“My negotiation criteria are the same. “I have already refused to let Vox enter the Government”

— The polls guarantee a very large victory for the PP. What happened in Extremadura, a country so linked to the left?

—I think what the Extremadurians saw was that we knew how to govern for everyone. We turned around a region in just half a term. We found ourselves in a country ruled by reluctance and apathy. We turned the situation around thanks to management, a lot of passion and policies that deliver results. We were used to occupying the last positions on any list and now we have moved to the top. We have the lowest unemployment rate in the history of Extremadura. We attract investment. We have reached a record tourism data. During these two and a half years, the inhabitants of Extremadura have been able to see what our project is. And that led to many more people joining who believe in this region and who know that they deserve much more than what they got.

— Do you attribute it to management and not to an ideological shift? In their country, there seems to be some.

—The two things go hand in hand. The ideology of the People’s Party is to put the people at the center, to govern for all, to respect freedom and the rule of law. Also pursue economic policies that do not stifle people, that attract investment and generate wealth and jobs. And of course, I believe that we have been supported by management that is based on results and not on banners and slogans, as is the case with what we were used to in this country.

— If you don’t get an absolute majority and need Vox’s support, are there any red lines?

— The red lines are marked by Extremadurians and not by parties. For me, the priority is to obtain the majority of citizens’ trust and I do not want to depend on blockages or blackmail. This is exactly why we are here. We arrived at the elections because there was an absolute blockage from the Socialist Party and Vox, which reduced budgets. They didn’t even want to sit down and discuss so that Extremadura could continue to move forward and grow. The most important thing is to see the result of December 21, when there are very few days left. We sometimes forget that citizens will have a voice and a say. And after the matches we will have to make decisions.

—Is government alone your only option?

“My only option at the moment is to listen to the people of Extremadura. And it’s not just me who has to do it. It is true that the polls indicate that we will win the elections. I think what all candidates need to do is listen. Daring to make pacts means daring to achieve results. But if we go by what the polls say, they say that Extremadurans prefer me to be president. That I am the most preferred candidate for this task. That is why I think we should pass this question on to the rest of the parties, who will have to say and explain if they want to listen to the majority of Extremadurians. Or if, on the contrary, they listen to their national leaders.

—The Vox candidate says he has not ruled out asking to join the Government. They already had a coalition that didn’t end well.

—Vox has shown that she doesn’t really like being in a place where you have to make decisions, where you get up early, where you have to face people’s real problems. They governed, they had the real possibility of improving people’s lives. In the case of Extremadura, they managed to change the policy of forest management, of the rural world, of depopulation. And what they did was run away. They didn’t even last a year and left all the Extremaduras who needed these policies and this boost stranded. Within the PP and with a single government, we promoted them. I think they were the ones who showed they didn’t want to be there. They preferred to be in polarization, division and banner. We are dedicated to work, to management and that is what we want to continue doing. What I want is a government that is centered on the people of Extremadura and governs for everyone, whether they voted for us or not.

— But he already refused to let them enter his government in 2023 and then had to give in. Why is it different now?

—My requirements or my criteria during the negotiation are exactly the same. And it’s the one I’ve had for the last two and a half years. My limits are the law, the right and non-regression to any acquired right. Vox is on something else. He follows the interests of the party at the national level and does not think about the interests of the people of Extremadura.

— What are these national interests?

—Grow in seats. They understood that it was not politically profitable for them to be part of the government and what they did was come out, stand behind the banner and polarize themselves. They find that in surveys they are increasing because there are many more divisions in society. I’m not into that. I want to improve people’s lives and work in complete freedom. I showed I could do it and I did it with them too. In 2023 I reached an agreement with Vox with measures that we respected because they were good for the people of Extremadura. When I refused to let Vox enter government, it was because the demands they put on the table were unacceptable. They had nothing to do with Extremadura. They asked me to break the law or repeal laws that the People’s Party had approved, such as the LGTBI law. And I’m not going to go there. Likewise, I will not accept that they propose proposals that imply the bankruptcy of the Public Treasury, as is what they have done currently. They want me to abolish property transfer taxes when we raise 200 million euros. How are public services financed? We are cutting taxes. But always with common sense and with management that allows public services to be improved. Vox isn’t about contributing to improvement, it’s just about trying to get a handful of votes.

— Is it then possible to ask Gallardo to abstain?

— I insist that everyone listens to the voice of Extremadura next Sunday. We managed, we did our best. There was a moment when things were blocked, where we couldn’t move forward without the budgets. They overturned them, they presented amendments in their entirety. And I don’t want a paralyzed area because I have no attachment to the chair. I am not here to distribute positions and positions. As long as I can do it, I will do it with all my desire and all my passion. Mr. Gallardo and the Socialist Party will have to rethink what happened in this region.

—The PSOE could suffer a major blow in the elections.

—It is unprecedented for a candidate to be accused of prevarication and influence peddling. This seems to me to be a lack of respect for all voters. Mr. Gallardo knows perfectly well that he is not a good candidate for Extremadura and, despite this, he preferred to be there. And Sánchez allowed it because he goes hand in hand with his brother to sit on the bench. That’s the only reason. That his judicial future is linked to that of the brother of the President of the Government.

—In this campaign, you defend many feminist values. He told Abascal he gave off a “sexist smell.”

— It’s curious. Mr. Abascal calls me Irene Montero. In the Socialist Party, they tell me that I am a fascist. Unfortunately, I have to put up with all kinds of insults from the sexist gentlemen who surround us in politics. Listen, what Mr. Abascal did when he came to Extremadura was to ask him to overcome the obstacles, and otherwise, by threatening the people of Extremadura, we will have to go and vote as many times as necessary. That’s the first thing Mr. Abascal said, then he came to ask for my head. I believe that these are not forms in politics. Mr. Abascal is not the candidate from Extremadura, he does not know my region or its needs. He came these days to do tourism, and I like that he comes to enjoy Extremadura because it is wonderful, but the reality is that he does not know it.

— It seems to you that Abascal is presenting himself as a candidate.

— The problem is that they have a candidate who does not have the right to speak alone, who is still protected by Madrid and who cannot deviate from the script. In the case of feminism, we have also seen this. I am not the only one to say that Mr. Abascal made sexist comments towards me, he does. The fact is that the women of Vox themselves have spoken out on social networks to say that it is a sexist party and that it repels everyone who wants to have a little autonomy. Mr. Abascal’s party is no longer the Vox which began with its founders. Mr. Abascal is alone.

—Extremadura opens a key electoral cycle. Could the end of Sánchez’s mandate be accelerated?

— I’m only thinking of Extremadura. I think what Sánchez needs to do is what we did here: call elections. He no longer governs. We Spaniards must ask ourselves if it is worth continuing to cling to power. Without budgets, you cannot move forward.

—Cases of corruption are piling up. Now also the alleged sexual abuse scandals. The right-wing electorate is worried. Are you in favor of a motion of censure even if it is not won?

— The right has no worries. I see anxiety among the Spanish because they do not understand how there is a president who, with everything we are going through, continues as if it were not his problem. A party, the PSOE, which defines itself as feminist and hides the complaints of its own colleagues. A party surrounded by corruption, surrounded by whores, who place prostitutes in public companies. Such a scandal is unacceptable. It’s a shame for the country. The PP reflects people’s desire to go to the polls.