Spain and Portugal continue to battle Storm Leonardo as new storm approaches

MADRID (AP) — Storm Leonardo continued to batter the Iberian Peninsula on Friday, bringing floods and putting rivers at risk of bursting their banks while thousands of people were evacuated from their homes in Spain and Portugal.

In southern Spain's Andalusia region, some 7,000 people have had to leave their homes due to successive storms.

Among them were around 1,500 people ordered to evacuate the mountain village of Grazalema, where Andalusia's regional leader Juan Manuel Moreno warned that aquifers were "full to the brim with water,” and at risk of collapsing.

“It's raining on already saturated ground. The land is unable to drain," Moreno said. “We urge extreme caution. This is not over.”

Spanish police said Friday they had found a body located 1,000 meters (about 0.6 miles) away from where a woman had disappeared Wednesday after she fell into a river in Malaga province while trying to rescue her dog. Police said they had not yet identified the body, but believed it belonged to the 45 year-old woman.

Another storm front, Marta, was expected to arrive Saturday, with Spain's weather agency AEMET saying it would bring even more rain and heavy winds, including to areas already drenched by Storm Leonardo.

Marta is expected to affect Portugal, too.

Of particular concern was southern Spain's Guadalquivir River, which flows through Córdoba and Seville and eventually into the Atlantic Ocean, and whose water levels have dramatically risen in recent days.

Additional rain Saturday could leave many more homes at risk in Córdoba, local authorities warned.

In Portugal, parts of Alcacer do Sal were submerged after the Sado River overflowed, forcing residents to leave the city located 90 kilometers (about 56 miles) south of Lisbon.

Alerts were issued also for regions near the Tagus River due to rising water levels.

A separate storm in late January left a trail of destruction in Portugal, killing several people, according to Portuguese authorities.

A man walks along a flooded street after the Sado River overflowed following heavy rains in Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Police officers and marines evacuate residents from a hotel by inflatable boat along a flooded street after the Sado River overflowed following heavy rains in Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

A view of Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026, after the Sado River overflowed following heavy rains. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Residents looks at a flooded street after the Sado River overflowed following heavy rains in Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

A residents walks along a flooded street after the Sado River overflowed following heavy rains in Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Residents walk through a flooded street after the Sado River overflowed following heavy rains in Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

Iria Afonso, 76, is carried on a chair by neighbors as she is evacuated from her flooded home after heavy rains caused the Sado River to overflow in Alcácer do Sal, southern Portugal, Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)

The Guadalete River overflows its banks as it passes through Jerez de la Frontera, in southern Andalusia, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, as heavy rains across the country cause flooding in the region. (Rocio Ruz/Europa Press via AP)

The Guadalquivir River overflows its banks as it passes through Cordoba, in southern Andalusia, Spain, Wednesday, Feb. 4, 2026, as heavy rains across the country cause flooding in the region. (Madero Cubero/Europa Press via AP)

View of the flooding in the town of Grazalema on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, affected by flooding during heavy rains that hit southern Andalusia. (Joaquín Corchero/Europa Press via AP)

View of the flooding in the town of San Martin del Tesorillo on Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, affected by flooding during heavy rains that hit southern Andalusia. (Francisco J. Olmo/Europa Press via AP)

LJUBLJANA, Slovenia (AP) — Slovenia’s parliament on Friday appointed right-wing populist politician Janez Jansa as the new prime minister, in a shift for the small European Union country that was previously run by a liberal government.

Lawmakers backed Jansa in a 51-36 vote in the 90-member assembly. The new prime minister will need to come back to Parliament within the next 15 days for another vote to confirm his future Cabinet.

Jansa's appointment concludes a postelection stalemate in Slovenia after a parliamentary ballot two months ago ended practically in a tie. Former liberal Prime Minister Robert Golob's Freedom Movement won by a thin margin but he was unable to muster a parliamentary majority.

Jansa and his populist Slovenian Democratic Party signed a coalition agreement this week with several right-wing groups. The new government also has the backing of a nonestablishment Truth party that first emerged as an anti-vaccination movement during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The new term in office will be the fourth for the veteran Slovenian politician. Jansa, 67, is an admirer of U.S. President Donald Trump and was a close ally of former populist Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who was defeated in a landslide election last month.

Jansa in a speech listed the economy, fight against corruption and red tape, and decentralization as key goals of the future government. He has promised to lower taxes for the rich and support private education and healthcare.

Critical of the previous government's alleged “inefficiency," Jansa said the new government will turn Slovenia into “a country of opportunity, prosperity and justice, where each responsible citizen will feel safe and accepted."

Like Orban, Jansa was staunchly anti-immigrant during the huge migration wave to Europe in 2015. Also like Orban, Jansa has faced accusations of clamping down on democratic institutions and press freedoms during a previous term in 2020-2022. This led to protests at the time, and scrutiny from the European Union.

Golob in his speech described Jansa as “the greatest threat to Slovenia’s sovereignty and democracy."

Alleging that Jansa had threatened to arrest him, Golob said Jansa's "idea of democracy is that anyone who dares speak a word against you deserves only the worst.”

Jansa, a supporter of Israel, also has been a stern critic of the Golob government's 2024 recognition of a Palestinian state.

The vote on March 22 was marred by allegations of foreign influence and corruption. The around 2 million people in the Alpine nation are deeply divided between liberals and conservatives.

Janez Jansa, center, addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa arrives for a session of the Slovenian Parliament in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)

Janez Jansa addresses the Slovenian Parliament during a session in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Friday, May 22, 2026, before appointing him as prime minister, ending a political deadlock after tight elections in March. (AP Photo/Igor Kupljenik)