Santiago Abascal, leader of Vox, has urged Congress to initiate proceedings under Article 102 of the Spanish Constitution against Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez over the mass entry of migrants into Ceuta. He announced the proposal on social media, accusing Sánchez of betraying national interests and alleging that his government knew about the crossing in advance. That remains a political allegation; official accounts of the arrivals and subsequent returns do not establish prior government knowledge.
The crisis began on 30 and 31 July 2026, when more than 70,000 people entered the Spanish enclave from Morocco, whose population is slightly above 80,000, information from AFP reporting cited by Radio France Internationale. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska later told Congress that approximately 72,000 was the “most reasonable estimate.” Ceuta authorities subsequently put the accumulated total at 96,058 entries, a separate estimate the Interior Ministry did not adopt as its count. The figures reflect different estimates of the scale of the crossings.
Article 102 provides a route for addressing the criminal responsibility of the president of the government and ministers. Under the Constitution, criminal proceedings are heard by the Supreme Court’s Criminal Chamber. An accusation of treason or an offense against state security committed in the exercise of official duties requires the support of at least one-quarter of Congress and approval by an absolute majority. On the figures cited in the proposal, that means 88 signatures among 350 deputies to submit the initiative and 176 votes to approve it. The procedure is not an impeachment vote in the ordinary political sense, though a parliamentary debate would give it the character of a political trial.
Vox, with 32 deputies after Javier Ortega Smith’s move to the Mixed Group, cannot meet the signature threshold alone. It needs support from other parties, making backing from the Partido Popular (PP) core. The PP has not supported a motion of no confidence against Sánchez, and its endorsement of this more far-reaching initiative appears unlikely. Abascal’s call also comes amid criticism of Vox’s role in protests over the border situation in Ceuta.
The government has rejected accusations of inaction. It described its response as “agile, effective and necessary.” By 20 October, Government spokeswoman and Inclusion Minister Elma Saiz said 12,705 people had returned from Ceuta to Morocco since 10 August; the reported breakdown included 12,142 voluntary returns and 536 expulsions. The government also reported 7,477 temporary places for migrants in Ceuta, while the city’s protection system was caring for 3,331 minors. Most adult migrants who remained were housed in facilities provided by the General State Administration, and major coastal settlements had been cleared.
Estimates of how many people remained in Ceuta also differed. The autonomous city’s government put the number at around 15,000, while Reuters reported estimates of roughly 7,000 to 8,000 people dispersed around the city, including people sleeping outdoors or relying on civil-society facilities. Ceuta also announced plans to bring a contentious-administrative appeal before the Supreme Court, alleging that Madrid had provided insufficient information about the return process. These figures describe separate assessments at different points and should not be conflated with the government’s count of returns.
Article 102 has not been used in Spain’s democratic history. The procedure is reserved for exceptionally serious allegations, including treason or offenses against state security committed in the exercise of official duties. The allegation against Sánchez so remains a political claim unless advanced through the constitutional process and substantiated in the relevant proceedings. The proposed action marks a sharp escalation in the parliamentary dispute, but its progress depends on securing support well beyond Vox.
In the broader field of Spanish politics, the move follows a series of high-profile disputes, including criticism of the PSC-led government in Catalonia over public services, as highlighted in recent coverage of opposition challenges in Catalonia. These disputes reflect heightened polarization and the use of constitutional tools as political weapons.
