El Pais, Madrid*
The ultra party defends a massive tax cut, proposes that parents have to authorize any “affective-sexual” content in schools and advocates stopping funding the immigrant reception system
Vox, the far-right party that aspires to form a government with the Popular Party if both have a majority after the July 23 elections, has published its electoral program this Friday. A document of maximums in which he advocates repealing not only several laws of the last PSOE-Unidas Podemos government but also others that have been in force for decades or that respond to international agreements, such as the Law against Gender Violence or adherence to the Agreement of Paris fight against climate change. Likewise, it calls for “the immediate return to the State of the powers of Education, Health, Security and Justice” and proposes “limiting as much as possible the legislative capacity of the autonomous communities”, as well as proceeding with the progressive abolition of the autonomous police forces. This is a summary of the program:
Equality: ending a structure of decades
Vox’s program on Equality could be summed up in one sentence: end all the legislation, structures, budgets and services that the State has been building for three decades for equality and against sexist violence. The ultra party proposes to repeal the entire quota system created to combat the gender gap, the law of only yes is yes, the trans law, the abortion law, the equality law and even the law against gender violence, a A pioneering standard, unanimously approved by Congress in 2004 and which is still one of the most advanced legislation in the world in the fight against violence that the WHO considers a global public health problem and the UN an epidemic. In Spain, only since 2003, there are 1,209 women murdered by their partners or ex-partners,
Among the objectives of Vox is also to eliminate the Ministry of Equality and the courts for violence against women, and to stop supporting or financing all those structures —institutional or citizen— that work for equality or against sexist violence. In other words, the entire network that the different governments (left and right) have created since democracy began. He explains it like this: “We will close all ideological public beach bars watered with public money, such as LGTB bars, historical memory, radical environmentalists or separatists or linked to the implementation of the 2030 Agenda, and we will put an end to subsidies and aid when it comes to of private entities”.
Climate change: abandon the Paris Agreement and demolish environmental policies
Vox proposes a demolition of most of the measures promoted by the Government to fight against global warming, starting with the Climate Change Law. But the far-right party goes further: it questions European policy and defends abandoning the Paris Agreement (imitating what Donald Trump did in his day). All the members of the EU are adhered to this pact against climate change, compliance with which Europe has set as one of its priorities for this century. Vox also promises “the immediate suspension and review of the entire European Green Pact”, the development framework promoted by the European Commission that seeks to decarbonise the continent’s economy.
The program contains all the proclamations (and in many cases the hoaxes) spread by far-right parties in many parts of the world. “Suspension of all climate regulations imposed by globalist elites that seriously affect the interest and prosperity of the Spanish people,” he promises. And this is specified in “the immediate suspension of the ban on the combustion engine by 2035”, something that again comes from Brussels, or the veto of “the exploration, research and exploitation of mineral resources” in Spain. He also proposes the closure of “organizations intended to create parallel structures of the state”, among which he includes “meteorological agencies”.
Vox defends the extension of the life of nuclear power plants. But, in addition, he promises to use “the sites of closed nuclear power plants” to implant mini-nuclear reactors, a technology still undeveloped. At the same time, he defends “an energy mix that includes photovoltaic, wind, hydraulic and nuclear energy.”
The program proposes repealing the law for the protection of the Mar Menor, making the community regulations for animal sanitation more flexible (veterinary regulations to prevent diseases from being transmitted) and ending the false destruction of reservoirs that the Government claims is being carried out.
Economy: income tax, depending on the number of children
Vox’s economic proposal has a strong centralizing and protectionist character. The measures give priority to Spaniards, families with children, high incomes and family businesses. On tax matters, the party promises massive tax cuts. The most striking change would be in personal income tax: it proposes a kind of flat rate that would undermine progressivity, with only two tranches —a 15% rate for people with incomes of up to 70,000 euros gross per year and 25% from there on up ( now incomes over 300,000 euros pay between 47% and 54% personal income tax, depending on the community)—, and apply discounts of four points for each child from there. It also undertakes that contributory pensions are “exempt from personal income tax, for fairness to those who have paid taxes throughout their working lives”, although it is the Social Security contributions, and not the income tax, that give the right to receive a contributory benefit. The program says that the long-term structural solution for pensions “must be” the increase in the birth rate.
Vox defends lowering VAT —the general rate to 18%, and the reduced rate to 8%—, reducing corporate tax from 25% to 15%, eliminating taxes on wealth, inheritance and donations —in the hands of the communities—, centralize and lower the AJD and ITP —which are paid in the sale of homes and are also assigned to the autonomous regions— and increase the IBI bonuses. Owners who are victims of occupation — against which it announces “zero tolerance” — will be exempt from paying it. In addition, it undertakes to build public social housing, to increase the publicly protected housing stock and to repeal the housing law.
Yolanda Díaz’s labor reform is another of the regulations that the ultra party wants to put an end to. He assures that he will promote an increase in all salaries, “especially the lowest ones”, and will lower the contributions for companies that hire “Spanish workers” indefinitely —100% for the first year and 50% for the second— . It proposes eliminating the quota for the self-employed who earn less than the minimum wage or are on leave, incentives for hiring mothers, young people, those over 45 years of age, and protection for “artisans and traditional and deeply rooted trades.” Another relevant point in economic matters is the protection of agricultural and livestock production against foreign items and European policies. “We will defend local commerce and the national product,” the document states.
Education: school check, a single education system and parental veto
Vox’s first educational measure is that there is “no Spaniard without access to free, demanding, and quality school and professional education.” But later he revived the idea of giving each family a check to pay for education in the center of their interest, including entirely private ones. This proposal is absolutely rejected by Escuelas Católicas, the main religious employers, who understand that it would contribute to the segregation of students and would punish the most vulnerable families.
