Vox Leaves ECR Group
The Spanish political party Vox announced on Friday that it would leave the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group in the European Parliament. This decision is made to join a new alliance led by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
This move is seen as a setback for Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. Meloni hoped to keep the ECR as the third-largest group in the European Parliament. She aimed to lead the opposition against the majority, which included moderate conservatives, social democrats, and liberals.
Vox’s Statement
Vox released a statement explaining their decision, they believe there is a historic chance to unite patriotic forces in the European Parliament. This new alliance aims to provide a strong alternative to the current coalition of center-right, socialist, and left-wing groups.
Santiago Abascal, the leader of Vox, gave an interview to La Gaceta newspaper, he stated that Meloni’s party, Brothers of Italy, will remain a partner and ally of Vox. Abascal also praised Poland’s Law and Justice party for its role in patriotic efforts in Europe, despite its current refusal to join Orban’s platform.
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Orban’s party, Fidesz, is working to build this new group, called Patriots for Europe. They have already attracted Austria’s Freedom Party, the Czech Republic’s ANO party, and Portugal’s Chega.
For Patriots for Europe to be officially recognized as a parliamentary group, they need members from at least seven different countries. This means they still need parties from two more countries to join.
It is still uncertain if France’s National Rally (RN) will join Orban’s group. The Financial Times reported that RN is in talks with Patriots for Europe and might announce their decision soon.
In the recent European elections on June 9, Vox saw significant growth. They doubled their seats to six and received 1.69 million votes, nearly 300,000 more than in 2019.
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