Spanish Deputy Prime Minister María Jesús Montero the Only MP to Vote Against Victims in Adamuz

The atmosphere in the Spanish parliament deteriorated sharply after María Jesús Montero mistakenly voted against granting compensation to victims of the train accident in the town of Adamuz. Although the deputy prime minister explained her action as a technical error and an incorrect button choice, the opposition immediately used this fact to attack the government. Santiago Abascal, leader of the conservative Vox party, described the event as „divine justice”, suggesting that the mistake exposes the government's lack of genuine interest in citizens' problems. Meanwhile, Juanma Moreno, president of the Andalusia region, accused Pedro Sánchez's cabinet of prioritizing survival politics over proper state management and responding to tragedies. Parallel to the scandal in Congress, the investigation into the causes of the accident is entering a new, controversial phase. CIAF has questioned representatives of the infrastructure manager Adif. Serious doubts have arisen regarding the securing of evidence. The president of CIAF admitted before the investigating judge that Adif removed certain rail fragments from the scene before the full expert examination was completed. Although state institutions argue that the removed elements „were not of critical importance” and were moved for their protection, commentators such as Carlos Herrera assess these actions as scandalous and undermining the credibility of the entire proceedings. The Spanish railway sector has for years been grappling with safety challenges on high-traffic lines, which regularly becomes an element of fierce political struggle between the People's Party and the socialists.Polls published shortly after the voting incident indicate a deepening image crisis for the ruling socialist PSOE, especially in the Andalusia region. With four months to go before regional elections, the socialists' deficit to the conservative People's Party is already nearly 20 percentage points. The difficult situation of Deputy Prime Minister Montero, who is a key figure in the party structures, could significantly impact the campaign's outcome, as a mistake on such a sensitive issue as aid for disaster victims is extremely difficult to neutralize in media messaging. „Es una especie de justicia divina que pone de manifiesto el rostro de esta persona que tantas veces nos ha mentido.” (It's a kind of divine justice that reveals the face of this person who has lied to us so many times.) — Santiago Abascal