The spokesperson for Vox at Madrid City Hall, Javier Ortega Smith, reacted to his exclusion from the Executive by endorsing certain old statements by the party’s president, Santiago Abascal, in which he describes political parties as “very undemocratic institutions” where “the leader places everyone”. This is how he expressed himself after Vox expelled him from the executive this Tuesday, after months of tense relations with the party. He will be replaced by the current national youth spokesperson for the training, Julia Calvetas the party reported this Tuesday.
Thus, Ortega Smith published an old video of Abascal on his X profile, where the latter criticizes the lack of freedom in political parties. In the video, the president of Vox emphasizes that the parties have become “very undemocratic institutions” where “the leader places everyone, determines the lists, and everyone owes the leader their salary, their livelihood“. A video where he recognizes that “it is very difficult for people to be free in a political party in Spain.”
“Democracy has been hijacked by partiesthey made it a “partiocracy” and, at the same time, the parties are not internally democratic. And that means that the crisis of representation is resolved,” Abascal continues in his old statements. Alongside the video, Ortega Smith emphasized: “Today, as then, I continue to believe in the same thing.”
The relationship between Ortega Smith and Vox has deteriorated in recent months. He still holds the positions of deputy, spokesperson for the Justice Commission of the Congress and spokesperson for Madrid City Hall, even if he lost the deputy spokesperson for the Congress at the beginning of November. However, it is one of the most critical figures of his own party.
Relations between Ortega Smith, one of the party’s founders and who served as vice president and secretary general, with Vox became strained after his mandate. clashes with former leader Macarena Olona. With his departure in 2022, Abascal removed Ortega Smith as general secretary and put Ignacio Garriga in his place. In 2023, in an interview with Europa Press, the then vice-president of Vox warned that the party “she cannot become an employment agency”.
The relationship with Vox leadership eventually deteriorated after reports emerged that Santiago Abascal was planning to challenge Vox’s leadership at the 2024 Assembly. Abascal relegated him from the Vox vice presidency after that 2024 Assembly, which ratified him as Vox president for four more years. with over 90% supportbut this did not remove him from the management 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 noisy.
More recently, Ortega Smith starred in episodes that were interpreted as provocations by Vox management. He attended the presentation of think tank of former Vox leader Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, an uncomfortable figure for Vox, and claimed that “No one could be bothered because I went to kiss 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.
Vox downplayed these two eventsclaiming that Ortega Smith came to see Espinosa de los Monteros “in a personal capacity.” For his part, Abascal refused to promote the presence of the deputy again at the Columbus Day military parade.
When he was demoted in Congress, Ortega Smith said he was “surprised” by a decision he considered “bad and unjust”. Later, he and Abascal found themselves embroiled in a football comparison when the Vox leader responded that we must “learn to give in” and that in the game “there is a big bench”. The MP likened himself to an experienced “striker” who knows how to “score goals”.
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