The Andalusian Office Against Fraud and Corruption (OAAF) has opened an investigation into Álvaro Zancajo, Vox's national communications coordinator, over a potential incompatibility between his party duties and his position on the board of RTVA, the region's public broadcaster. The proceedings followed a formal complaint from Adelante Andalucía, which alleges that Zancajo's dual roles breach RTVA's strict exclusivity requirements. The board position pays €60,000 a year.
Information from the complaint, Zancajo has served as Vox's chief press officer while holding the party's only board seat at RTVA. The broadcaster's internal regulations require “absolute and exclusive dedication” from board members and prohibit other public or private professional activity, including teaching or holding elected office in bodies with public functions. Adelante Andalucía argues that Zancajo's ongoing work for Vox, particularly in media relations and public communications, conflicts with those rules and could undermine the broadcaster's independence. The investigation concerns an allegation, not a finding that Zancajo breached the rules.
Spain's general high-office structure also treats exclusive dedication as the default: Article 13 of Law 3/2015 bars high officials from combining their functions with another public or private position, representation, profession or activity, subject to limited exceptions. That provision provides broader regulatory context, while the question in Zancajo's case turns on the rules governing RTVA board members. The Andalusian Parliament elects RTVA's director general, board members and board president, putting parliamentary nominations at the center of questions about political representation and potential conflicts of interest.
Adelante Andalucía spokesperson José Ignacio García has criticized the situation, alleging that Zancajo devotes little time to his RTVA board duties and focuses instead on his responsibilities within Vox. The party has also raised the wider issue of political appointments and influence within Canal Sur, RTVA's basic channel. It has recalled that Vox entered Andalusian politics in 2018 calling for RTVA to be shut down, while now seeking greater presence and influence within the broadcaster.
Zancajo joined the RTVA board in 2022, after serving as director of Informativos de Canal Sur in 2020. At that time, the nine-member board had five PP seats, three PSOE seats and one Vox seat. In October 2024, Vox leader Santiago Abascal created the role of national media coordinator and named Zancajo to the post. RTVA staff and unions were among the first to question whether the two roles were compatible and call for his removal from the public broadcaster. Concerns about impartiality and neutrality in Canal Sur's news coverage had also contributed to Zancajo's earlier dismissal as news director.
RTVA's board is part of a wider Andalusian audiovisual governance system that includes the Consejo Audiovisual de Andalucía, the region's audiovisual regulator. In the later 2026 parliamentary renewal, the proposed distribution of the board's nine seats was four for PP-A, two for PSOE-A, and one each for Vox, Adelante Andalucía and Por Andalucía. That later configuration followed a separate renewal cycle from the board period addressed in the complaint. The Parliament also chose the governing bodies of both RTVA and the audiovisual council, showing the role political groups play in public-media oversight.
The controversy over Zancajo is not isolated. Similar scrutiny of public officials over potential conflicts of interest has emerged in Spain in recent years. For example, the government previously declined to dismiss the Guardia Civil chief amid an internal investigation, as reported in a related case involving the Guardia Civil director. Such cases reflect ongoing debates over transparency and accountability, including where political activity ends and public service begins in Spain's institutions.
RTVA's exclusivity clause is intended to safeguard the broadcaster's independence and prevent undue political or commercial influence. The OAAF investigation could shape how the rules are applied in Andalusia and influence similar cases across Spain. The case highlights tensions between political parties seeking influence in public media and the need to maintain editorial autonomy. Attention will focus on whether Zancajo's dual roles are deemed incompatible and what consequences, if any, may follow for him and Vox's standing within RTVA.
RTVA, or Radio y Televisión de Andalucía, is Andalusia's basic public broadcasting entity, operating television and radio services, including Canal Sur. Its nine-member board is elected by the regional Parliament, with party groups putting forward nominees. Established to combat corruption and promote transparency in Andalusia, the OAAF can investigate potential breaches of public-sector regulations and recommend corrective measures or sanctions. The proceedings concerning Zancajo have put the separation between political activity and public-media responsibilities back under scrutiny.
