The PP is been in charge of Madrid, Spain’s wealthiest region for 26 years.
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| [Madrid City/Pexels] |
Isabel Diaz Ayuso, the leader of the right-wing Popular Party or PP in the Madrid region, is adamant that she will be re-elected after defying the national government.
For 26 years, the PP has ruled Madrid, Spain's wealthiest city. However, this election is unlike any other since it is taking place during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Ayuso has consistently defied government pressure to implement COVID-19 lockdowns, claiming that they would cause too much economic damage.
Despite infection rates well above the national average, the capital of Spain has some of the loosest controls, allowing bars and restaurants to remain open.
According to Isabel Diaz, "They told me that you must close because the minister has ordered it. Because you must communicate with one another, and because moderation is needed. It's what they often use to lull you back into a corner, forcing you to shut up, cower, and focus on your own well-being rather than the well-being of others."
The election was called in March after the PP unexpectedly ended its regional coalition agreement with Cuidadanos, a center-right faction.
The leader of the left-wing Podemos party, Pablo Iglesias Turrión, resigned as deputy prime minister to run in the Madrid election. He and several other government officials have recently received death notices in the mail.
Podemos adopted the slogan "Democracy or Fascism?" after Roco Monasterio, an architect and regional leader of the far-right Vox party, questioned the letters.
The Podemos Party's Pablo Iglesias says: "We cannot be expected to discuss with those who raise serious concerns about death threats. When people on the far right say outrageous things, I believe it's a mistake to normalize them."
Since the socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, who received the most votes, was unable to form a coalition in 2019, the right was able to maintain power.
The PP is well ahead this time, but it will still need a partner to rule, increasing the possibility of the far right getting a say in how an area of nearly seven million citizens is managed.
Source: Al Jazeera