Spain’s far-right Vox party leader announced on Thursday that the party would exit five regional government coalitions with the centre-right People’s Party (PP) due to disagreements on migration policy.
The PP, which governs five regions including Valencia in partnership with Vox, recently supported a central government plan to relocate around 400 under-18 migrants from the Canary Islands to mainland Spain.
“The vice-presidents in the regional governments will announce their resignation, and Vox will move to the opposition,” said Santiago Abascal in a brief televised statement. He did not take questions.
Government figures show that about 19,000 migrants, mostly from West Africa, arrived in the Canary Islands in the first half of 2024, a 167% increase from the same period in 2023. Currently, approximately 6,000 unaccompanied minor migrants are on the islands.
The affected PP regional leaders in the Balearic Islands, Extremadura, Aragon, Valencia, and Murcia plan to try governing independently. Without Vox’s support, passing a 2025 budget could be challenging.
Founded in 2013, Vox is now Spain’s third-largest party but saw a decrease in its vote share in the 2023 national election. Spanish law ensures government protection and aid for under-18s migrating alone to Spain. In 2022, Spain offered more funding to regions that host these young migrants, but few conservative-run regions have accepted more than a few.
The central government is considering making regional transfers compulsory when reception centers in the Canary Islands reach capacity.
