Santiago Abascal, leader of the Spanish far-right party Vox, has initiated a disciplinary process to expel Javier Ortega Smith, a founding member and current congressman, following a dispute over a leadership position within the Madrid City Council, according to reports from Spanish media outlets.
The move comes after Ortega Smith defied a directive from the Vox leadership to relinquish his position as spokesperson for the party in the Madrid City Council, a role he was instructed to hand over to Arantxa Cabello. El Español reported that the National Executive Committee activated the disciplinary procedure on Wednesday after Ortega Smith refused to comply with the decision, which was unanimously approved on February 12th.
Despite the suspension, Ortega Smith retains his seat in the Spanish Congress of Deputies, though he has been relegated to the back benches, signaling a further diminishing of his influence within the party. He reportedly held an unauthorized meeting, disregarding a call for a meeting convened by Cabello, and continued to operate with the full authority of the spokesperson role.
This latest action is part of a broader pattern of Ortega Smith’s diminishing influence within Vox. On February 6th, he publicly criticized the party’s internal democracy, describing it as “manifestly improvable” after being removed from several key positions, including deputy spokesperson in the lower house of parliament and a seat on the Justice Committee. His subsequent removal as spokesperson in the Madrid City Council followed shortly after.
At the time of his initial removal from key roles, Ortega Smith affirmed his loyalty to Abascal and Vox, but expressed frustration that decisions were being communicated through intermediaries rather than directly from the party leader. “It’s the emissaries who notify you that you have been dismissed, that you have been sidelined. He doesn’t usually tell me, because he knows I always speak frankly,” he said, according to reports.
The disciplinary action against Ortega Smith follows a period of internal tension within Vox, as Abascal consolidates his control over the party. The move is being interpreted by some as a purge of historical figures within Vox, as Abascal reshapes the party’s leadership to align with his vision.
Separately, Vox has faced criticism for its stance on gender violence. Recent reports indicate the party is blocking measures designed to combat gender violence in Spain, even as the director of the National Police has publicly refuted Vox’s claims linking immigration to crime, calling them “a lie.” These issues remain unresolved as of Thursday, February 19, 2026.
