Santiago Abascal, Vox's leader, is holding daily campaign events in Extremadura since María Guardiola called elections. The party is rising in polls, positioning itself as a potential decisive force in the region. Abascal criticizes bipartisanship and defends nuclear energy in his speeches.
Since María Guardiola, the regional PP president, called elections, Santiago Abascal has not stopped visiting Extremadura. On Wednesday afternoon he held an event in Badajoz, in the morning in Jerez de los Caballeros, the previous night in Villanueva de la Serena—where PSOE candidate Miguel Ángel Gallardo governed for 21 years—, on Monday in Guadalupe, and on Friday in Cáceres. The entire week has been dedicated to the region, just like the previous one.
In the 2023 regional elections, Vox won five deputies and was key to the PP's presidency of the Junta de Extremadura. Now, polls show growth: Sigma Dos gives it 13% of votes (between 8 and 9 deputies), an increase of nearly five points compared to two and a half years ago. Tezanos' CIS raises it to 14.2% (between 10 and 12 seats).
Event posters only feature Abascal's image, even though Óscar Fernández is the lead candidate and Vox president in Cáceres. Víctor Sánchez del Real, consultant and former campaign manager, notes: «Vox advances like a pánzer, with its own system and speed, consistency, and a single candidate: Abascal». Sánchez del Real criticizes the PSOE's neglect and Guardiola's approach, which could complicate negotiations.
Abascal blames bipartisanship for Spain's and Extremadura's problems. In the Campo Arañuelo area, he visited Talayuela on November 21 and 28 to oppose the closure of the Almaraz nuclear plant, decreed by Sánchez's government. He wore a t-shirt with the slogan «Nuclear Energy, Yes Please» and blamed both Sánchez and Guardiola. At one event, an attendee told him: «I was a former PSOE councilor and my father a socialist mayor, and we're going to vote for you». The events draw young people and seniors, with Spanish flags and full venues.