Santiago Abascal’s right-wing Vox party has expressed mounting concern that Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s Popular Party (PP) is losing crucial ground in voter surveys ahead of the November 29 elections. According to reporting by the Catalan daily Ara, internal sources within Vox warn that the PP’s recent electoral decline jeopardizes the possibility of forming a combined right-wing government at the Moncloa palace. The anxiety stems from sliding poll numbers for the PP, which face a tightening race against the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) following recent political developments and a fatal train derailment in Urda, Toledo.
Vox Fears Popular Party Emulation Strategy
Central to Vox’s apprehension is the belief that the PP is improperly mimicking right-wing rhetoric rather than pursuing moderate voters. Vox insiders characterized this dynamic as the Popular Party playing at being Vox—a process they term “voxeritzation.” According to the same reporting, party officials point to hardline figures within the PP, such as Barcelona mayoral candidate Xavier García Albiol and Madrid number-two candidate Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, as evidence of an erroneous strategy that mirrors mistakes made during the 2023 general election.
Demoscopic Decline Narrows the Gap
Polling data indicates a steady erosion of support for the PP since snap elections were announced on October 5, pulling the party down from the 137 parliamentary seats it secured in 2023. Recent surveys, including an October 26 poll published by Artículo 14, project the PP leading by a narrow margin of 121 seats to 115 for the PSOE. For every percentage point the PP sheds, unease grows within Vox over the party’s abandonment of centrist and ex-socialist voter targets in favor of an unyielding digital and public stance.
Campaign Strategy Shifts Amid Train Tragedy
Vox initially pursued a measured campaign style focused on pedagogy, avoiding fear-based tactics, and keeping public rhetoric restrained, which included a meeting with the Cercle d’Economia and Foment to reassure business leaders. However, the deadly train accident in Urda prompted a sharp pivot toward fierce criticism of the central government. Alongside the railway disaster, Vox’s platform emphasizes border security, mass deportations, housing priority for national citizens, and heightened scrutiny of recent public disturbances, led nationally by Santiago Abascal and European Parliament figure Jorge Buxadé.
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