Abascal Denies Regional Budgets to Mazón

Vox President Santiago Abascal has started the political season as he ended the last one: putting pressure on the Popular Party (PP) with immigration as the 'leitmotif' of his discourse. Due to the PP's support for the regularization of 500,000 immigrants, Vox forced their withdrawal from regional governments. Now, Abascal is making things difficult for the PP in several regions, including the Valencian Community.

Santiago Abascal held a press conference to warn Alberto Núñez Feijóo's party that they will not support the PP in regional budgets unless they change their stance on massive and illegal immigration: "If nothing has changed, the PP will have to call the PSOE."

In other words, he is blocking regional budgets in the Valencian Community, Aragon, Balearic Islands, Extremadura, and Castilla y León. The President of the Valencian Generalitat, Carlos Mazón, will not be able to pass the 2025 budget due to those ten seats he lacks for an absolute majority. If he thought he could negotiate with Vox, Abascal's announcement on Monday has shattered his plans.

The idea of approaching PSPV and Compromís seems like a pipe dream, although it is worth noting the flexibility of the head of the Consell. Despite having an absolute majority, he managed to reach an agreement with Compromís in the Alicante Provincial Council for its budget with now-regional deputy Gerard Fullana as spokesperson.

If Vox continues its current hardline stance, initiated just before summer which forced changes in the Consell, the regional legislature would become ungovernable. It would be very difficult for any law to pass in Les Corts in a highly radicalized political climate. This is similar to the situation in the Spanish Congress with Pedro Sánchez.

Abascal is currently very critical of those in Genoa (PP headquarters), accusing them of performing "theatrical opposition" to Pedro Sánchez while "holding hands" with PSOE despite "putting on a show in Congress." "We are facing an invasion, not regular immigration, mostly Islamist in nature, promoted by Islamist leftists and by the PP both in Spain and Europe," he asserted.

The Vox leader has even accused both parties - socialists and conservatives - of "destroying the rule of law" to "mutually save themselves from corruption." He also listed judicial measures that Vox has taken against Sánchez over the past year, claiming that those at Bambú 12 represent the true opposition to the socialist secretary-general.

The PP has responded from Genoa. Borja Sémper, spokesperson for the conservatives, stated that "there is a convergence of interests between PSOE and Vox to always attack the PP." "We will not play their game because it would benefit those who want to gain prominence at the expense of the PP," said the Basque leader after this morning's Executive Committee meeting chaired by Feijóo at conservative headquarters.