Key facts
- French far-right leader Jordan Bardella visited Ceuta with Spain's Vox leader Santiago Abascal.
- Bardella and Abascal discussed campaign strategy and common platform themes.
- Migration was highlighted as a key issue for both parties.
- Vox is polling third in Spain with 18% support.
- Both leaders aim to gain executive power in upcoming national elections.
Jordan Bardella, president of France's far-right National Rally party, met with Santiago Abascal, leader of Spain's Vox party, in the Spanish North African enclave of Ceuta on October 12, 2026. The meeting aimed to forge closer ties and discuss campaign strategies ahead of key elections in both countries.
Bardella's visit to Ceuta, a territory that experienced a significant influx of migrants in July, was intended to highlight migration as a shared concern for their nationalist platforms. Abascal stated that Bardella's presence demonstrated that "a new era can open for [the two] nations" and praised "collaboration among patriotic forces."
Bardella echoed this sentiment, framing migration as an existential issue and suggesting that the upcoming French presidential election would allow the French people to "take back control of their own destiny." The meeting was finalized after the recent call for snap elections in Spain on November 29, where Vox hopes to make substantial gains. Vox is currently polling third in Spain with 18% of the vote, positioning it as a potential coalition partner for the center-right People's Party.
Both Vox and the National Rally are allied within the Patriots group in the European Parliament and are seeking to increase their influence in national governments. The leaders were also scheduled to hold closed-door meetings on campaign strategy and exchange ideas on platform themes such as housing. Bardella's trip also serves as a respite from domestic controversy regarding alleged antisemitic remarks he made in private messages when he was younger, which he has denied.