Espinosa de los Monteros confirms expulsion from Vox

Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, co-founder and former parliamentary spokesman of Vox, has confirmed that the party has formally expelled him. In a video posted on social media, he said the decision did not surprise him but filled him with "pena" (sorrow) Source: ABC, La Vanguardia, Infobae, El Mundo. The expulsion stems from a disciplinary file opened in March after Espinosa led a petition demanding an extraordinary party congress Source: El Mundo, El Español.

What happened

Vox notified Espinosa of his definitive expulsion on Wednesday. He responded with a video recalling the party's early days, from its founding in 2012 to winning 52 parliamentary seats. He praised the "conviction, toughness, and clarity" of those early years but also acknowledged "hard nights, difficult campaigns, and many failures" Source: ABC, El Confidencial. Espinosa, who held membership card number 5, stepped down as an MP in 2023 citing personal reasons Source: Infobae.

The reaction

Espinosa stated he is leaving the party he helped build but will continue defending "the same ideas" and "freedom." He declared that "lo mejor está por llegar" (the best is yet to come) Source: La Vanguardia, El Mundo. His expulsion is part of a broader purge of critics, including Javier Ortega Smith, José Ángel Antelo, and others who challenged the current leadership under Santiago Abascal Source: El Español.

Key points

• Disciplinary file: Opened after Espinosa pushed for an extraordinary congress to debate the party's direction .