This measure, which had been anticipated, means that Ortega Smith will cease to serve as municipal spokesperson. The party is now at the minimum limit established by the Regulations to maintain its group's operations in the capital's council.
The expulsion process began with a provisional expulsion file and has concluded after repeated criticisms by Ortega Smith of Santiago Abascal's management. The former municipal spokesperson had on several occasions denounced the existence of "omnipotent power" within the party's leadership and a lack of internal democracy, demanding a return to the organization's founding values.
The expulsion is linked to his support for the manifesto led by Iván Espinosa de los Monteros, which calls for a national congress to evaluate and debate the political strategy followed by the party in recent years.
The transition of the three councilors to non-attached status will have significant administrative consequences in the Madrid City Council. They will lose the budgetary allocation granted to groups based on their representation, as well as the temporary staff hired under their charge, and may be forced to vacate their current offices.
The Presidency of the Plenary, led by Borja Fanjul, will be responsible for managing this transition, with the advice of the General Secretariat of the Plenary, to determine the exact scope of the expulsion and the limitations the councilors will face.
The mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez-Almeida, had already ordered administrative preparations for this outcome over a month ago. The city council was awaiting official notification from the party to activate the necessary legal mechanisms, prioritizing the scenario of non-attached councilors to avoid any institutional paralysis.
The crisis also extends to the Congress of Deputies, where Javier Ortega Smith, who retains his parliamentary seat, will likely move to the Mixed Group. This addition occurs in an already crowded group following Podemos's split from Sumar. Although his vote is not expected to radically change from the right-wing stance, Vox formally loses its own seat, weakening its numerical strength in a parliament with tight majorities.
