Vox, the "amateur" makes the leap to professional politics

• The power machine room (II). Pablo Casado expands the power of the provincial presidents in the direction of the PP
• The engine room of power (I). Citizens, a 'company' directed with a railroad hand to take Moncloa

There are so many Vox members from the business world that it is not surprising that, often, metaphors become infected with their language. Perhaps that is why one of the best definitions about the organization has been that of Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, when compared to a startup . That is, a newly created company that with an idea and very few resources begins to offer a product with many possibilities. Well, continuing with this logic, the Vox startup made its great leap during the intense electoral cycle and now, with four years ahead, it is at the crossroads of reinventing itself in a company to use to survive. Consolidate, adapt and expand to defend and grow in a market with more competition than ever, and in which two giants such as PP and Citizens operate.

This challenge is so great that the national Vox leadership has already launched a plan to undertake the great transformation of the party and its internal functioning to face this "radical change" of its "circumstances." The idea is to have it ready in less than two months. And the importance is such that the secretary general of Vox, Javier Ortega Smith, has presented it as the conversion of an "amateur" political party into a much more professional one.

Because so far the weight of Vox has fallen on the backs of a handful of people and the hand of the volunteers in the decisive moments. It has been a small circle of power - of which Santiago Abascal, Ortega Smith, Espinosa de los Monteros and Rocío Monasterio are referents - that has led Vox to go from having last November a dozen councilors to be the fifth force country policy. With 24 deputies in Congress, presence in the Senate and representation in 10 autonomous parliaments. As well as 529 councilors who have a voice in places of the weight of the municipalities of Madrid or Valencia . All in seven months.

An important expansion

Thus, the startup has entered the league of large political companies. And now, that handful of people is insufficient to lead the way in so many places at the same time or to maintain control of a larger and larger organization. Even more so in a party that claims to be a proudly centralist organization, in which the political guidelines on autonomy and operation are decided in Madrid by the national Vox leadership. To which they account almost daily.

Hence, this has sent Ortega to launch an important expansion that in numbers is explained very well. Vox will go from just five employees with exclusive dedication in Spain to have about 60 people on the payroll. They are hiring communication experts, jurists, economists ... Pure oil to grease the engine room of the party. To which it would be necessary to add a great number of advisers that go of the account of the parliamentary groups that it has. And, together, they make a huge leap for operational purposes.

This means a total professionalization in all areas and a greater use of resources to cover Abascal in Congress or to launch and coordinate political initiatives presented in the autonomous parliaments. In addition to to take the daily control of Vox.

Despite its great growth in communities and municipalities, we want to keep alive the main organizational essence: a strong centralization led by a purely presidential structure. It is a vertical hierarchy in which the leader occupies the cusp. The power in Vox is and is exercised from Madrid by Abascal and his close group of collaborators. That has as an organic expression the National Executive Committee .

A heart of power of 12 people

This body, chosen by the votes of the militancy and whose members are proposed by the leader as part of his team, is made up of 12 people and represents the very heart of power. That is where the strategy of negotiations with the PP and Cs for the regional and local investiture was forged, and where the demands such as the content of the offers and counter offers were settled. And he who finally raised his hand to reach an agreement.

The majority of these 12 leaders is unknown to the general public. And possibly also for the most interested. Highlights Abascal and Ortega. And there are three vice presidents: Víctor González (first), MEP Mazaly Aguilar (second) and Deputy Pablo Sáez (third). Especially interesting has been the role of Víctor González, whose ties with the world of finance helped Vox to obtain financing.

It will be surprising that among the 12 members of the Executive are not Espinosa or Monasterio. That they have other organic positions in Vox, but not in this committee. However, they were precisely those chosen to negotiate the different pacts in the endowments. Confirming their role of rising figures. In addition to consolidated referents, he was elected as the spokesperson for the Vox parliamentary group in Congress and she serves as president of Vox Madrid. Two legs of the utmost relevance for the present and future.

Internal tension?

