Spanish opposition party posts AI deepfakes of Socialist figures, including the PM's wife, five weeks before the general election

Spain's main opposition party, the conservative People's Party (PP), posted a video on X on 21 October 2026, captioned "Sí, son zurdos", five weeks before the 29 November general election. It shows AI deepfakes of people linked to Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's Socialists, including his wife, Begoña Gómez, and former Socialist prime minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, apparently confessing to wrongdoing. Gómez appears to describe getting a university post through her husband's job, and Zapatero appears to describe hiding jewelry in a safe; both refer to ongoing investigations, which they deny. Others appear to admit to soliciting prostitutes and taking kickbacks. An AI label appears in small, nearly transparent text. By 23 October the video had nearly 2 million views.

Digital transformation minister Óscar López called it "a colossal lie." Leire Díez, a former Socialist member whose likeness appears in the video, filed a court complaint alleging defamation and digital identity theft and seeking its immediate removal. PP spokesperson Borja Sémper said the video was not meant to deceive and highlights Socialist hypocrisy. According to The Next Web, most of the nine legal experts El País consulted said the video was not illegal, noting the AI label and its political-satire tone.

Read the full report at The Next Web: https://thenextweb.com/news/spain-deepfake-video-pp-sanchez-wife-election