PP and Vox near budget agreement in Murcia

The Popular Party (PP) and Vox in Spain’s Region of Murcia are close to finalizing a deal to approve the 2025 regional budget. According to Vox sources, the agreement is "imminent," though the PP remains silent about the progress of negotiations.

Talks had stalled since March due to Vox’s three main demands: rejecting the European Green Deal, refusing to accept more unaccompanied foreign minors (MENA), and eliminating Arabic culture and Moroccan language education in public schools. Vox claims the PP has acknowledged these demands and agreed to take steps to minimize the impact of the Green Deal in the region.

As part of the deal, Murcia will no longer receive unaccompanied minors, and the existing MENA center will be shut down. Educational reforms will remove Arabic and Moroccan content from school curricula.

These concessions have unblocked the negotiations, and a formal agreement is expected soon. Murcia’s regional president, Fernando López Miras, has initiated meetings with all parties in the Regional Assembly to advance budget approval, emphasizing priorities like healthcare and education.

The Socialist Party (PSOE) has expressed conditional support for the spending cap to regain political relevance in the region. However, the PP appears more inclined to reach a deal with Vox, as was done in the Valencian Community, where President Carlos Mazón adopted Vox’s positions on the Green Deal and immigration policy.

In Murcia, Vox has raised new demands: setting a spending ceiling in the Assembly, approving an Administrative Simplification Law, and ending financial support for business associations and labor unions. These proposals have caused tensions, but talks are still progressing.

From the national PP headquarters in Madrid (Génova), pressure has increased on Murcia and Aragón to finalize deals with Vox. Vox’s regional leader in Murcia, José Ángel Antelo, said the Valencia agreement could serve as a model if the PP meets expectations. He criticized the PP for not closing the Santa Cruz MENA center and delaying the CIRES project. He also called for better resources for local police, including long weapons, pepper spray, and taser guns.