Feijóo blames Sánchez for the train accidents: "His government will be held accountable."

MadridThe political truce that prevailed during the first hours of the Adamuz and Gelida tragedy is now history. As the days have passed, the PP's discourse has become increasingly... in crescendo When it comes to demanding accountability for the accidents, which have been compounded by the railway chaos in Catalonia and the AVE high-speed train speed restrictions, the PP's leader, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, directly blamed Spanish President Pedro Sánchez for the accidents on Wednesday and predicted that his government "will be in the dock" for the train tragedy. "They played Russian roulette with our safety; this was an avoidable accident, not an unforeseeable catastrophe," the PP leader declared. He said this after Sánchez appeared before Congress to explain his government's handling of the accidents, in which he defended the Andalusian case, stating that all maintenance controls were "scrupulously" followed, although he acknowledged that protocols "are not infallible" and that quality standards are not always met.

Right from the start, the Spanish president had already committed to "rigorously investigating" the causes of the Adamuz accident, "transparently reporting" on what is discovered, "taking the necessary measures" to prevent accidents from happening again, and, if necessary, "ensuring justice is served." He had also accused the right and far right of spreading "disinformation" and sowing "fear" among the population. In fact, sources at La Moncloa (the Prime Minister's residence) lamented the tone of the People's Party's (PP) speech on Wednesday in the halls of Congress, accusing them of contributing to the "polarization" of the political debate. Sánchez, however, received the support of the Sumar coalition. "This government did what was required: to be transparent, coordinate, and provide immediate information," said Sumar spokesperson Verónica Martínez Barbero.

Alberto Núñez Feijóo was not convinced by Pedro Sánchez's speech. "They should have come to apologize and face the consequences," he reproached, after the Spanish president also said that incidents on the railway system are "inevitable": "These are not anomalies or dysfunctions, it's part of the normal functioning of a complex system." Furthermore, he boasted about having reduced accidents by 11% compared to Mariano Rajoy's term.

For the PP leader, Sánchez's speech was a "profound and planned farce": "You have to be made of different stuff to pull off this hodgepodge and not get your guts turned." Finally, Feijóo wanted to put pressure on the plurinational majority: he criticized Bildu, saying that they should be talking about the "victims of gunfire and explosives," alluding to ETA's prisoner policy; Gabriel Rufián has been referred to ironically, with the comment that he hopes his "Spanish left-wing project lasts longer than the Catalan republic," and has urged Junts to explain to its voters why it supports a government that is "responsible" for the railway chaos in Catalonia.

Echoing Feijóo's sentiments, Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, declared that "Adamuz was a crime, not an accident, and that will weigh heavily on their consciences." In his view, train tragedies are a consequence of the Spanish government's malpractice: "The fact that the former transport minister is in prison betrays them [...]. Sánchez is rotten with corruption and lies." "You were already corrupt before you even came to power," the Spanish government retorted, alluding to the misappropriation of aid from the DANA storm by his youth organization, La Revuelta.

Unlike the other parties, Junts and Esquerra have also focused on the commuter rail system, beyond Adamuz. During their speech, Junts representatives demanded that the Minister of Transport, Óscar Puente, back down, arguing that both the PSOE and PP governments have consistently abandoned Catalans. Míriam Nogueras lamented the lack of investment by successive Spanish administrations and the budget execution deficit, including that of Pedro Sánchez's government. "There's nothing more like a right-wing Spaniard than a left-wing Spaniard," she declared. Gabriel Rufián (Esquerra) reiterated his assertion that the commuter rail system is "a piece of crap" and, therefore, a "breeding ground for separatists." However, he has avoided explicitly calling for Minister Puente's resignation, unlike Oriol Junqueras' demands and the vote Esquerra Republicana (ERC) took last week in the Senate, alongside the People's Party (PP) and Vox, in favor of the Minister of Transport assuming responsibility. In fact, he defended Puente's handling of the situation in Adamuz, comparing it to Carlos Mazón's handling of the DANA storm, a part of his speech that was applauded by PSOE deputies. "Is he responsible for some things and perhaps should he resign? I don't know, let's see," Rufián clarified regarding the minister.