HEADLINES in Spain this week have been dominated by reports that far-right Vox was seeking to introduce a so-called ‘national priority’ system into regional legislations.
In a nutshell, the proposal seeks to prioritise locals and those with what the party describes as ‘Spanish roots’ when accessing public services, such as health, education, or housing.
The measure has proven highly controversial due to the ambiguity of its wording, but Vox leader Santiago Abascal summed it up as ‘putting Spaniards first in their own country,’ ensuring that public resources go to those with a ‘genuine, lasting and verifiable connection with the territory’.
The concept first emerged in regional political agreements between right-of-centre Partido Popular (PP)and Vox in regions such as Extremadura and Aragon.
Now, Vox appears to be eyeing Andalucia. On Saturday, spokesman Carlos Hernandez Quero said the party would make approval of the plan a precondition for entering a coalition government with the PP after next week’s regional elections.
While Marbella town hall has already rejected the motion, the election result could prove pivotal for thousands of foreign residents across Andalusia – with the region potentially becoming a testing ground for one of Vox’s most contentious policies.
As debate intensifies over what the plan would mean in practice for immigrants across Spain, the national press has begun to weigh in. Here’s our weekly round-up of views from national outlets – along with our own take.
ElDiario.es
Prioridad Nacional: a moral downfall. The investiture of Maria Guardiola this week has highlighted how the Partido Popular, far from distancing itself from Vox’s racist and xenophobic positions, is adopting them as part of its ideology. Including national priority as a basis for potential aid constitutes, in addition to a breach of the principle of equality and non-discrimination, a true moral failing because it allows for distinctions between people when it comes to receiving basic state services…
Público
Don’t say ‘national priority,’ say ‘discrimination based on origin’: [this is] the concept the far right is trying to push.
LaSexta
“National priority” throughout Spain, Abascal’s objective for his racist measure (so far) are agreed with the PP in both Extremadura and Aragon.
Vox’s Secretary General, Ignacio Garriga (whose father was an Equatoguinean), on Friday labelled as a “mistake” the statements made by Vox’s spokesperson in Catalonia, Joan Garriga (no relation), regarding what it means to be Spanish. Thus, after weeks of emphasising “La Prioridad Nacional”, or national priority, Vox has shown that they cannot even agree on a definition of what it means to be Spanish.
The Olive Press
Vox’s latest move looks less like a serious policy push and more like political theatre. The proposal does little to spell out who would actually benefit from a ‘national priority’ system – or who would lose out. Would long-term foreign residents be treated on a par with native-born Spaniards? What, in the end, determines access to public services: ancestry, tax contributions, or simply time spent living in the country?
The answers to these questions don’t really matter, because I would wager that Vox doesn’t have them either. The point has never been to actually enforce the measure, but rather to cater to an increasingly boisterous voter base that seethes with anger at the thought that half a million migrants may, in time, become legal residents of Spain.
Ultimately, Vox is riding the latest wave of resentment at Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s immigration-friendly policies in a bid to cash in on the political opportunity.
What’s more worrying is that the PP has shown a willingness to make concessions on this issue.
Would you want someone to be in charge of a nation if you knew they were so easy to strong-arm into compliance?
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