The president of Vox, Santiago Abascal, called this Friday from Mahón (Menorca) to mobilize in the general elections on November 29 to change "ruin for prosperity". In a rally focused on his criticisms of the Government of Pedro Sánchez, the leader of the party accused the Executive of being responsible for the housing crisis and reproached UGT and CCOO for remaining silent in recent years.
Abascal has called to take advantage of the electoral appointment to replace "the indignity of the invasion in Ceuta with national decency, oppression and censorship with freedom." The leader has appealed to national pride and rejected that Spain should continue under a Government presided over by Sánchez.
"The Spaniards are not condemned, as if it were a biblical curse, to suffer Pedro Sánchez and his corrupt mafia for four more years", he stated before the attendees. "A mafia of petty thieves like this cannot defeat us," he added.
Abascal attacks the unions over housing
The housing crisis has been one of the main issues of his speech. Abascal accused the Government of using it as a "smokescreen" to divert attention from other problems, despite considering it "directly responsible" for the difficulties Spaniards face in accessing a home.
The president of Vox has assured that, since Sánchez arrived at La Moncloa, the sale price of homes has increased by 74% and rents by 40%, figures he has used to question the housing policy of the Executive.
"And the only thing this Government has done for housing is remove the plaques that were in some municipalities from the former Ministry of Housing, but they have built absolutely nothing," he stated. Abascal also related the increase in population to the pressure on the real estate market and accused the Executive of not having sufficiently increased the residential supply.
His criticisms have extended to the unions UGT and CCOO, which he reproached for taking years to mobilize over this problem. "Eight years silent as the dead, not to say anything else. And suddenly they remember that there is no housing for Spaniards", he denounced.
In front of the Executive's policies, the president of Vox has defended that public aid to access housing, rental subsidies, and daycare spots should be granted primarily to Spanish families.
National priority, tax cuts, and remigration
Abascal has included these measures within his proposal of "national priority", one of the pillars of his program along with tax reduction, economic deregulation, and "remigration".
The leader of Vox has accused successive governments of favoring the foreign population over Spanish citizens. However, he has pointed out that the responsibility for this situation lies with the political leaders and not with those who receive the aid.
"If politicians give them benefits that they do not deserve, we cannot blame them, we have to blame the politicians who have betrayed us Spaniards," he has stated.
Abascal has insisted that housing aid, rental aid, and daycare spots must be primarily allocated to Spanish families, arguing that many have difficulties making ends meet, paying their mortgages, or accessing housing.
In economic matters, he has advocated for a tax cut and has denounced that citizens bear an excessive tax burden. "Today Spaniards are being absolutely robbed by the Government. Today more taxes are paid than ever and Spaniards receive less than ever", he has assured, before criticizing the state of the roads, railways, hospitals, and other infrastructures.
He has also defended a reduction of administrative obligations for self-employed individuals, farmers, and businesses. According to Abascal, an increasing part of their day is spent complying with procedures and regulations that hinder economic activity. In this regard, he has criticized regulations related to climate, equality, and the 2030 Agenda, which he has labeled as "fanatical legislations" and has accused of not contributing to economic growth.
On migration matters, he has defended the repatriation of those who have entered Spain irregularly and the expulsion of foreigners who commit crimes. He has also demanded that foreign individuals who have arrived in the country to receive social aid seek employment or return to their places of origin.
Criticism of Sánchez for his interview in "La Revuelta"
The president of Vox has also lashed out at Pedro Sánchez's appearance on the program "La Revuelta," from Televisión Española, where he was interviewed this Thursday by David Broncano.
"Yesterday we had him on television playing a lamentable role, acting friendly, as if he hadn't lied, betrayed, and his entire environment stolen from the Spaniards and corrupted in an absolutely disgusting way", he stated.
Abascal has questioned the tone of the interview, which he has described as a "massage interview," and reproached the president of the Government for participating in an entertainment space while, in his opinion, explanations about the corruption cases affecting his political environment are still pending.
"We are put on Televisión Española with a massage interview to make jokes about the situation. In short, I don't think jokes help because Spaniards have long been not in the mood for jokes," he added.
The jewels of Zapatero and the revolver gifted to Sánchez
Abascal has also taken advantage of the rally to question the explanations of the president of the Government regarding the gifts received by José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero during his time in La Moncloa.
The leader of Vox has stated that "the gifts received by a president are the property of the State" and has accused the former socialist president of keeping the received jewels in a safe at the PSOE headquarters.
He then referred to the revolver that Sánchez claimed to have received as a gift from the president of Turkey. "Did you also put it in the safe of the Socialist Party?", he asked him. "Stop deceiving people, stop scamming and make yourself available to the judiciary, which is what you should have done a long time ago," he added.
During his speech, Abascal also accused the Government of using other current issues to divert attention from the controversies related to Zapatero and the PSOE.
The controversy over the Grandchildren's Law
The president of Vox dedicated part of the rally to the controversy over the electoral roll and the known as Grandchildren's Law, after the judicial actions promoted by his party.
Abascal has claimed that it was Vox who brought the issue before the Supreme Court and has assured that 163,000 people remain registered in the electoral roll without having, according to his interpretation of the judicial resolutions, the right to vote in Spain. "It has been Vox that brought before the Supreme Court, in the silence of all the others, the fraud of the grandchildren," he stated.
The leader has also maintained that the high court has demanded action on those registrations and has warned of possible legal consequences if its resolutions are not complied with. These are statements made by Abascal during the rally, whose interpretation and scope must be distinguished from the specific content of the judicial decisions.
A call to mobilize beyond Vox
In the final part of the event, Abascal has warned his supporters against demobilization and has asked them not to consider the outcome of the elections as decided.
The president of Vox has called to distrust the polls that, he has claimed, convey that "everything is already done," and has demanded to remain "alert until the last day" of the campaign.
"May you all be like a nail on November 29 to bring the alternative to Spain," he has asked the attendees, whom he has encouraged to convince family and friends to come out to vote.
Abascal has extended his call to voters of the PP and also to those who supported the PSOE in previous elections, but now feel disappointed with Sánchez. "We absolutely call on everyone for a change in Spain", he concluded.