Spain's opposition party sparks outrage with deepfake video targeting prime minister's wife ahead of election

By LineZotpaper

Published23 October 2026

Read Time3 min

A campaign video from Spain's main opposition party, the conservative People's Party (PP), featuring AI-generated deepfakes of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's wife and other Socialist figures has ignited a political firestorm just weeks before the 29 November general election. The video, which has amassed nearly 2 million views, shows an artificial version of Begoña Gómez admitting to nepotism and a deepfake of former Socialist president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero discussing hidden jewellery, both references to ongoing investigations they deny. Spain's digital transformation minister called it a 'colossal lie', while legal experts are divided on whether it breaks the law.

The People's Party (PP) released the video across its social media channels, using AI to manipulate the likenesses of several individuals linked to the Socialist party. In the video, an AI-generated version of Begoña Gómez appears to say she received a university post due to her husband's role, while a deepfake of former president Zapatero speaks about hiding jewellery in a safe. Both scenarios nod to separate investigations in which Gómez and Zapatero have denied any wrongdoing.

Óscar López, Spain's digital transformation minister, denounced the video on public broadcaster TVE. 'It's telling people a colossal lie, and for a party to do it on its official accounts seems intolerable to me,' he said, warning that viewers unfamiliar with AI could easily mistake the deepfakes for reality. The video carries a small, nearly transparent note indicating it was AI-generated.

Leire Díez, a former Socialist party member whose likeness appeared in the video, filed a legal challenge on Friday accusing the PP of defamation and digital identity theft and demanding the advert be taken down. However, a majority of nine legal experts consulted by El País concluded the video was likely legal because it was labelled as AI-generated and had a tone of political satire. Íñigo Navarro, a former law dean at Madrid's Comillas Pontifical University, said: 'Given the context, everyone knows those people didn't say those things.'

But criminal law professor Juan Antonio Lascuraín of the Autonomous University of Madrid noted the distinction between legality and ethics. 'It's quite another matter to ask whether it's appropriate, exemplary or ethically and politically correct.' José Javier Olivas, a researcher at Spain's National University for Distance Education, called the video a 'red line' for campaign conduct, adding: 'You're using the images of other people, putting words in their mouths that they're not saying, and this qualifies for disinformation.'

The PP has defended the ad. Borja Sémper told reporters: 'If there had been malicious intent to make people believe that the characters who appear there are real, then we'd have a problem. But everyone can see that this is a way of using digital tools to highlight the hypocrisy in which the Socialist party operates.'

Most polls suggest the PP will win the 29 November election but will need support from the far-right Vox party to govern.

The use of AI in political ads is also a growing issue in the United States ahead of its midterm elections. A report from the Wesleyan Media Project identified more than 200 such ads, the vast majority Republican-linked. Co-director Erika Franklin Fowler noted the trend is accelerating: 'For comparison, we identified less than $50,000 in spending on AI-generated ads in the 2024 cycle.'

Analysis

Why This Matters

The video represents a new frontier in political campaigning, where synthetic media can blur the line between satire and disinformation.
Spain's deeply polarised electorate goes to the polls in November; the PP is expected to win but may need far-right support, amplifying the stakes of any campaign controversy.
The legal challenge and public debate could set a precedent for how Spain, and the EU, regulates AI-generated political content.

Background

Spain heads to a general election on 29 November with the conservative PP leading in polls. The campaign has been marked by bitter personal attacks between the main parties. The PP's video targets ongoing investigations into Sánchez's wife and a former Socialist president; both have denied wrongdoing and the cases remain open. Spanish law on deepfakes is still evolving, with existing defamation and identity theft statutes potentially applicable. The EU's AI Act, which requires labelling of AI-generated content, entered force in August but its full implementation is phased.

Key Perspectives

People's Party (PP): The video is legitimate political satire using digital tools. Borja Sémper says it exposes Socialist hypocrisy. The AI-generated label and satirical tone mean no reasonable viewer would mistake it for real.

Socialist Party and Government: The video is a deliberate lie intended to deceive voters. Digital minister López calls it a 'colossal lie' that could confuse the public. Leire Díez's legal action argues defamation and digital identity theft.

