Andalusia: PP and Vox form joint government – agreement includes anti-migrant clause

Election with a narrow majority

Andalusia is, after Extremadura, Aragón, and Castile-León, the fourth Spanish region in which the PP governs together with Vox. The live broadcast of the vote on the public broadcaster RTVE made the political change visible in Spain's most populous autonomous community. During his first term in office, Moreno had still governed alone, because the PP at that time had its own absolute majority.

Reports in the newspapers El País, La Vanguardia, and El Mundo consistently state that Moreno was only able to secure Vox's votes by adopting anti-migrant demands of the right-wing populists. According to these reports, the PP accepted the formula "national priority," which Vox had propagated during the election campaign and which provides for preferential treatment of Spaniards over foreigners when accessing social benefits, jobs, social housing, and other public services.

"National priority" as a point of contention

The PP is attempting to defuse the conflict with the Spanish constitution and EU law by interpreting the term "national priority" not as preferential treatment based on citizenship, but based on rootedness in the respective territory. The longer a person has lived in a municipality and the more they have contributed economically, the greater their entitlements should be. In practice, however, according to newspaper reports, this rule would mostly benefit Spaniards over migrants.

End of the firewall

The significance of this agreement extends beyond Andalusia. With the fourth alliance between PP and Vox at the regional level, a pattern is being consolidated that political observers describe as the end of the "firewall." This refers to the previously valid informal understanding that conservative parties do not enter into coalitions with right-wing populist forces.

While the economic priorities of the new Andalusian government have not yet been fully announced, it is foreseeable that migration and social policy issues will determine the political agenda of the coming legislative term. Critics point out that the interpretation of "national priority" could have significant effects on immigrants and their access to social benefits. Vox celebrated the agreement as a programmatic success, whereas the opposition in Andalusia assessed the coalition as a break with previous political conventions.

Open questions for the government's work

It remains unclear how far the PP will implement the concessions made to Vox in concrete governmental practice. Observers expect that the coming months will show whether the theoretical separation between "rootedness" and "nationality" will hold up in administrative practice or whether, in fact, migrants will be disadvantaged. The upcoming budget negotiations and the allocation of ministerial posts are likely to provide initial indications.

What is certain is that the coalition in Andalusia has changed Spain's political landscape. With around 8.5 million inhabitants, Andalusia is the country's largest autonomous community and carries considerable economic and political weight. The agreement there is seen as a signal that the PP is no longer fundamentally ruling out cooperation with Vox in other regions and possibly at the national level.