Today, just over a week after the official start of the July 23 general election campaign, the conservative People’s Party (PP)’s alliances with the far right have seen a head-on clash between left and right Vox.
The issue set off alarm bells and several key Spanish television presenters, including Sandra Sabates of the El Intermedio area on La Sexta, took a stand and outspokenly criticized attempts to minimize gender-based violence.
Especially after the councils dedicated to this topic were abolished in several town halls as a result of the agreements to form a government between PP and Vox.
Over the weekend that just ended, I made it clear that the feminist movement will not tolerate such positions. At least in terms of public marches, there was already a very notable one in Valencia, where the PP was negotiating at community level with a Vox member who had been convicted of domestic violence in the past.
Meanwhile, in Madrid, Minister for Equality Irene Montero received the presidency of the Ibero-American Initiative to Prevent and Eliminate Violence Against Women from the Dominican Republic’s Minister for Women, Mayra Jiménez
After signing a memorandum of understanding in these areas, Montero emphasized that it will serve to promote “dialog and international cooperation scenarios” and the exchange of experiences and best practices.
“Here and there, feminism is the main democratization movement, leading to important cultural changes and institutional advances,” he said.
Former prime minister, socialist José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, first and second vice-presidents, Nadia Calviño and Yolanda Díaz, and the entire center-left faction strongly opposed attempts to accept Vox’s denial of violence against women.
Alberto Núñez Feijóo, President of the PP, reiterated that he does not accept this situation in any way and that he unequivocally condemns any violent behavior towards women. However, his party continued to accept alliances with Vox in local and regional governments in Spain.
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