Vox has decided to expel Javier Ortega Smith, former secretary general of the party, for not complying with the directive from the national leadership to resign from his position as spokesperson in the Madrid City Council. According to El Español and sources within the party, the Vox leadership made the decision on 12 February to dismiss Ortega Smith as spokesperson and appoint Arantxa Cabello as his replacement. Ortega Smith, a politician and lawyer, was one of the founders of Vox, held the position of secretary general from 2016 to 2022, and was vice president from 2022 to 2024. He is currently a deputy in Congress and a councillor in the Madrid City Council since 2019. Earlier this month, Ortega Smith indicated that internal democracy in his party could be improved and criticised the national leadership for injustices against him, in addition to questioning his leader, Santiago Abascal. In an interview, Ortega Smith expressed that he does not understand the reason for his exclusion from most of his functions and claimed that he does not deserve this situation.
Vox expels Ortega Smith provisionally for not relinquishing the spokesperson role in the Madrid City Council.
