Has the political truce been broken by the Adamuz accident?

Madrid"We have to fight over many things, but not over that." That's how a voice from the Moncloa Palace's inner circle sums up the cooperation between the Spanish government—led by the PSOE—and the Andalusian Regional Government—governed by the PP with an absolute majority—following the tragic train accident in Adamuz. And it's a diagnosis shared by both sides: the Spanish government spokesperson, Elma Saiz, wanted to "highlight and express gratitude" for the "ongoing coordination" between administrations, and the Andalusian president, Juanma Moreno Bonilla, celebrated that everyone "acted in good faith," which allowed for "better coordination." "The public would never forgive us if we were in confrontation right now," he argued yesterday in an interview on TVE. These words align with what the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, has been saying. He is usually the most inflammatory and the one who most often provokes the PP, but these days he has avoided any direct confrontation with the Popular Party. "It has all been cooperation and close collaboration. Zero complaints to make, quite the opposite. They have acted perfectly and I can only praise Moreno Bonilla," he said in an interview. Eldiario.es"He had to do his part and he has strived to do it well," added Óscar Puente on Cadena SER. The Andalusian government is in charge of Civil Protection and emergencies, while the Spanish government is responsible for railway infrastructure. Juanma Moreno also emphasized that "each within their respective areas of responsibility" has given their "best" to ensure "this goes well." There is also now cooperation between the Spanish and Andalusian governments regarding the state funeral. La Moncloa has assumed it will take place in the "coming weeks," pending the final death toll and coordination with King Felipe VI. Juanma Moreno views this "very favorably" so that they can "pay a public and heartfelt tribute" to all the victims.

This harmony contrasts sharply with the incendiary confrontation that erupted after the devastating storm in the Valencian Community. It's true that the first few days were calm. In fact, Pedro Sánchez and Carlos Mazón even appeared together: the Valencian president thanked him for visiting the area "so quickly" and emphasized that "coordination and cooperation" were "fundamental." Then everything changed, and a few weeks later, the Spanish president demanded his resignation.

First cracks

However, a latent political squabble is beginning to surface. It stems from Alberto Núñez Feijóo's response to a journalist who asked if Moncloa (the Prime Minister's office) had been keeping him informed about the tragedy. "I haven't received any information from the Spanish government, neither directly nor indirectly," the PP leader replied. "This is a time for healthcare, comfort, and support," he added. Juanma Moreno has framed it as a response to a question and doesn't believe it reflects a "belligerent attitude" toward Moncloa. In response to this, Elma Saiz emphasized that the Spanish government "shares information" in "real time" and with "absolute transparency" with "society as a whole." What ignited the fuse in Génova (the PP headquarters) was a subsequent off-the-record comment from a Moncloa source regarding contacts between Sánchez's chief of staff and Feijóo's chief of staff. Sources close to the Popular Party leadership told ARA that the Spanish president's right-hand man "thanked him for the respectful tone" of the PP leader's words via a WhatsApp message and deny that Feijóo's statement was a complaint. "We weren't planning to explain this, but we won't tolerate any manipulation. We're not complaining about anything, but the Spanish government is manipulating things," lamented sources within the PP. These same sources recalled that, unlike what happened now, when the accident occurred in Santiago de Compostela, Mariano Rajoy called the then-leader of the PSOE, Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba, who was accompanied by Minister Ana Pastor when he visited the affected area. This has opened a rift in the political moderation that had prevailed since Sunday night.

The one who later began to raise her voice was a usual suspect: Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo. On social media, he lashed out that the Spanish government had turned the Ministry of Transport into a "farm of commissions, shady deals, and corruption" and an "instrument of insults, finger-pointing, and polarization." "They gave Koldo a job at Renfe and prostitutes at Adif," he added, complaining that Adif had limited the speed on a section of the route between Barcelona and Madrid.

The PP is angry with Rufián

Where sparks have truly flown is on social media. Gabriel Rufián tweeted that comparing the Adamuz accident to the DANA storm, a "foreseeable meteorological disaster" that was "exacerbated by the negligence and incompetence" of the Valencian president, is an "insult to intelligence" and "only the profoundly deranged will buy it." The tweet infuriated the PP spokesperson in Congress: "But has the truce already ended?" asked Ester Muñoz, who labeled him a "vulture."

Vox does not de-escalate

Meanwhile, the far right remains oblivious to the truce and continues its relentless crusade against the Spanish government. It was the only party that maintained its agenda the day after the tragedy, justifying this by claiming it wanted to avoid a "false consensus of silence." On social media, Santiago Abascal didn't mince words: "We are governed by crime, lies, and betrayal of the people's interests." "It's a bad attitude," criticized Elma Saiz. "Using fear to generate chaos and distrust is an anti-democratic and inhumane attitude," she denounced. In contrast, Minister Óscar Puente yesterday avoided addressing the issue directly: "I have absolutely no desire to engage in polemics with anyone."