PP and Vox share three open regional fronts over which both parties have shed some light this week: governability in Extremadura, Aragon and Castile and Leon. Negotiations to form regional governments are still underway, and according to both formations, with advances that will foreseeably materialize in agreements that, for now, are up in the air.
While the electoral calendar tightens, the parties seek to project stability ahead of the elections of Andalusia of next May 17, where Vox is once again shaping up as a key to government.
Vox says it prioritizes policies ahead of positions
The Parador of Malaga has been this Thursday the epicenter of that discussion for Abascal's people, who have gathered their National Executive Committee (CEN), the Political Action Committee (CAP) and the regional and national spokespersons to consolidate strategy.
After the meeting, the secretary general of Vox, Ignacio Garriga, has celebrated that they are "moderately optimistic" regarding the pending agreements in the aforementioned communities with the Popular Party. "All that PP and PSOE said could not be changed, Vox will achieve advances in those matters", including housing, security, migration and taxation.
Regarding the negotiations with the PP, Garriga has said that there are "advances on matters that are an urgent concern for Spaniards". However, he has warned that "the negotiation is not closed until there is an agreement" and has stressed the need for prudence and discretion until the formalization of the agreements.
For his part, the national spokesperson, José Antonio Fúster, insisted this Monday that they will not negotiate positions before defining policies. "First policies and then seats," he remarked after ruling out that they would negotiate the Presidency of the Cortes of Castilla y León. Fúster has accused the national leadership of the PP of "tripping up" and hindering negotiations, although he highlighted that the relationship with the regional barons is more fluid.
PP: pressure to close stable governments
From the PP, the spokesperson in Congress, Ester Muñoz, has guaranteed this Thursday in a press conference that "there will be governments" with Vox in the three communities, although she has admitted that she does not know if the pact will be closed first in Extremadura or Aragon. According to Muñoz, the PP's priority is to guarantee stable, right-wing governments. "We are not going to give up on our endeavor, whatever the cost and until the final minute," she has stated in line with Abascal's people regarding discretion in the details of the pacts
The deputy general secretary of Economy of the PP, Juan Bravo, has stressed for his aprte the need to close the Extremaduran agreement as soon as possible to avoid an electoral repetition. Bravo has also shown himself confident that both formations will reach an understanding. "The clear will of the people of Extremadura is for María Guardiola to be their president and, the sooner a Government is formed, the sooner the Budgets can begin to be drawn up and work can begin," he has pointed out.
Unhealed wounds
But the negotiations have not been free of friction. The tension between Vox and PP over their compatibility when sharing executives dates back to the summer of 2024, when Abascal's party abandoned five regional governments due to disagreements over the migratory issue.
Those frictions remain latent. This Holy Week, Garriga has defined Alberto Núñez Feijóo and his close circle as "that Galician clan with estuary smuggler practices", in a letter in which he held the PP responsible for the trickle of internal crises in Vox, such as the controversies with Ortega Smith and councilors from Torre Pacheco.
Fúster has also reproached leaks of information to the press by the PP, which according to Vox hinder the creation of a climate of trust.
While Extremadura and Aragon concentrate attention on the deadlines and the possibility of early elections, Andalusia is shaping up as the next electoral playing field. Vox seeks to consolidate its role as key to government and consolidate its proclamation: "Spaniards first", before the seats. Meanwhile, the PP maintains its strategy of ensuring stable majorities and fulfilling the will expressed by voters, who lately prefer the 'popular' party as the leading force wherever the polls are held.