A van with the photo of Santiago Abascal and his candidate in Extremadura, Óscar Fernández, announced the arrival of the Vox leader in Zafra (Badajoz) this Thursday afternoon. There was still an hour and a half left. “Come listen to it in the Plaza Grande … ”, we heard through the megaphone. In the restaurants and cafes of the town, you could hear the typical noise of Christmas dinners at that time. Full glasses. Groups of friends, work colleagues. “Then I’ll come and see what he says,” a middle-aged man said to the waiter.
Zafra, whose mayor comes from the PSOE, hosts one of the most important livestock fairs internationally. The event, with a great tradition, dates back to the 15th century. And this explains why Santiago Abascal, with a speech of fierce defense of the first sector, against the European green agenda against which breeders and farmers have been rebelling for some time – precisely because of demands and a timetable that stifle their activity – has decided to put all the means meat on the grill the penultimate day of the campaign in this municipality of Baja Extremadura.
The Vox leader began his rally by responding to María Guardiola: “I am not a tourist. I feel that it is my house and Mrs. Guardiola does not need to invite me”, he said in reference to the constant criticism of the President of the Council in this campaign – he also did it in an interview on ABC -, who went so far as to affirm that Abascal would disappear from Extremadura as soon as the elections were over. This is not the only message he sent to the PP candidate: “She is doing a kind of extravagant nationalism”, he even declared.
The event, which brought together several hundred people in an unfilled square, gave rise to three interventions. The microphone went off, the lights stopped shining. Vox supporters tried to support their leader: “Continue, we hear you, you continue”. He even grabbed the megaphone the third time the act collapsed. Abascal addressed “the public forces” to ask them to act: “We still have to go,” he even said, encouraging his supporters. On the other side of the square, a group of young people opposed to Vox welcomed him with whistles and shouts. “This doesn’t happen to Marlaska. “They make him a cordon so that no one comes near,” he complained.
The feeling throughout the rally was that Abascal wanted to explain himself. It was above all a defensive speech. Lots of things to clarify: “They accuse us of having denounced alleged corruption on the part of an organization close to Vox,” he began. in clear allusion to Revuelta. The dissolution of the party and its youth organization caused real havoc in the training. “Media satellites from Ferraz and Genoa say we were involved.” It didn’t stop there. “They manipulate us. All complaints regarding funding irregularities have also been filed. “We are the only clean party.”
“Get rid of socialist policies”
Abascal on Sunday asked for support for his party – ignoring the controversy generated by the alleged theft of 124 postal votes which in reality the Civil Guard called a “common crime” guaranteeing that these people will be able to vote again – warning his supporters that Guardiola “did not guarantee the change” that he had promised after the agreement with Vox in the last elections. “We managed to drive out the socialists, but we could not change their policies because Guardiola did not want to,” accused the Vox leader.
Abascal attacks PP for not changing socialist policy in Extremadura after post-election pact
“And at the national level, it’s exactly the same. When they had the absolute majority, this change was betrayed”, he repeated, looking at the government of Mariano Rajoy. He mentioned José María Aznar to assure that he was “crying in the corners” because Vox “wants to beat the PP”. And he also criticized Guardiola for not having attended the RTVE electoral debate this Thursday: “Of course, what are you going to debate?”, he asked. “If in green politics he says the same as Gallardo and Irene Montero feminism,” Abascal repeated.
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