Spanish far-right planning deportations

Spain's right-wing populist party Vox says it will deport 8 million people of foreign extraction if it wins the next general election.

Previously, its stance had been that it wanted to remove people who had arrived in the country illegally, but now party spokesperson Rocio de Meer said it planned to remove "millions of people who have recently come to our country and have not adapted to our customs".

"Of our country's 47 million inhabitants, roughly 7 million — or more than 7 million, because we have to take into account the second generation — 8 million are people who have come from different origins in a very short period of time," she explained.

Vox, led by Santiago Abascal, secured the third-largest vote share in the 2023 general election, with 12.4 percent, down from 15.1 percent in the 2019 election, and saw its number of representatives in the 350-seat parliament fall from 52 to 33.

"We don't know how many," said Abascal, when asked about specific numbers of deportees. "When we get into government, we will know."

Spain's current government is led by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party, or PSOE, which secured a smaller vote share than the mainstream conservative People's Party, or PP, at the last election, but formed a coalition with the hard-left Sumar party to hold on to power.

However, despite Spain having one of the fastest growing economies in the eurozone, which expanded 3.2 percent in 2024, Sanchez has been struggling recently, because of corruption allegations that have led to the resignation of several leading party figures, and drawn criticism from Sumar.

Spain's next general election is not scheduled to take place until 2027 but it is reported that some within Sanchez's own party want him to call a snap election now, even though it is likely PP, under the leadership of Alberto Nunez Feijoo, would win, rather than limp on until 2027.

PP and Vox have their clear policy differences, including over migration, but do already work together in regional government in several parts of the country.

Although Feijoo, who was re-elected as PP leader at the weekend, insists he would not bring Vox into national government after any potential election, he had made clear overtures toward its supporters recently, saying that Vox voters "deserve respect", and that he is not willing to "corner them".

However, as his failure to dislodge the PSOE from government at the last election despite having a larger vote share shows, public support does not necessarily translate into the ability to take power.

julian@mail.chinadailyuk.com