There are those who have wanted to see in their increasing prominence a focus of internal tension or even division in Vox. Mainly encouraged by sneaking from the ranks of the PP to twist his arm in the negotiations. But today there are no objective signs to sustain it. In any case, external attacks have been so furious against both of them in recent times that Abascal and Ortega have publicly displayed unity to deny any division. The leader of Vox photographed with them on August 10 on vacation in Andalusia and the day of the investiture of Madrid got rid of praise for her: "I want to congratulate today very especially a person who is called to be one of the policies most important in Spain in the near future. " Ortega also made a public "tribute" to them in esRadio in the face of "unfair criticism." Because they had followed the guidelines set by the National Executive Committee.

If Monasterio is the spearhead of Vox in the Madrid Assembly - its most strategic territory -, Espinosa de los Monteros leads the team in Congress - the main media focus of national politics - and is the one who reports directly to Abascal. A triumvirate has been formed with Macarena Olona and Enrique Cabanas . The first, general secretary of the parliamentary group, is called to be one of the figures with the greatest public projection in Vox. In the party they praise her great work capacity and she has already begun to form tandem with Espinosa. Meanwhile, Cabanas acts in this liaison group between the party and the Congress group as general coordinator. He is a friend and person of the highest confidence of Abascal and plays a role similar to a chief of staff. He was part of the negotiating teams and was sent to Murcia in the failed investiture.

In addition to Cabanas, next to Abascal is always Kiko Méndez Monasterio . It is his right hand, his great advisor, and ultimately responsible for the political growth of the Basque leader. He has no charge in the party but his influence is beyond doubt in speeches and strategy.

Vox is a match that in itself is designed to have no internal counterweights or baronies. Control and coordination are aspects that obsess their leaders and that in a nutshell identify with the phrase "Vox has to have a single voice, without distortion" or that "there is only one policy: the national one." For this reason, Vox is the only one of the great parties that does not have an autonomous structure. For not believing in the communities. So there are no barons in Vox. The party is organically divided into provinces. And it is those responsible who raise the information and needs to the national leadership, which decides. Thus, Vox says to guarantee "coordination" and that "national interests" prevail, avoiding the formation of "taifa kingdoms".

Iron control of accounts

In this obsession with authority, one of the main measures of the new transformation of Vox is the tight control of party money, now that subsidies are going to rain in so many different places. The national treasurer, Andrés Porta Monedero , will have "direct control" of all current accounts of parliamentary groups - Congress or autonomy - as well as of each City Council. In this way, the "signature" of the Vox dome will be needed for any expense. They will exercise, warn official sources, "a very strict control and supervision".

The ongoing transformation aims to strengthen "national" control in other areas with the recent creation of a "political strategy committee" and another "resource management" (economic, human). This will lead to three large "areas" ": that of" intermunicipal coordination "-with specialists hired to advise the municipalities-, that of" interparliamentary coordination "-to advise the groups and coordinate initiatives- and a third of pure internal organization -to generate a structure, they say, "more agile" and "less bureaucratic." - There will be coordinators responsible for controlling two or three provinces.

This is completed with two more things. A great cadre formation plan and the change of the national headquarters. From the current office you will move to an entire building in Chamartín . Paid, they say, with the fees of its 52,000 affiliates. The objective is to reach 100,000 to guarantee the future regardless of electoral results.

Crisis for territorial weakness

Serrano fransisk . The leader of Vox in the Parliament of Andalusia starred in one of the biggest crises of the party and had to be disallowed for his harsh criticism of the La Manada ruling. The national leadership has long made Alejandro Hernández the de facto chief.

Juan José Bonilla . It is the maximum reference of the match in El Ejido , the great local fief of Vox. He was on the verge of expulsion for indiscipline, but finally an agreement was reached and he held the position.

Jorge Campos . He directs Vox in the Balearic Parliament, but his management is dotted with controversy and division. Malena Contestí , a deputy well regarded by Madrid, recently resigned from the provincial leadership for disagreements with him.

Angel Martin File was opened for disobeying the directive to vote for the candidate of Cs to the Mayor's Office of Burgos .

According to the criteria of The Trust Project

• Vox
• Madrid
• PP
• Spain
• Citizens
• Andalusia
• Valencia
• Senate
• Rocío Monasterio
• Murcia
• Javier Ortega Smith
• Iván Espinosa de los Monteros
• Santiago Abascal Count

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