Vox expelled Javier Ortega Smith from its executive after months of disagreements and will be replaced by the current youth spokesperson of the formation, Júlia Calvet, as the party reported this Tuesday. Ortega Smith was the last survivor of Santiago Abascal’s first hard core.
Relations between the current deputy and spokesperson for Madrid City Hall, one of the founders of Vox, and the party have deteriorated in recent months. Vox already dismissed him from his post as deputy spokesperson in Congress in early November. He was replaced by the MP for Malaga and national spokesperson for Vox Housing, Carlos H. Quero.
But in reality, it’s the culmination of a long-standing breakup. Ortega Smith came to occupy the position of general secretary, from which he was removed by Abascal in 2022 to put Ignacio Garriga in his place. In 2023, in an interview with Europa Press, the then vice-president of Vox warned that the party “cannot become an employment agency”. The relationship with Vox leadership eventually deteriorated after reports emerged that Santiago Abascal was planning to challenge Vox leadership in the 2024 Assembly.
Abascal relegated him from the vice-presidency of Vox after this 2024 Assembly, but did not remove him from the leadership of Vox, which is the measure that the Executive approved this Tuesday. Ortega Smith shared the vice presidency with Jorge Buxadé and Reyes Romero, and all three became members.
More recently, Ortega Smith starred in episodes that were interpreted as provocations by Vox management. He attended the think tank presentation of former Vox leader Iván Espinosa de los Monteros and claimed that “no one could be bothered because they were going to hug a friend.” In addition, he was seen on the podium of the authorities during the military parade on October 12, after Abascal refused to attend because he did not agree with the government.
In an interview on ABC three days ago, Ortega Smith emphasized that he had a “distant” relationship with the Vox leader since Abascal thought “he was no longer needed.”
“When he dismissed me from my position as secretary general, he had his reasons. I never understood them. I’m not going to say that I share them because I don’t share them (…) I continue to defend the same values and the same principles. I continue to say the same thing and the proof is there. I hope that everyone can say the same thing,” he said in this interview.
Calvet, a lawyer, is a rising figure at Vox. Former president of the student platform S’ha Finish!, Júlia Calvet is also a regional deputy in the Parliament of Catalonia.
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