Idoia Ribas leaves the Vox parliamentary group: "I have no choice but to leave."

PalmVox MP Idoia Ribas has announced that she is leaving the parliamentary group, but will retain her seat as an unaffiliated MP. She did so with a message on the social media platform X in which she gave her version of the argument that took place between her and the group's spokesperson, Manuela Cañadas. This Monday in Parliament during the first session of the budget debate. The deputy, who, as ARA Baleares announced, is no longer a member of the party, had been having strong disagreements with the executive for months. However, until now, he has remained in the parliamentary group. Ribas asserted that he did not start the discussion and denounced a "public defamation campaign" that has been going on for over a year by Vox, and specifically by Cañadas. "As it is, I have no choice but to leave. I didn't cause it. This is what the current leaders of a party that either ousts people or forces them to leave wanted it," he stated.

The MP recalled that she had warned that she would not leave the group unless "the harassment continued" after leaving the party. During the session on Monday, Ribas and Cañadas had already argued in public that morning, according to ARA Baleares. Sources present near the chamber explain that tension between the MPs had already become evident in the corridors of Parliament.

However, the anger became visible in the parliamentary debate when, in his intervention, the Més MP for Menorca, Josep Castells, said that Ribas had had "more principles" than Cañadas when she was the Vox spokesperson during the negotiations with the PP. From his seat, Ribas responded: "Of course." At that moment, Cañadas was outside the chamber. However, the spokesperson did hear that the non-affiliated MP Agustín Buades, who was a member of Vox until he also left, dissatisfied, like Ribas, with the party's leadership, echoed Castells's words. It was then that Cañadas showed his displeasure. "Does it bother you?" Idoia Ribas retorted, as reported by parliamentary sources. Cañadas ordered her to be quiet with gestures and "shh" sounds.

In the thread of tweets she published this morning, Ribas denies this version and accuses these sources of presenting a distorted version of events to the media, as the argument took place off-camera and journalists could not hear her directly. "I responded (to Cañadas) that if I shouldn't be in Parliament, he could call the ushers to get me out of it." "Vox mistreats many of its elected officials, avoids governing in autonomous regions, and renounces implementing its platform," she asserted.

With Ribas's departure, the PP could lose a vote in the budget approval process and would be left with 31 guaranteed votes. However, this does not affect the parliamentary majority, and they would still pass.

Eight deputies

Vox obtained eight seats in the last regional elections, its best result to date, but in two years it has lost three representatives due to internal disagreements, leaving the group now composed of five parliamentarians. In January 2024, five deputies who rebelled against the Spanish leadership, including Ribas, voted to expel their colleague and Speaker of Parliament, Gabriel Le Senne, who has always enjoyed the support of the party's Spanish president, Santiago Abascal. They also demanded the expulsion of Patricia de las Heras, the party's president in the Canary Islands, from the parliamentary group, a move that was aborted by the Madrid leadership.