MADRID — Record-breaking wildfires this summer have tested Spain’s crisis management capabilities, igniting fierce political disputes and fueling the rise of a resurgent far-right.
According to the European Forest Fire Information System (EFFIS), nearly 400,000 hectares of land have burned across Spain this year, marking it as the worst summer for wildfires in three decades. The government’s response to the fires has become a focal point of contention between the fragile administration led by the Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party (PSOE) and the opposition Popular Party (PP), which governs the three most affected regions: Galicia, Castile and León, and Extremadura.
Transport Minister Óscar Puente criticized Castile and León’s PP president, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, branding him a “shame” for vacationing while his region was ravaged by flames. Amid this clash, the PP labeled Virginia Barcones, head of the state civil protection agency, as a “pyromaniac” and “hooligan.”
“Everything is burning except for the one thing that should burn: a corrupt system designed against the Spanish people,”
declared Santiago Abascal, leader of the far-right Vox party, as wildfires raged in mid-August.
Establishment parties face mounting criticism
Pedro Sánchez emphasized the link between the wildfires and climate change, urging parties to unite to address what he described as a “climate emergency” in Spain. Conversely, Vox has exploited the wildfires to advance its political agenda, rejecting climate change science and labeling the government’s policies as “climate terrorism.” They argue that the neglect of vulnerable rural areas stems from the government’s green policies and adherence to United Nations sustainable development goals.
Vox claims that the establishment’s focus on renewable energy infrastructure in rural areas, rather than traditional agriculture, increases wildfire risks. They advocate for a centralized government in Madrid to take sole responsibility for fire management. The PP, wary of being too closely associated with Vox while having occasionally dismissed climate change, rejected Sánchez’s calls for a political pact, labeling them a “smokescreen” to distract from their challenges.
Vox portrays the situation as a failure of both establishment parties. Jorge Buxadé, a party spokesperson, asserted, “Bipartisanship has scarred the skin of Spain… while endless forests burn as conservatives and socialists toss responsibilities, regulations, and budgets at each other,” on the right-wing news site OkDiario on August 24. Another Vox member, Hermann Tertsch, even suggested that the government may have deliberately started the fires to divert attention from its own issues.
Wildfires exacerbate political tensions
The wildfires represent the latest episode in a series of national crises that have intensified an already fraught political climate. In October 2024, flash floods in eastern Spain claimed over 220 lives, leading to a conflict between the PP and PSOE that even reached Brussels, where conservatives unsuccessfully attempted to block the appointment of former socialist minister Teresa Ribera as European Commissioner.
Earlier in April, a power outage — the cause of which remains unclear — left the country without electricity for several hours, sparking bizarre conspiracy theories and further political confrontations.
Vox has framed these crises as evidence of a failing state, linking them to immigration issues and criticizing the slow response to a volcanic eruption in the Canary Islands in 2021. Santiago Abascal asserted, “It doesn’t matter whether it’s a volcano, a pandemic, an invasion of migrants, a flood, a power outage, or now, wildfires. The state has collapsed and been occupied by a corrupt mafia serving Pedro Sánchez.”
Indeed, support for Vox was already on the rise before the wildfires, with a July poll from the national research agency CIS indicating the far-right party at 19%, narrowing the gap with the two leading parties, each at 27% (although some polling institutions place the PSOE significantly in second). Vox’s support has notably increased among rural workers directly affected by the wildfires.
The party seems to be drawing voters more from the PP than from the PSOE. However, as the summer flames diminish, the government will once again confront the corruption scandal that erupted last spring. A massive bribery scheme involving prominent PSOE figures continues to loom “heavy enough to topple the government,” according to Paco Camas.
Convincing his fragile parliamentary coalition to approve a new budget for 2026 — a daunting task — appears to be Pedro Sánchez’s best hope for survival in the coming months.