Vox leader Santiago Abascal has launched his general election campaign in Estepona, placing immigration, housing and deregulation at the centre of his party’s message.
Addressing supporters before travelling to Ceuta for Spain’s National Day celebrations on Sunday (October 12), Abascal outlined three priorities: ‘National Priority’, ‘Remigration’ and deregulation.
The hard-right leader repeatedly attacked Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, warning supporters gathered at the Atalaya hotel that he expected political tensions and violence during the campaign.
He also questioned the reliability of postal voting and urged supporters to cast their ballots in person.
Abascal insisted that his concerns were directed at Sanchez rather than the electoral system itself.
‘I don’t distrust the system. I distrust Sanchez, who rigged his own party’s elections,’ he claimed, without presenting evidence of wrongdoing in the national voting process.
He also referred to protesters camped in Madrid’s Puerta del Sol and migrants in Ceuta as Sanchez’s ‘militias’, linking them to his warnings about possible unrest.
Housing and immigration
Turning to Spain’s housing crisis, Abascal blamed the Socialist government for failing to tackle affordability during its eight years in power.
He argued that Spanish residents were being forced to compete for homes with both poorer migrants and wealthy foreign buyers.
The Vox leader also criticised regional regulations, including those in Madrid, which he claimed gave advantages to wealthy purchasers able to buy properties outright while ordinary Spaniards struggled to secure mortgages.
Abascal called on his supporters to mobilise ahead of the election and warned them against placing too much trust in opinion polls.
He also criticised trade unions for organising demonstrations during the election campaign, accusing them of remaining silent during previous years of Socialist government.
On pensions, he pledged that payments would be guaranteed ‘one way or another’.
The Estepona rally marked the opening of Abascal’s campaign before his planned appearance in Ceuta for the Dia de la Hispanidad celebrations.
Read more Andalucia news at the Spanish Eye.
