Santiago Abascal facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Santiago Abascal
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Abascal in 2025
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| President of Vox | |
| Assumed office 20 September 2014 |
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| Vice President | Jorge Buxadé Ignacio Garriga |
| Preceded by | José Luis González Quirós |
| President of Patriots.eu | |
| Assumed office 16 November 2024 |
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| Vice President | Kinga Gál |
| Preceded by | Gerolf Annemans |
| Member of the Congress of Deputies | |
| Assumed office 21 May 2019 |
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| Constituency | Madrid |
| Director of the Data Protection Agency of the Community of Madrid | |
| In office 4 February 2010 – 28 December 2012 |
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| President | Esperanza Aguirre |
| Preceded by | Antonio Troncoso |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Member of the Basque Parliament | |
| In office 4 October 2005 – 6 January 2009 |
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| Constituency | Álava |
| In office 16 January 2004 – 22 February 2005 |
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| Constituency | Álava |
| Member of the General Assembly of Álava | |
| In office 13 June 2003 – 3 February 2005 |
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| Constituency | Vitoria |
| Member of the City Council of Llodio | |
| In office 13 June 1999 – 16 June 2007 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Santiago Abascal Conde
14 April 1976 Bilbao, Basque Country, Spain |
| Political party | Vox (since 2014) |
| Other political affiliations |
People's Party (1994–2013) |
| Spouses |
Ana Belén Sánchez Cenador
(m. 2002; div. 2010)Lidia Bedman
(m. 2018) |
| Children | 4 |
| Parent |
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| Alma mater | University of Deusto |
| Signature |  |
Santiago Abascal Conde (born April 14, 1976) is a Spanish politician. He has been the leader of the Vox political party since 2015. He also became the president of Patriots.eu in 2024. Since 2019, he has been a member of the Congress of Deputies, representing Madrid.
Before helping to create Vox, Abascal was a member of the People's Party. He served as a lawmaker in the Basque Parliament. He also started a group called the Foundation for the Defence of the Spanish Nation (DENAES). He worked as a director for some public organizations in the Community of Madrid.
Contents
Santiago Abascal's Life Story
Early Years and Family
Santiago Abascal was born in Bilbao, Spain. He grew up in the Province of Álava. His father, Santiago Abascal Escuza, was also a politician and a member of the People's Party. His grandfather, Manuel Abascal Pardo, was the mayor of Amurrio for many years. This was during the time of the dictatorship of Franco and Spain's move to democracy.
Because of their political work, Abascal's family often received threats from the terrorist group ETA.
Political Journey
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Abascal joined the People's Party when he was 18 years old in 1994. He served as a city council member in Llodio from 1999 to 2007. He was also a member of the Basque Parliament for Álava from 2004 to 2005, and again from 2005 to 2009.
After his time in Basque politics, he worked for the Community of Madrid. He was the director of the Data Protection Agency from 2010 to 2012. Later, he was appointed director of the Foundation for Patronage and Social Sponsorship in 2013.
Abascal left the People's Party in 2013. He then helped to create a new political party called Vox. After the 2014 European Parliament election, where Vox did not win any seats, there were disagreements within the party. Abascal became the new president of Vox on September 20, 2014.
Since May 2019, Abascal has been a member of the Congreso de los Diputados, representing Madrid. In the election for the 14th Congreso, his party came in third place. During the 2020 and 2021 election campaigns in the Basque Country and Catalonia, some of Abascal's speeches were interrupted by political opponents.
Santiago Abascal's Political Views
Abascal's political ideas include several key points. He has called for the removal of all immigrants who are in Spain illegally. He also supports building strong barriers in the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla in Africa. He believes in promoting "national heroes" and reducing the power of regional parliaments. He is also against Catalan nationalism.
In 2019, he spoke about a new "Reconquista" of Spain. Vox's share of the vote grew significantly in the 2019 general election.
He has also expressed concerns about how Morocco manages its border, which he says allows illegal immigrants to cross. This has led to discussions about the status of Spanish Sahara. Abascal believes the people of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic should have the right to decide their own future. He hopes they might choose to become part of Spain.
Abascal believes that if Spain is to have immigration, it should be legal. He prefers immigrants from Latin American countries because they already speak Spanish and share similar values. He supports setting limits on the number of immigrants allowed into the country. He has stated that immigrants from Latin America are different from immigrants from Muslim countries.
Abascal has said that global warming is a "scam." He is also against Agenda 2030, which is a plan for global sustainable development.
Abascal has criticized Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez for recognizing a Palestinian state. He said this action supports the actions of Hamas, a Palestinian group. He also stated that Sánchez does not understand Israel's history.
Personal Life
Santiago Abascal was first married to Ana Belén Sánchez. They had two children together before they divorced. In June 2018, he married Lidia Bedman, a Spanish blogger. They also have two children.
Abascal is a long-time member of the Spanish Ornithological Society, which is a group for people who study birds. He is also connected to an organization called HazteOir (HO).
Because of threats he has received for his political views, Abascal has a special license to carry a handgun for self-defense. This type of license is very rare in Spain. It is given only to civilians who are proven to be at a real and high risk of being attacked.
See also
In Spanish: Santiago Abascal para niños
