The far-right Spanish party Vox has agreed to support a new rightwing regional government in Andalucía, after abandoning demands including the expulsion of 52,000 undocumented migrants and the repeal of laws on domestic violence and gender equality.
Vox, which won its first parliamentary seats in December's regional election, had also called for the region to surrender powers over education, health and public order. However, on Wednesday evening it said it would back a coalition between the conservative People's Party (PP) and centre-right Citizens, ending 36 years of Socialist rule in the region. The PP had dismissed Vox's 19 proposals as "unacceptable nonsense".
In a joint statement, the PP and Vox said the new administration, led by the PP's Juanma Moreno, would focus on "creating proper jobs" and fighting corruption. Vox was founded by disgruntled PP members five years ago and won 12 seats with 11% of the vote in December, becoming the first far-right party to gain representation since Spain's return to democracy.
Other proposals from Vox included legal protection for bullfighting, flamenco and Holy Week, and changing Andalucía's regional day to mark the 1492 completion of the Christian reconquest. Its leader, Santiago Abascal, has denounced what he calls "supremacist feminism and gender totalitarianism", and the party has argued domestic violence laws are biased against men.
The move has drawn concern from the EU and France. The European Commission's chief spokesman, Margaritis Schinas, said fundamental rights and gender equality remained an "absolute political priority". France's European affairs minister, Nathalie Loiseau, warned there could be "no deals with the far-right", adding that Vox representatives wanted to set back women's rights. Spain's Socialist government, led by Pedro Sánchez, said it regretted the "radicalisation" of the PP and Citizens, accusing the latter of making Vox a principal actor in Andalucía.
Women's rights groups across Spain are planning protests in the coming weeks to defend existing legislation and oppose Vox's demands.
