Santiago Abascal

Abascal was born in Bilbao. Both Abascal's father (member of People's Party) and grandfather (mayor during Franco's dictatorship)[1] were local politicians in the province of Álava.[2][3]

Abascal giving a speech in 2018 in Vistalegre.

He became a member of the People's Party at age 18, in 1994.[4][5] Abascal was city councillor of Llodio for two terms (1999–2007).[6] He served in the Basque Parliament from January 2004 to February 2005 representing Álava.[7] He later served again in the regional legislature from October 2005 to January 2009.[8]

Following his exit from Basque politics, Esperanza Aguirre, the regional president of the Community of Madrid, found him a niche in the region, hand picking him to the post of director of the Data Protection Agency of the Community of Madrid (2010–2012); Abascal was later appointed to another post as Director of the Foundation for Patronage and Social Sponsorship (2013),[4] a publicly funded entity without known activity during Abascal's spell.[9][10]

Abascal left the PP in 2013[5] and helped to found a new party, Vox, formed on the same day the Foundation for Patronage and Social Sponsorship dissolved.[9][11] After Vox's bad result in the May 2014 European Parliament election (in which it failed to obtain any seats), inner strife between a faction represented by party members such as Ignacio Camuñas, José Luis González Quirós and Alejo Vidal-Quadras and a hardline faction (featuring Abascal along with other figures of the DENAES Foundation) followed.[12] The moderate faction became estranged from the party,[12] and Abascal became the new president on 20 September 2014.[13]

Santiago Abascal's political programme for 2018 includes the expulsion of all illegal immigrants, the construction of "impassable walls" in the Spanish African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, the prohibition of the teaching of Islam, the exaltation of "national heroes", the elimination of all regional parliaments and opposition to Catalan nationalism.[14] He used anti-Muslim rhetoric in 2019, calling for a new Reconquista or reconquest of Spain.[15]

He makes the fight against feminism - which he calls "feminazism" - one of his priorities. Hostile to the policy of combating gender violence, he believes that men are stigmatised by feminists. A climate-sceptic, he believes that global warming is the "greatest swindle in history".[16]

On economic issues, he claims the legacy of José Maria Aznar (president of the government from 1996 to 2004), and is in favour of a liberal and conservative line, including a sharp reduction in public spending.[17]

He first married Ana Belén Sánchez, herself a PP candidate in local elections in Llodio and Zuia, with whom he had 2 children.[18] In June 2018 he married the Spanish blogger and influencer Lidia Bedman-Lapeña.[19] He had two children with Bedman.[20][18] Abascal is a long-time member of the Spanish Ornithological Society.[21] Abascal is an affiliate of the ultraconservative association Hazteoir (HO), and was the recipient of a HO Award in 2012.[22]

Abascal was one of several Spanish politicians to test positive for the COVID-19 virus during the 2020 pandemic.[23]

• Official website