Spain's far-right VOX party significantly increased its representation in Aragon's regional assembly on Sunday, doubling its seats from 7 to 14 and securing 18% of the vote. The surge comes after the governing conservative People's Party (PP) called a snap election in December, aiming to consolidate power and limit VOX's influence, a strategy that ultimately strengthened the far-right party instead. Despite remaining the largest party in the 67-seat assembly with 26 seats, the PP now faces greater reliance on VOX to govern effectively.
The Socialist Party, led nationally by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, suffered historic losses in Aragon, dropping five seats and recording its worst performance in the region. Analysts noted that the results signal a broader rightward shift in Spain ahead of general elections scheduled by August 2027, with VOX emerging as the main beneficiary of voter dissatisfaction. "There was indeed a momentum shift to the right. But VOX was the main, and sole, beneficiary," noted Eurointelligence in a Monday newsletter.
The outcome mirrors VOX's previous gains in Extremadura last December and reflects the party's rising influence across Spain. With the PP weakened by both declining regional support and national corruption scandals, Spain's political landscape appears increasingly fragmented, leaving mainstream parties to navigate coalition dependencies as the next general elections approach...