EFE(Updates with rewrite, additional information)
Madrid
5 May 2021
Resounding win for Spain s conservative PP in regional elections
Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso and Popular Party leader Pablo Casado in Madrid, Spain on 4 May 2021. EFE/Mariscal
A handout photo made available by the People s Party (PP s) shows Madrid s regional president and candidate to reelection Isabel Diaz Ayuso (R) and PP Part Leader Pablo Casado as they wait for Madrid s regional elections first results at the party s headquarters in Madrid, central Spain, 04 May 2021. EFE/EPA/PEOPLE PARTY / HANDOUT
Supporters of Spain s Popular Party in Madrid, Spain on 4 May 2021. EFE/Mariscal.
2021-05-05 03:35:38 GMT2021-05-05 11:35:38(Beijing Time) Xinhua English
MADRID, May 5 (Xinhua) The center-right Popular Party (PP) won the elections of the Autonomous Community of Madrid on Tuesday with 65 seats, more than doubling the seats it won in the 2019 elections.
Falling short of an absolute majority, the PP s candidate and Madrid s Regional President Isabel Diaz Ayuso will be able to form a government with the help of other parties, with the far-right VOX seen as a most likely partner.
The Spanish Socialist Workers Party from the center left led by candidate Angel Gabilondo won 24 seats, a loss of 13 seats compared to 2019, while the leftist Mas Madrid with candidate Monica Garcia managed to add four more seats, moving from 20 to 24 seats.
POLLS open this morning to elect the 136 members of the Madrid Assembly amid speculation that the election will affect more than just the Spanish capital – and could push Spain’s politics further to the right. Isabel Diaz Ayuso took over as regional leader of the right-wing People’s Party (PP) two years ago and governed the community in coalition with the Citizen’s Party. The 42-year-old’s style has been described as “Trumpian” with claims that overnight traffic jams in Madrid are part of the city’s cultural identity, and that nobody has died from its air pollution. Her leadership during the pandemic – which claimed almost 15,000 victims – has been criticised by many. Despite this, it is still felt that Ayuso could double the PP’s seats in the Madrid Assembly, as well as trigger the loss of all the Citizen’s seats.
BBC News
Published
image captionIsabel Díaz Ayuso has been re-elected after a bitter election battle
The conservative leader of Spain s Madrid region has won a resounding victory after a bitter election battle.
Despite more than doubling the Popular Party (PP) seats, Isabel Díaz Ayuso still fell short of a majority and may end up in alliance with the far right.
She defied the Socialist-led central government by keeping Madrid s bars and shops open throughout the pandemic.
There was high security following death threats against several candidates.
The acrimonious campaign highlighted the polarisation in Spanish politics.
Ms Ayuso won 44.7% of the vote, taking 65 seats in Madrid s 136-seat assembly. The three-party left bloc could only muster 58 seats between them.