While the popular ones propose to “reform” the Celaá law, Vox agrees to approve a National Education Law, returning the autonomous educational powers to the central government and establishing a common agenda and a single selectivity, and, therefore, a single opposition to be a teacher throughout Spain. “We will persecute the educational authorities that impede the right of students to be educated in Spanish,” they also say. The program includes the parental veto —“Guarantee prior knowledge and acceptance of parents of any affective-sexual or ideological content”—, supports schools that segregate by sex and opposes the possibility of “passing the course and obtaining degrees with failed subjects.
Vox insists on the importance of the humanities and advocates including in the agendas “special attention to the deeds and exploits of our national heroes, as well as the symbols of the nation, especially the flag, the anthem and the crown”.
Immigration: naval blockade to prevent the arrival of small boats
Vox’s first measure on immigration is to call a referendum to consult the “Spanish people.” This, “who suffers first-hand the consequences of the open door policies”, will decide “on the model of immigration management and defense of the borders that they want for Spain”. Abascal’s party also promises the “immediate expulsion of all immigrants who enter illegally”, a measure that is presented in this way, without making any distinction between the different cases and situations, is incompatible with the available resources, the agreements with the countries of origin and international law. Another impossible proposal included in the program is to close the care centers for unaccompanied foreign minors and send them all immediately to their country; centers for minors exclusively for foreigners do not exist in Spain: there are only centers for minors, regardless of origin. In this line of ambitious promises, Vox assures that it will impose a “naval blockade” to prevent the arrival of boats.
The ultra party wants to eliminate “public aid to immigrants in an illegal situation” and subsidies to NGOs, associations or any entity “that allocates its funds to promote or help illegal immigration.” This measure would mean, among other things, putting an end to the reception system that provides basic humanitarian care to migrants and potential refugees who enter Spain irregularly. The program also includes different measures to make it difficult to grant nationality.
Inspired by the British model that has overthrown justice, Vox assures that it will demand before the EU the “creation of safe landing platforms in non-European territories” to manage the transit and distribution of refugees from them. The message is that someone who enters Spain irregularly “never” will be able to obtain her papers, nor can they register. And that he will be persecuted. Those of Abascal want a “real-time alert network” that notifies the State Security Forces and Bodies of “any case of illegal immigration.” It even promises to put an end to rooting as a way to regularize, the main way used by immigrants after years of living and working in Spain.
The only nod is to the “nations of the Iberosphere.” Vox promises to give priority attention to those who share a language and “important ties of friendship, history and culture with Spain”.
Health: concerts with the private sector to end the waiting list
Vox wants to return powers in health matters to the central government and, to reduce waiting lists, proposes to strengthen concerts with the private sector. It mentions increasing investment in primary education, with special attention to rural areas, although without giving further details. He promises to repeal the euthanasia and abortion laws, which guarantee the right to die with dignity and voluntarily terminate a pregnancy. It also proposes restricting health rights to immigrants in an irregular situation: “The attention will cover vital emergency situations and infectious-contagious diseases.”
The ultra party wants to expand benefits related to oral and ophthalmological health. And it announces: “We will remove from public health those surgical and hormonal interventions unrelated to health (sex change, abortion, euthanasia, etc.), especially protecting minors from these practices.”
Justice: against the primacy of Europe
Santiago Abascal’s party rejects the primacy of European justice over Spanish justice, one of the foundations of the European Union. “We will guarantee the primacy of national law and the recovery of the sovereignty of our judges and courts in hearing and prosecuting criminal conduct,” says the program, which also advocates the existence of “a single High Court,” so that the Constitutional Court becomes integrated and develops its functions in a new Sixth Chamber of the Supreme Court.
Vox promises to reform the Criminal Code to recover the crime of sedition and aggravate the criminal type of embezzlement of public funds; prohibit pardons for crimes related to “political corruption, the political form of the State or territorial integrity”; modify the system for electing the members of the General Council of the Judiciary, so that all members of the CGPJ “are appointed or proposed by the judges and magistrates themselves, without interference from politicized parties or associations”; and halt the ongoing reform of the Criminal Procedure Law that sought to attribute the investigation of criminal proceedings to the Prosecutor’s Office. The ultra party is also committed to ensuring that foreign prisoners serve the sentences that have been imposed on them in their States of origin.
Security: suppress the Ertzaintza and the Mossos in the long term
Vox has been one of the parties that he has encouraged most vehemently, in recent years. the protests of the police unions and the professional organizations of civil guards. And, according to the CIS barometer for April, Vox is the party preferred by the police and military collective: 38.4% would vote for him, compared to 21.1% who would vote for the PP and 8.7% who would his ballot to the PSOE. In this context, the electoral program of the ultra party includes several nods to the claims of both bodies, beginning with the long-awaited “real” salary equalization with the regional police forces, although for this it proposes a different route: progressively suppressing, “by reducing of competences and effectives”, to Mossos d’Esquadra, Ertzaintza and Provincial Police so that their agents can later join the national forces. The objective of Vox, within that recentralization that it demands in all areas, is that “all the police depend in the last instance” on the Ministry of the Interior. “Until [this suppression of the autonomous forces] becomes effective, real salary equality between the National Police Corps, Civil Guard and autonomous police will be guaranteed,” the document emphasizes.
Santiago Abascal’s party proposes increasing “sanctions for resistance to authority or its agents in the exercise of their functions”, which now the law already punishes with fines of between 601 and 30,000 euros. And when speaking of “police cooperation in the fight against terrorism” he announces “zero tolerance with mosques and places of worship that spread jihad, contempt for women and our customs or radicalism.”
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*With information from Isabel Valdés, Manuel Planelles, Laura delle Femmine, Elisa Silió, María Martín, Pablo Linde, Reyes Rincón and Óscar López-Fonseca.
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