Spain survey finds majority believes lawfare taints its courts

A poll commissioned by 40dB for EL PAÍS and the Cadena SER shows that 65.4% of Spaniards think “lawfare” – the use of judicial processes to attack political opponents – is present in Spain, while only 11% deny its existence. Respondents also voiced deep mistrust of the judiciary: 82% say the courts are too slow, 75.5% believe political parties try to influence judges, 67.1% think many political disputes end up in courts, and almost 63% feel some judges are guided by their own political ideas.

Another recent Ipsos survey reported by La Vanguardia finds about 60% of the public perceives judges as political and only 40% view them as impartial. The findings echo concerns about high‑profile cases involving former prime ministers, former ministers and other senior figures, and signal that upcoming judicial proceedings against members of the ruling PSOE are expected to intensify public scrutiny of the justice system.