MADRID – Spain’s worst forest fires in decades have fuelled political recriminations, intensifying pressure on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who is already facing a growing wave of corruption scandals.
What began as a climate emergency has spiralled into a political crisis.
Sánchez’s government is under fire for its handling of Spain’s devastating wildfires, amid ongoing corruption scandals targeting the administration and the prime minister’s inner circle.
The Socialist-led government insists it mobilised all state resources to fight the flames but conservative opposition leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo accused Sánchez of acting too late and without coordination.
“Five days asking for reinforcements for the Armed Forces and most of what was requested has not arrived. Five years without approving a National Civil Protection Response Mechanism. Prevention funds not invested. Sánchez’s duty is to provide relief, not to skimp and improvise all the time”, the Popular Party (PP) leader wrote on X.
Regional PP leaders echoed the criticism. Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, president of Castile and León, and Alfonso Rueda, president of Galicia, accused Madrid of failing to deliver equipment and personnel, forcing Spain to seek assistance through the EU Civil Protection Mechanism.
Opposition figures also pointed to reports that Spain had invested only €2.7 million of the €71 million EU funds earmarked for forest management and failed to develop a long-promised national emergency response plan.
Far-right Vox leader Santiago Abascal slammed both Sánchez and regional PP governments for leaving Spaniards “defenseless against climate terrorism”.
In Spain, the responsibility for firefighting lies primarily with the country’s 17 autonomous regions under the Forestry Law, which requires each to mobilise brigades, vehicles, and aircraft while coordinating with central authorities.
Sánchez under “double fire”
The current political firestorm comes on top of a sleuth of domestic scandals following Sánchez on holiday in the Canary Islands.
This week, his wife was not only indicted for alleged embezzlement, but Sanchez also cancelled a trip to Washington alongside other European leaders to meet US President Donald Trump. Conservative media attributed his absence both to the fires and to Sánchez’s frosty relationship with Trump.
The Spanish leader accused Trump of trying to impose “vassalage” on Kyiv by siding too closely with Vladimir Putin. “In the 21st century, relations between countries are alliances, not vassalage,” Sánchez said in July, reaffirming Spain’s support for Ukraine.
The Spanish PM also continues to grapple with the fallout from the “Koldo corruption case” which sees suspicions about awarded contracts during the tenure of the former Spanish transport minister deepened.
Adding to the turmoil was the July jailing of a Socialist party’s former organisation secretary on charges of masterminding a bribery scheme linked to public works contracts.
The fragile ruling coalition now depends on separatist parties in Catalonia and the Basque Country, who keep pressing Sánchez for new concessions – so whatever the temperature in Madrid is in September, everything points to this political rentrée being a particularly heated one for Sánchez.
(cs, vib)
