Regional in Madrid: the right triumphs, stinging setback for Pedro Sánchez
Isabel Diaz Ayuso and PP national leader Pablo Casado greet supporters as they celebrate regional election results at the balcony of PP headquarters in Madrid, Spain on May 4, 2021. REUTERS - SUSANA VERA
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8 mins
The Spanish right and its rising figure, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, triumphed Tuesday, May 4 in the regional elections in Madrid and proclaimed that this victory was a step in its reconquest of power at the national level against the socialist Pedro Sánchez.
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“
A new chapter in the history of Spain begins today,
” said Ms. Díaz Ayuso, 42, in front of a compact crowd gathered in front of the headquarters of her formation, the Popular Party (PP), in the center of the Spanish capital. "
Because today, starting from Madrid, from kilometer O, we will find the pride (...) the unity and freedom that Spain needs
", "
the days are numbered
" for the left-wing government of Pedro Sánchez, she added, claiming to address all Spaniards.
Madrid ha elegido #Libertad, concordia y un gobierno para todos.
Desde el Kilómetro Cero vamos to recover the unity, the conviviality and the freedom that toda España necesita.
¡Viva Madrid y viva España!
pic.twitter.com/7GYMxhL05V
- Isabel Díaz Ayuso (@IdiazAyuso) May 4, 2021
According to still partial results, the outgoing president of the region, a firm opponent of strict health restrictions, doubled her score in the last regional election in May 2019, totaling more than 44% of the vote and 64 seats out of 136 in the regional parliament.
The PP, which has led the region for 26 years, lacking an absolute majority, will have to rely on the far-right Vox party, which has already supported Ms. Díaz Ayuso for two years and indicated on Tuesday evening that it would continue to do.
For the Socialist Party and Mr. Sánchez, who was personally involved in the campaign and tried to mobilize his electorate by brandishing the threat of the extreme right, this election is a stinging setback two years before the next legislative elections.
Leading in 2019 in the region, the Socialists (25 seats) lose 12 regional deputies, while the left as a whole totals only 59 seats, less than the only PP.
►Also read:
Spain: regional elections in Madrid, a ballot worth a national test
Very strong mobilization
Despite the pandemic, the more than 5.1 million voters turned out en masse, with turnout estimated at 75%, an increase of more than 10 points compared to the previous election.
This very strong mobilization reflected the national scope of the poll, whose very tense campaign was marked by the sending of letters of death threats to candidates containing bullets.
The PP presented this election as a test for Pedro Sánchez and a step on the way to his return to power in Spain.
"
Today, Madrid adopted a motion of democratic censure against sanchism
", referring to the name of the Prime Minister, its leader Pablo Casado said Tuesday evening, speaking of "
an inflection point in national politics
".
At the head of the Spanish government from 2011 to 2018, this formation, which remains behind the Socialists in the voting intentions at the national level, was driven out by a motion of censure filed by Pedro Sánchez following a corruption scandal.
There are three main lessons to be learned.
The first is to strengthen its leadership ...
Benoît Pellistrandi, historian of Spain and senior professor at the Lycée Condorcet
Jelena tomic
"Freedom" for slogan
This victory in Madrid is above all that of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who had made Pedro Sánchez his only opponent and had taken for slogan "Freedom".
Despite pressure from the central government, this supporter of a very right-wing and populist line has always refused to impose strict restrictions against the pandemic in order to protect businesses, especially bars and restaurants, which have remained open.
A strategy that has borne fruit, against the backdrop of the fed up of part of the public with regard to anti-Covid measures.
Its detractors put forward the grim health situation in the Madrid region, which, with some 15,000 deaths from Covid-19 out of a total of 78,000 for all of Spain and nearly 700,000 cases out of a total of 3.5 million, presents the worst record of the 17 regions of the country.
The left was mobilized on the denunciation of the health policy of the right in Madrid ...
Benoît Pellistrandi, historian of Spain and senior professor at the Lycée Condorcet
Jelena tomic
This election was caused by the surprise decision of Mrs. Díaz Ayuso to end her alliance with the center-right Ciudadanos party, which suffered a historic setback and no longer has any regional deputies.
Another loser in this election, Pablo Iglesias, leader of the radical left party Podemos and partner of the socialists in power, had left the government to lead the list of his training in Madrid.
Pablo Iglesias also announces that he is abandoning all his political functions.
If he improved the score of his party (10 seats against 7), he totally failed his bet to oust the right from power in the region.
(With
AFP
)
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