Feijóo pledges rail safety review at Málaga rally as election campaign builds

Partido Popular (PP) leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo promised on Sunday to inspect Spain's railway network "palmo a palmo" (inch by inch) as he addressed a large rally in Málaga ahead of the general election on 29 November.

The event was held at the José Luis Pérez Canca sports hall in the city's Carranque district. Diario Sur reported that it was the PP of Andalucía's first big rally in the region, staged a few days before the official election campaign begins. Organisers put the crowd at around 6,000 people. That figure has not been independently confirmed.

Rail safety at the centre of the debate

Feijóo said he would spend public money checking every sleeper, every track and every kilometre of overhead line. According to Diario Sur, he said the aim was that people should no longer be afraid and that safety should return.

The pledge follows the rail accidents at Adamuz (Córdoba) and Urda (Toledo). Diario Sur reported that the two crashes left 115 people dead. The paper added that a GAD3 survey it commissioned found more than half of the public now feel afraid to travel by train.

The Olive Press, in its weekly political round-up, also described rail safety as a central issue of the campaign. It linked this to the resignation of Óscar Puente and noted that a general strike is looming. The outlet's summary does not give further detail on either point.

Diario Sur also reported that Andalusian regional president Juanma Moreno, also of the PP, called on voters to deliver a strong punishment to the national government at the ballot box.

Antequera-born actress backs Podemos

On the left, Málaga-province actress Kiti Mánver has stepped into the campaign for Podemos. The rally she spoke at was in Madrid, not Málaga. Mánver was born in Antequera in 1953 and has won a Goya award.

According to Diario Sur, she spoke on Saturday at a joint Podemos and ERC event, where she introduced Irene Montero and Gabriel Rufián. In her speech she described herself as left-wing, feminist, anti-fascist, anti-racist and a pacifist.

She also called the Socialist PSOE the "party of war". She argued that the left should push the PSOE leftwards rather than submit to it. She also criticised the government over continued arms trade with Israel and described a vote for Podemos as "the only useful vote", Diario Sur reported.

Mánver won the Biznaga de Plata for best actress at the Málaga Film Festival in 2020.

Why it matters locally

Rail travel is a practical concern for many people on the Costa del Sol. Málaga is linked to Madrid and other cities by high-speed services. Rail safety is now a central theme in the race, and party leaders are choosing Málaga as a stage. Residents can expect more campaign events in the province before polling day on 29 November.

Foreign residents should note that voting in Spanish general elections is generally limited to Spanish citizens.