Santiago Abascal

Santiago Abascal
Born	Santiago Abascal Conde (1976-04-14) April 14, 1976 Bilbao, Spain
Occupation	Politician
Years active	1994–present
Known for	Leader of Vox party since 2014; Member of the Congress of Deputies since 2019; President of Patriots.eu since 2024

Santiago Abascal Conde (; born 14 April 1976) is a Spanish political figure who has led the far-right party Vox since its inception in 2014. In addition to his leadership role at Vox, he has presided over Patriots.eu since 2024 and has been serving as a representative for Madrid in the Congress of Deputies since 2019.

Before Vox was established, Abascal was a longstanding member of the centre-right People's Party. His political career included tenure in the Basque Parliament, founding the nationalist organization Foundation for the Defence of the Spanish Nation (, DENAES), and managing several publicly funded institutions within the Community of Madrid.

Early life

Born in Bilbao and brought up in the Province of Álava, Abascal comes from a politically active family. His father, Santiago Abascal Escuza, was affiliated with the People's Party, while his grandfather Manuel Abascal Pardo held the mayoral office of Amurrio from 1963 until 1979, spanning both the dictatorship of Franco and Spain’s transition to democracy. Due to their political involvement, his family endured threats from the separatist organization ETA.

Political career

Abascal entered politics by joining the People's Party at age 18 in 1994. He held the position of city councillor in Llodio from 1999 to 2007 and served as a member of the Basque Parliament for the Álava constituency between 2004 and 2009. After his departure from Basque regional politics, he was appointed director of the Community of Madrid Data Protection Agency under regional president Esperanza Aguirre from 2010 to 2012. Subsequently, he headed the publicly funded Foundation for Patronage and Social Sponsorship in 2013, an entity that saw limited activity during his leadership.

In 2013, Abascal left the People's Party and helped establish Vox, which emerged following the dissolution of the Foundation for Patronage. After disappointing results in the May 2014 European Parliament elections, factional disputes arose within Vox between moderate members and hardliners, with Abascal leading the latter group. He was elected president of Vox on 20 September 2014.

Since May 2019, he has been a deputy representing Madrid in the Congreso de los Diputados. Vox achieved third place in that election for the 14th Congreso, signaling a significant rise for far-right politics in Spain. During regional election campaigns in 2020 and 2021 within the Basque Country and Catalonia, events featuring Abascal were targeted by opponents.

Political positions

Abascal’s political platform outlined in 2018 included measures such as deporting all undocumented immigrants, erecting "impenetrable barriers" around Spain’s African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, prohibiting Islamic education, celebrating "national heroes," abolishing autonomous regional parliaments, and opposing Catalan nationalism. His rhetoric in 2019 included anti-Muslim themes and calls for a renewed Spanish Reconquista. Vox’s electoral support surged from 0.2% to 10% during that year’s general election.

He supports controlled legal immigration primarily favoring Spanish-speaking Latin American countries that share cultural values, advocating for immigration quotas. He differentiates Latin American immigrants from those arriving from Muslim-majority nations.

Abascal rejects concerns about global warming, labeling it “the greatest scam in history,” and stands against initiatives like Agenda 2030. He criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state, equating it with endorsing Hamas terrorism. Additionally, he accused Sánchez of lacking knowledge about Israel’s history. Previously, Abascal faced investigation by Spanish prosecutors after suggesting in an interview that there could be a time to “hang [Sánchez] by the feet.”

Personal life

Abascal's first marriage was to Ana Belén Sánchez, who previously ran as a PP candidate in local elections in Llodio and Zuia. The couple had two children before eventually divorcing. In June 2018, he wed Lidia Bedman, a Spanish blogger and social media influencer; they share two children. He has been an active member of the Spanish Ornithological Society for many years and is affiliated with the ultraconservative group HazteOir (HO), from which he received an HO Award in 2012.

As a result of ongoing threats to his life linked to his political activities, Abascal possesses a rare type B firearm license for self-defense, a permit issued under Spain’s stringent gun regulations exclusively to civilians exposed to significant danger. Beyond his political career, he pursues interests such as football, hiking, horseback riding, and motorcycling.

Football

A passionate supporter of football, Abascal expresses a strong connection to the Spain national team and is a devoted fan of the La Liga club Real Madrid.

His presence sparked controversy when he was granted access to the VIP area during a 2019 La Liga match between Real Madrid and Athletic Bilbao, the team from his hometown. Additionally, he was invited by Rayo Vallecano President Raúl Martín Presa to attend a Segunda División fixture between Rayo Vallecano and Albacete, which prompted Rayo supporters to organize a stadium cleaning protest.

Abascal openly criticizes the political stances of Athletic Bilbao and Barcelona, accusing these clubs of intertwining politics with sports.

External links

• Official website