On Cara al Show, Maruja Torres told Spain’s left, “The left needs to unite, once and for all.” At 83, she has seen decades of political fights at home and abroad and said she is done with polite talk. With another election approaching, her warning was clear: time is running out.
Her entrance set the tone. Torres walked onto the set with two bodyguards, a detail that spoke to her public profile and the tense mood in Spain. The interview began with her new book, 'Cuanta más gente me jode, más buenos momentos tengo', before turning to the realities of growing old in Madrid. Torres spoke about a recent fall at home and the maze of paperwork for dependency aid. “You’re entitled to a button if you live alone after 80,” she said, but the process is full of hurdles. Her verdict was blunt: “Either you’re totally dependent, which costs you dearly, or you’re left to manage alone.”
El Confidencial and the official publisher describe Torres’s new book as a fresh collection of travel notes and observations written from 2025 to 2026 and released on September 30, 2026.
Torres’s anger at the system goes beyond her own experience. She called out Madrid’s leaders for failing the vulnerable, linking her circumstances to a broader gap between what politicians promise and what people live through in Spain. That gap, she said, is not closing.
She also spoke about aging. When Marc Giró asked about it, Torres answered with a laugh: “It’s not just a feeling, I am old, and that’s that!” She talked about memory slips and changing priorities, but said she misses one thing most: “Reporting was the love of my life.” Journalism came first. Still, she joked, there is room for both a good story and a good time.
The mood shifted when Torres spoke about the Middle East. She has reported from Lebanon. Her view is grim. “Israel is expanding, creating Greater Israel,” she said. She called its actions “limitless voracity” and warned that the south of Lebanon and Beirut are being “Gaza-ized.” For Torres, Israel’s presence is a “hornet’s nest.” She sees trouble spreading far beyond the region.
In late September 2026, several major Spanish media outlets, including El País and La Vanguardia, reported that Sumar, IU, Comuns and Más Madrid were in advanced talks to form a unified left-wing bloc for the 2027 general elections under the brand Frente Amplio. The agreement to run together is public, while debates over leadership and candidate selection continue.
Turning back to Spain, Torres did not dodge the country’s border disputes. “Ceuta defines us,” she said, arguing that the enclave’s problems show what Spain and the EU refuse to face. She accused politicians of exploiting migration for their own gain and singled out the far right: “I mean PP and Vox, because I can’t tell them apart anymore.” Her own family moved from Murcia to Barcelona. For her, migration is part of Spain’s story, not a political weapon.
The election is close. Torres’s message is simple: “The future is unwritten, despite all the pessimism.” She told people to “get out and vote for the left.” Only unity, she said, can prevent further division. Her words reflect the mood in Spain’s progressive circles, where the risk of a split is real and the clock is ticking.
Not every moment was political. The show ended with a nod to Asturias, her adopted home. Torres is Hija Adoptiva there, and bagpipes played as she left the set, a personal touch and a quiet tribute to someone who has lived at the edge of public and private life.
Torres’s style is sharp. She names names and challenges leaders and institutions. Her directness stands out in Spanish media, recalling other recent moments of public confrontation, including those described in reports about political tensions at TVE.
Spain is tired, and many people feel cynical. Torres’s call for unity comes with a demand for action. Her criticism comes from lived experience. As Spain heads for another vote, her voice cuts through the noise.
