Spain’s VOX counts on Trump, Meloni, Milei to boost EU election message

Spain’s far-right VOX party is counting on the support of former US president and Republican candidate Donald Trump, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni and Argentina’s President Javier Milei, among others, to boost its message of a Europe of sovereign nations ahead of the European elections in June.

As the third largest party in parliament, VOX (ECR)is currently warming up for the launch of its main event campaign – Europa Viva 24 – which will take place in Madrid between 18 and 19 May.

Party leader Santiago Abascal aims for his “ultra” friends to help VOX reinforce its message centred around the idea of sovereign European nations.

This would serve as an alternative to the proposals – closer to a broad concept of federalism – of Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s ruling Socialist Party (PSOE/S&D), and those of its main candidate for the elections, Ecological Transition Minister Teresa Ribera, Abascal added.

Although VOX is still the third largest party in the Spanish parliament, behind PSOE and its left-wing and nationalist allies, as well as the Partido Popular (EPP), the “ultra” party lost almost 700,000 votes in the snap general elections of 23 July last year, Euractiv’s partner EFE reported.

In 2023, both Meloni (Fratelli d’Italia) and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (Fidesz), as well as now former Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki (Law and Justice, PiS), sent Abascal numerous messages of support.

“Dear friends, the time has come for patriots. In Italy, as in Finland, Sweden, Poland and the Czech Republic, we have shown that patriots can govern and contribute to increasing the prosperity of their people,” Meloni said in a message delivered at a VOX campaign event last year.

Milei has also shown his support for Abascal on several occasions, confirming on X that he will be present at the main launch event of the VOX campaign.

‘Make Spain great again’

Abascal traveled to Argentina last December at Milei’s invitation, who received him the day before his inauguration as president. In 2021, Milei also participated in VOX’s annual party with a video message and traveled to Madrid in 2022 to attend the same annual event.

Although Trump’s attendance at this year’s event in Madrid has not yet been confirmed, the party is confident that it will be able to receive the Republican leader, who is expected to send a video message of support.

In February, Abascal himself met Trump in Washington, where both joined forces around the message that “socialism and globalism rule against the people.”

The two also agreed to adopt the same line on climate change denial and highlighted their shared values, which include “the homeland, freedom, reason, the faith of our fathers, the family, property, sovereignty, democracy and the limitation of power,” as Abascal said in February.

Inspired by Trump’s famous “Make America Great Again” slogan, Abascal also advocates “making Spain great again”, EFE reported.

Recent polls suggest that the far-right could come third in the European Parliament, behind the European People’s Party (EPP) and the Socialists and Democrats (S&D).

(Fernando Heller | EuroEFE.Euractiv.es)

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