats (S&D) in the European Parliament.
However, the group has recently been involved in controversy due to misuse of EU funds amounting to over €4 million. “We do not want any group to be able to just rebrand itself and escape its responsibilities”, mentioned the German MEP as PfE would have received the funds in the name of their “predecessor” group Identity and Democracy (ID). Considering ID included members of the current PfE, the Parliament’s Committee on Budgetary Control suggested that PfE should be held liable for the funds misuse since the ID´s group dissolved before reaching a resolution on the matter.
PfE, celebrated its first summit in the Spanish capital under the slogan “Make Europe Great Again”(MEGA). The meeting, organized by VOX, convened far-right leaders from all over Europe, including Marine Le Pen and Viktor Orbán, demonstrating the growing coordination and organization among nationalist parties on the continent.
The slogan that PfE used, “MEGA”, was inspired by the “Make America Great Again” (MAGA) slogan from Donald Trump’s campaign. This inspiration is not the only way Abascal and Trump have been connected publicly, as Abascal was officially invited to Trump’s inauguration after his election. Trump has since then congratulated VOX’s president on multiple occasions for his work within the Spanish party.
As European and world-wide governments keep shifting towards the right, Spain follows. VOX, the far-right party which advocates for anti-immigration, traditional values and the opposition to regional autonomy, has now 33 seats in the Spanish congress and shows popularity especially amongst Spanish young voters. Recent surveys show that about 30% of Spaniards between 18 and 34 years old claim they would vote for VOX. It’s rise in Spain has not been without facing multiple controversies, among them the accusations of irregularities when the party was created, in 2013, as it received €1 million from the NCRI, National Council of Resistance of Iran, sympathizers of the Iranian exiles.
Since corruption in Spain is one of the biggest concerns amongst voters, involvement in corruption cases has the power to affect voting popularity polls. This is evident in the Socialists party PSOE’s low popularity scores in voting polls, due to recent involvement in a corruption scandal. This decline might create an opportunity for VOX, as they have already succeeded in drawing a portion of PSOE’s electorate.
Despite these gains, VOX has yet to enter the national government. The party currently governs only in some regions, often in coalition with the center-right Partido Popular (PP). On the European stage, Abascal’s and VOX’s influence is also growing. Cooperation between far-right governments could strengthen PfE, allowing it to become a significant player in the European Parliament.
The next general elections in Spain, scheduled for August 2027, will be crucial. They may decide whether the country continues under a socialist government, like the last seven years, or moves toward a right-wing leadership, like many other European countries.
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