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A Shifting Allegiance: Spain's Vox Party Leaves Meloni's ECR to Join Orbán's Patriots for Europe
In a significant shift within the European Parliament, Spain's far-right Vox party has announced its decision to leave the European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, led by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, to join a potential new alliance spearheaded by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán's Fidesz party.
Vox, which currently holds six seats in the European Parliament, stated that the move is a response to what it sees as a "historic opportunity" to combat what it perceives as a coalition of center-right, socialist, and far-left forces. The party expressed its gratitude to the ECR group, particularly for its friendship with Meloni and her party, Fratelli d'Italia.
However, the decision to join Orbán's budding "Patriots for Europe" alliance came shortly after the ECR group's constitutive meeting on Wednesday, where Vox MEP Hermann Tertsch was elected as the group's vice-president.
Orbán's alliance, which already includes the Czech ANO, the Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ), and the Portuguese Chega, is still working to meet the criteria for establishing a new political group in the European Parliament. While the alliance has the required minimum of 23 MEPs, it does not yet represent at least seven member states, a condition that Orbán is still working to fulfill.
The move by Vox reduces the gap between Meloni's ECR group, currently the third-largest political force with 78 MEPs, and the Liberals, who hold 76 seats.
Vox's leader, Santiago Abascal, stated that the decision was driven by a desire to seize a "historic opportunity" to counter what the party perceives as a coalition of center-right, socialist, and far-left forces.
Next Monday, July 8, will be a crucial date for the far-right in the European Parliament, as both the Identity and Democracy (ID) group and the Patriots for Europe alliance are set to hold their constituent meetings. Only one of these groups is expected to survive the challenge.
This latest development highlights the ongoing realignment of political forces within the European Parliament, as parties and alliances continue to jockey for position and influence.