Mariano Rajoy attended Fátima Báñez's wake in Huelva this Friday to bid farewell to who was his Minister of Employment and Social Security during his two Governments. The former PP leader and president of the CEOE Foundation died on Wednesday, at the age of 59, in the train accident in Urda, Toledo.
The former president arrived at the funeral home in Huelva, where family, friends, party colleagues, and representatives from the business world accompanied Báñez's loved ones. Her family wanted the wake to be open to the public so that those who wished could come to say goodbye.
El expresidente Rajoy llora la muerte de su "amiga" Fátima Báñez https://t.co/NJBHbthxhp pic.twitter.com/pFGDirnLc8
— Europa Press TV (@europapress_tv) October 30, 2026
Before the media, Rajoy acknowledged the harshness of the moment. "The reason for my stay in Huelva today is a reason for which I would never in my life have liked to be here and I never thought I would be here for this. But things are as they are," he stated.
The former president recalled the relationship he maintained with Báñez, who was a minister from his arrival in government in December 2011 until the PP's departure from La Moncloa in June 2018. "She was with me from when I entered the government until I left," he noted.
Asked how he would remember her personally, Rajoy explained that their relationship had continued after that period. "I will remember her with great affection. In politics, one meets many people, deals with many people; there are very good people and others who are not so much. But Fátima, in the end, was already a friend," he said.
The former president added that in recent years they saw each other "very often" to talk "practically about everything except politics." He also highlighted her way of working and assured that she was an "intelligent, loyal, and very hardworking" person. Before concluding, he avoided commenting on current political affairs because, as he expressed, "today is Fátima Báñez's day."
Sáenz de Santamaría and leaders of the Popular Party attend the wake
Among those who attended the funeral home was the former Vice President of the Government Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, who shared the Council of Ministers with Báñez and received Rajoy upon his arrival along with Teófila Martínez, former mayor of Cádiz.
Sáenz de Santamaría acknowledged that this Friday is a "very difficult" day for the family and friends of the former minister. In her memory, she highlighted the way her colleague understood political activity and her willingness to reach agreements. "She was an irresistible negotiator because she was capable of convincing you that what she proposed was best for you," she stated.
The former vice president also explained why Báñez traveled to Seville on Wednesday. According to her account, she was going to an event to accompany close people. "She wasn't going to speak, she was going to be there accompanying her friends," she noted.
Also attending the wake were former minister Ana Pastor, former president of the Andalusian PP Javier Arenas, PP deputy secretary Elías Bendodo, and MEP Carmen Crespo. Representatives of the Junta de Andalucía also traveled there, including vice presidents Antonio Sanz and Carolina España and several regional government councilors.
The president of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, and the president of the ATA self-employed association, Lorenzo Amor, joined the farewell. Garamendi expressed his "deep sadness, consternation, and desolation" and conveyed his support to the victims, the injured, and the survivors of the accident.
The business leader also thanked the work of the residents and the emergency teams that intervened after the collision, including the UME, the Civil Guard, firefighters, and healthcare personnel.
Her time in government and the labor reform
Born in San Juan del Puerto, Huelva, in 1967, Báñez was a PP deputy for that province between 2000 and 2019. Rajoy appointed her Minister of Employment and Social Security upon arriving at La Moncloa in 2011, in the midst of the economic crisis.
During her time at the head of the department, the PP Government approved the 2012 labor reform, which made dismissals cheaper and made it easier for companies to modify working conditions. The norm received strong opposition from unions, which called a general strike against it, and its main aspects were modified years later by the reform agreed upon by the coalition government with unions and employers.
After leaving institutional politics, Báñez joined the business sector and since 2020 presided over the CEOE Foundation. On Wednesday, she was traveling on the Iryo train that was hit by a Renfe AVE on the Madrid-Andalusia high-speed line. The latest official balance of the accident reported by the authorities amounts to 69 fatalities.
The farewell continues now in San Juan del Puerto, where a funeral mass is being held in the parish of San Juan Bautista, officiated by the bishop of Huelva, Santiago Gómez. Afterwards, the former minister will be buried privately in the municipal cemetery, at the request of her family.
