Spain’s deadly train crash redraws electoral battle lines

A few minutes past 9am on Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez posted a message on X declaring there were “lots of reasons to be optimistic about this country”. His left-wing Socialist Party (PSOE) had sought to seize upon anger over Spain’s housing crisis as a campaign issue ahead of the November 29 election. Less than an hour later, news of a deadly train crash began to emerge, transforming the campaign. The safety of Spain’s railways, its infrastructure and the government’s ability to deliver essential public services are now key issues after 69 people were killed nine months after a similar disaster.