Date Published: 05/05/2021
ARCHIVED - Madrid election consolidates position of the right as Partido Popular remain in power
ARCHIVED ARTICLE A local election has been held in Madrid this week with the Partido Popular (PP’s) Isabel Diaz Ayuso holding on to power for another four years.
Madrid’s PP had previously been in power in coalition with centrist Cuidadanos party but recent anti-socialist feeling brought on by the strict restrictions imposed by the governing PSOE party during the pandemic and outrage over the shift in position of Ciudadanos following the failed coup in Murcia saw support move to right-wing parties, leaving the PP to govern with the support of Vox.
At this moment it is unclear whether Vox will want to enter into the government with the PP or will simply use its delegates to support the investiture of Ayuso.
The election was called in Madrid after the Cuidadanos party in Murcia attempted to throw out their PP partners in March, calling for a vote of no confidence in the party.
The coup failed when PP head Fernando Lopez Miras offered ministerial roles to three key Murcia Cuidadanos politicians and gained the support of Vox. However, the attempt left the door open for unhappy PP-Cuidadanos coalition partners across Spain to make their own bids to govern alone or in partnership with parties whose political interests are more similarly aligned to their own.
This was the case in Madrid and voters castigated the party, Ciudadanos losing all 26 of its seats and failing to even gain one seat in the regional assembly, a huge rejection of the changing position of the party. Ciudadanos has built its support by adopting a central position and playing the role of powermaker, rather than attempting to gain power itself; the failed coup in Murcia totally changed this position and has thrown the party into such disarray that its long-term survival has now become questionable.
In the end, regional premier Isabel Ayuso strengthened her position, securing 65 seats for the PP, which is only four less than an absolute majority and a significant improvement on her position following the previous elections.
Added to the 13 seats of far-right Vox, this gives the right a total of 77 deputies, compared to the 25 of the Socialist Party (PSOE), 24 of Más Madrid and 10 of Unidas Podemos, which gives the left 59 seats.
Although calling an early regional election was a gamble which could have back-fired, Ayuso capitalised on the discontent within the capital city following the recent lockdowns and the terrible economic impact on businesses within the city, blaming the administration of the PSOE Socialist national government for the hardship suffered during the pandemic.
This is logically prompting significant comment in the Spanish media about the long-term future of the Socialist party and the potential repercussions of the pandemic in the next elections.
Image: PP Madrid