Vox leader Santiago Abascal has warned PP re-election candidate in Extremadura, María Guardiola, that she must accept their support to govern or call new elections. The statement came during an event in Mérida, where Abascal accused Guardiola of demonizing his party and advancing the elections out of caprice. Vox anticipates a repeat of the 2023 scenario, when Guardiola initially refused to include them in the government.
Santiago Abascal, Vox leader, visited Mérida on Monday to address supporters and deliver a direct message to María Guardiola, president of the Extremadura Regional Government and PP candidate for re-election in the December 21 regional elections. Abascal stated that, if the political scenario favorable to Vox repeats as per surveys, his party will impose the same conditions as in 2023: “pass through the hoop, or repeat elections” or seek support from the PSOE. He recalled that in those elections, Guardiola initially rejected Vox for being homophobic, racist, and misogynistic, but days later relented and allowed them into the government.
Abascal blamed the early elections on Guardiola's “caprice” and “arrogance,” as she did not accept Vox's demands for the budgets, such as breaking the green pact, cutting taxes, and promoting immigrant expulsion within her competencies. He also accused her of contributing to Vox's “demonization” during the July 2023 general elections and attacking them at a recent rally with Alberto Núñez Feijóo. “Extremadura needs a change,” Abascal emphasized, after 45 years of “neglect” by the bipartisanship, and criticized the PSOE for nominating Miguel Ángel Gallardo, involved in a judicial case with David Sánchez, brother of Pedro Sánchez.
At the event, Vox unveiled the top spots on their lists for Badajoz and Cáceres. For Badajoz: Ángel Pelayo Gordillo (1), María Jesús Salvatierra (2), Javier Bravo (3), Eva García (4), and Juan José García (5). For Cáceres: Óscar Fernández (1), Inés Checa (2), Álvaro Sánchez-Ocaña (3), Beatriz Muñoz (4), and Alfredo Galavís (5). Abascal bet on a “change of course” against the socialist “mafia” and the PP “scam.”