Legal experts and critics: Most consulted by El País say the video is likely legal, but many question its ethics. Professor Lascuraín distinguishes legality from appropriateness. Professor Olivas calls the video a 'red line' for campaign conduct, warning it qualifies as disinformation and could normalise deceptive AI use in politics.

What to Watch

The outcome of Leire Díez's legal challenge: could force the PP to remove the video or set a legal precedent.
Polling shifts in the final weeks before 29 November: whether the controversy helps or hurts the PPn- EU and Spanish government responses on AI regulation in political advertising, especially enforcement of labelling requirements under the AI Act.

Sources

Opposition deepfake video sparks outrage in Spain ahead of election · World news | The Guardian

Checked

12 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 8 supported.

Show each claim

SupportedSpain's opposition party sparked outrage with a deepfake video of the prime minister's wife ahead of the election.World news | The Guardian: “Opposition deepfake video sparks outrage in Spain ahead of election.”
Partly supportedThe video had amassed nearly 2 million views.World news | The Guardian: “which by Friday had racked up nearly 2m views”
Partly supportedThe AI-generated version of Begoña Gómez appears to admit to nepotism by saying she received a university post because of her husband's role.World news | The Guardian: “An AI-generated version of Sánchez’s wife, Begoña Gómez, for example, speaks about receiving a university post thanks to her husband’s job”
Not in the sourcesLegal experts are divided on whether the video breaks the law.World news | The Guardian: “A majority of the nine legal experts consulted by the newspaper El País concurred that what the PP had done was not illegal”
SupportedÓscar López said, “It's telling people a colossal lie, and for a party to do it on its official accounts seems intolerable to me.”World news | The Guardian: ““It’s telling people a colossal lie, and for a party to do it on its official accounts seems intolerable to me,” Óscar López, Spain’s digital transformation minister, told the broadcaster TVE on Friday.”
SupportedÍñigo Navarro said, “Given the context, everyone knows those people didn't say those things.”World news | The Guardian: ““Given the context, everyone knows those people didn’t say those things,” Íñigo Navarro, a former dean of the faculty of law at Madrid’s Comillas Pontifical University, told the paper.”
SupportedJuan Antonio Lascuraín said, “It's quite another matter to ask whether it's appropriate, exemplary or ethically and politically correct.”World news | The Guardian: ““It’s quite another matter to ask whether it’s appropriate, exemplary or ethically and politically correct.””
SupportedJosé Javier Olivas called the video a “red line” and said, “You're using the images of other people, putting words in their mouths that they're not saying, and this qualifies for disinformation.”World news | The Guardian: “he said the video was a “red line” in terms of how campaigns normally unfolded. “You’re using the images of other people, putting words in their mouths that they’re not saying, [and] this qualifies for disinformation,” he said.”
SupportedBorja Sémper said everyone could see the video was a way to use digital tools to highlight the Socialist party's hypocrisy.World news | The Guardian: ““But everyone can see that this is a way of using digital tools to highlight the hypocrisy in which the Socialist party operates.””
SupportedErika Franklin Fowler said, “For comparison, we identified less than $50,000 in spending on AI-generated ads in the 2024 cycle.”World news | The Guardian: ““For comparison, we identified less than $50,000 in spending on AI-generated ads in the 2024 cycle.””
Partly supportedLeire Díez filed a legal challenge on Friday accusing the PP of defamation and digital identity theft and demanding the advert be taken down.World news | The Guardian: “On Friday, one of those whose likeness was used in the video filed a legal challenge against the PP, calling on the party to immediately take down the campaign advert. In a court complaint, Leire Díez, a former Socialist party member, reportedly accused the PP of defamation and digital identity theft”
SupportedA majority of nine legal experts concluded that the video was not illegal because it was labelled as AI-generated and had a tone of political satire.World news | The Guardian: “A majority of the nine legal experts consulted by the newspaper El País concurred that what the PP had done was not illegal, given that the video was labelled as AI-generated and that the overall tone was one of political satire.”