Spain’s government deployed large numbers of security forces in major cities over the weekend after earlier protests in Barcelona had led to looting. Authorities also arrested several organizers of the “Blocus” protest movement, who had called for further violent actions. The measures were intended to demonstrate that Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s government remains in control after a train disaster that has severely damaged public confidence in the state and its leaders.
The crash, which killed 69 people, has also altered the political outlook before the November 29 election. Early polling cited by El Mundo indicates that voters are holding Sánchez’s Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) responsible. The newspaper estimates that the party has lost 450,000 voters and fallen below 25 percent. El Español reports that the conservative People’s Party (PP) and the right-wing Vox could together exceed 200 of the 350 seats in parliament.
Before the accident, Sánchez and his coalition partner Sumar had relied on an optimistic campaign and social measures to reduce their polling deficit. Two housing decrees that had failed in October were subsequently enacted, while the government planned to raise the minimum wage and pensions before the vote. Sánchez has since acknowledged that public confidence has been shaken, although he was referring specifically to the high-speed rail network.
For many Spaniards, however, distrust now extends beyond the railway system. The crash came one day after the second anniversary of the floods in Valencia, which killed more than 200 people. According to the investigating judge, a large number of those deaths could have been prevented. Earlier complaints of state failure had also followed devastating forest fires, the April 2025 power blackout across the Iberian Peninsula and the disorder surrounding the arrival of roughly 80,000 migrants in Ceuta in July 2026.
Vox has so far been the main political beneficiary of these concerns. The party could approach 20 percent of the vote and potentially double its parliamentary representation compared with the 2023 election, according to the polling described in the report.
Attention is now focused on Transport Minister Óscar Puente, a close Sánchez ally. Two serious rail accidents have occurred within a year under his responsibility, and even left-wing partners are calling for his resignation. Puente is due to appear before the permanent committee of parliament, where he no longer has a majority. Sánchez has not accepted the minister’s offer to resign.
The conservative PP has adopted a more institutional tone since the disaster. Its leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has described Puente’s resignation as necessary but insufficient, arguing that Spain is facing a systemic failure linked to poor management and maintenance. Feijóo has pledged to invest 300 billion euros in repairing the country’s deteriorating infrastructure if he becomes prime minister.
The scale of the railway maintenance problem was highlighted by Puente himself when he raised the possibility of closing the Madrid-Barcelona high-speed line for one or two years for urgent repairs. Traffic on the route to Andalusia, where the crash occurred, has been suspended indefinitely. Growing doubts about rail safety are prompting more people to travel by bus, plane or car.
Further disruption is expected before the formal start of the election campaign on November 13. Unions and activists have called Spain’s first general strike in 14 years for November 11, demanding affordable housing and suitable wages. Renfe train drivers have also called strikes in the days before and after it to demand greater safety on the railways.
Sources: FAZ.