MADRID
Hailed as a flag-bearer of Spain’s anti-lockdown movement, the chief of the country’s capital region turned Madrid this year into a European exception, where bars, restaurants, museums and concert halls remained open even as contagion rates strained hospitals.
Madrid President Isabel Díaz Ayuso’s resistance to sweeping closures and preference for treating COVID-19 patients in cavernous venues have constantly pitched the 42-year-old conservative against Spain’s left-wing ruling coalition. The political strife, which has involved boasts, blame and lawsuits, has escalated in the run-up to a regional election on May 4.
“I’m facing an exam,” Díaz Ayuso, the election frontrunner, told The Associated Press this week. “It’s like asking ‘Do you like what I’ve done until now?’ Well, then give me a broader majority so I can manage things with more strength.”
Lockdown skeptic looks to eclipse far right in Madrid vote
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Lockdown skeptic looks to eclipse far right in Madrid vote
independent.co.uk - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from independent.co.uk Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.