The Minister of Culture and Sports of Castilla y León, Gonzalo Santonja (Vox), will remain in office despite the break with the PP announced by Vice-President Juan García-Gallardo, as confirmed on Friday by the regional president, Alfonso Fernández Manueco. The popular leader has asked for “calm” and denied that he will call early elections. The President of the Governing Council has confirmed Gallardo’s resignation, as well as that of the Minister of Industry, Mariano Veganzones, and that of Agriculture, Gerardo Dueñas. Santonja, who will continue to direct Culture, is an independent contractor signed by Vox in 2022. “He has all my personal confidence,” Fernández Mañueco said in this regard. The vice-presidency of Juan García-Gallardo will be occupied by the head of the family, Isabel Blanco, while Leticia García will enter Veganzones and María González will enter agriculture.
Although the foundations of the coalition in Castile and León have collapsed under the earthquake caused by the general leadership of the ultras to break with the conservatives after the popular decision to accept the reception of minor immigrants Without accompaniment (21 in the case of the community), Santiago Abascal's party adds a new crisis after the removal of its only advisor in Extremadura. In this community, the two years and three months of entente collapsed without the far right managing to strengthen the pillars of the pact: the PP has maintained the Council without applying its partner's demands more than superficially. The separation, despite Gallardo's bravado, was only signed on the orders of the national leader, who defined the agreement in 2022 as the “pilot floor” between both groups. The pioneering experience ended with a lot of noise due to the outbursts of the former vice-president, but few ultra-political madmen: an anti-abortion protocol came to nothing, the Concordia law is being processed, taxes have been cut and unions have been prosecuted.
Gallardo had appeared alone early on Friday to confirm his resignation at a press conference at the headquarters of the Governing Council, in Valladolid, where he has been the protagonist of some of his verbal controversies over the past two years. “It is the formal announcement of my resignation as vice-president of the Junta de Castilla y León, a decision that “has not been easy, but it has not been poorly thought out either, but which in recent days has been a reflection of the events in the regional and national debate.” Gallardo recalled the Governing Council’s assessment of the policy last Tuesday, stating that there he clarified the conditions with the partners “and the value we gave to the letter of the government agreement, point 32 on the promotion of order and “the fight against mafias of illegal trafficking in human beings.”
“The last straw is the failure to fulfil the imposed duty to combat illegal immigration. We continue to cling to the idea that we do not want Castilla y León to become France and that modest neighbourhoods end up like the suburbs of Paris or Brussels (Belgium), where coexistence has been degraded by a policy of open borders and a demographic, cultural and economic suicide,” he said. García Gallardo has questioned whether the foreign minors who must be welcomed “are really children”. “In Castilla y León we are not condemned to Islamisation, Spain has time to save itself,” he said, before clarifying that the agreement will affect regional governments, but that municipal councils and parliaments are excluded.
Before the breakup, the regional spokesman, Carlos Fernández Carriedo (PP), an expert in countering questions about Vox, stressed that the government was functioning “well”. Around midnight, Gallardo made his statements on social media, where he repeatedly called migrants “Moorish”: “They have betrayed us in the defense of the right to life. They have betrayed us by collaborating with illegal human trafficking mafias. Our generosity has been infinite, despite the violations of the pact. Out of respect for my party, I will report on my decision after the National Executive Committee of Vox. The vice-president followed with a serious face the words of his boss, Santiago Abascal, who reported the separation. Two years earlier, on April 19, 2022, the party leader went to the regional parliament to attend the first handshake between his protégé, whom he selected after a to pour seeking leadership in that community, and the president, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco. García Gallardo was 31 years old when he was appointed vice president.
Whatever has the most influence is what comes closest. To not miss anything, subscribe.
The fatigue expressed by García-Gallardo on the social network The first target went to Vox: knowing that Mañueco had no alternative, they pushed as hard as they could to obtain the positions they wanted: the presidency of the Cortes, the vice-presidency of the Governing Council and the Ministries of Labor, Culture and Agriculture. Another story was the political performance in those areas, where there were cuts in the unions, one of the flags of Vox, and the dismantling of a labor relations service that confronted them with the Ministry of Labor. Sanitary measures in the livestock sector were also made more flexible, with state restrictions to protect the national sector from possible diseases spread from this community.
The controversial anti-abortion protocol with deterrent measures for women willing to terminate their pregnancies, which Vox tried to promote in the community, was limited to an announcement made by the vice-president himself at a press conference. He then confessed that he was “not a great expert on pregnancy” and started a war with the PP, amid warnings from the central government about conflict with the mainstream right. The measures, from 5D X-rays of the fetus to urging doctors to listen to the fetus’ heartbeat, were collected in a press release that was never implemented.
The 27 months of alliance have been filled with disagreements. The president praised the “efficiency” of the Governing Council in covering up the mistakes of his partner. The legislative action of the coalition has also not reflected the keys promoted by Vox in other communities such as the law of Concordia, that is going on and that could now bury the PP once and for all. The announced domestic violence law has also not been successful and there are no signs that it will be implemented.