Santiago Abascal has claimed Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is preparing to ‘steal’ Spain’s next general election through mass immigration and fraudulent citizenship grants.

The accusation came during a speech in Marbella in which the Vox leader alleged that Sanchez was planning ‘something even worse’ ahead of the 2027 vote.

‘Sanchez plans something even worse: to steal the 2027 elections from us through altering the electoral census, promoting mass immigration and carrying out massive and fraudulent naturalisations,’ the hard-right figure claimed.

But while the comments are likely to energise parts of Vox’s anti-immigration base, the allegation falls apart under even basic scrutiny.

There is currently no evidence whatsoever that Spain’s government is manipulating the electoral register by granting fraudulent citizenships on a mass scale, or preparing to interfere with the democratic process.

Spain’s elections are overseen through a highly decentralised system involving independent electoral boards, judges, local authorities and representatives from multiple political parties, and no evidence of such a scheme has been presented by Vox.

The claim also ignores a fundamental fact about immigration in Spain, which is that most migrants cannot vote in general elections.

Non-EU residents are barred from participating in Spain’s national elections unless they later obtain Spanish nationality – a process that often takes years and involves extensive bureaucracy.

Spain is, in fact, notorious for long delays in nationality applications, with many applicants waiting several years for approval.

To become a citizen of Spain, in most cases you have to prove uninterrupted residency for at least 10 years.

Even once citizenship is granted, there is no evidence that naturalised citizens vote uniformly for left-wing parties.

Political behaviour among immigrant communities varies enormously depending on nationality, income, religion, age and social background.

The rhetoric used by Vox forms part of the so-called ‘Great Replacement’ narratives pushed by hard-right movements elsewhere in Europe and the US.

The theories claim left-wing governments are deliberately importing foreign populations in order to permanently reshape electorates.

Critics argue these narratives rely heavily on fear and demographic anxiety rather than evidence.

That does not mean debates around immigration are illegitimate.

Spain, like much of Europe, faces genuine political tensions over border control, housing pressure, integration and public services – all issues that are likely to dominate the next election cycle.