THE PHENOMENON OF THE RIGHT-WING POPULIST VOX PARTY IN SPAIN

Over the past few decades, populists have become more and more vocal throughout Europe. The majority of European political systems now contain modern populism, which has undermined the stability of national party systems and changed the foundations of democracies. Right-wing populist parties have seen a series of major political success in recent years in Italy, Hungary, Austria, the Netherlands, and in some of those nations, they are currently in power. Spain, however, was an exception to this pattern for a period. After Franco's death, constitutional monarchy was rebuilt, and a democratic two-party system was subsequently established, leaving little room for other minor parties. Pro-Frankist sentiment was not popular in the late XXth century. Right-wing populist party “Vox” in Spain was founded in 2013 and back then, it received low electoral support. The turning point in their political activity was a regional election in Andalucía in 2018. Vox advocates for the repeal of the “gender laws”, the defense of the unity of Spain, the reduction of taxes and support for entrepreneurship, the fight against illegal immigration, or the protection of traditional culture. The party has significantly shaken the country's political discourse, revived discussions on issues that concern society today, and forced the “heavyweights” of Spanish politics to change.