Ayuso peaks revenge and relegates ‘casadistas’ to irrelevant positions in Madrid rosters for 28M

Ayuso does not forgive. The president of the Community of Madrid has made public the lists with which she will stand in the elections on May 28. The conclusion is clear: he casadism I’m done.

The lists are distinguished by the lack of profiles close to the former president of the People’s Party and the dance of names from the list of the Assembly to that of the City Council. All those who did not take a clear position in favor of Ayuso when the civil war broke out in the PP in February last year will be part of the list that Almeida will lead the next 28-M. This is the case of the administrators of the Community of Madrid, David Pérez, Carlos Izquierdo and Marta Rivera de la Cruz.

Other loyal to Pablo Casado like Ana Camin they were punished. Camins was one of the few to accompany Casado all the way, a reason that gave Ayuso ammunition to relegate him to number 3 on the list of Majadahonda Town Hall. On the other hand, Diego Sanjuan Benito, Casado’s former chief of staff, avoided being relegated and therefore decided to give up politics.

With the presentation of the lists, Ayuso’s revenge in Madrid culminates. A battle which, in recent months, has been waged with precise internal decisions and clear messages. As he warned on the first anniversary of his election victory, he will not forget those who “they questioned the honesty of my government”, assured.

Its first victim was the current Minister of Justice and the Interior, Enrique Lopez. He had been designated in 2019 as a strong man for Casado in the Community of Madrid. A post he lost after the fall of the popular former president and Ayuso’s loss of confidence after the internal war. In February, coinciding with the first anniversary of Casado’s departure, the minister was already preparing to leave the Ayuso government after the elections. In a letter, he assured that he was leaving the party to return to the judiciary.

The second onslaught came a few months later, when the president of Madrid announced that the mayors of Majadahonda and Pozuelo they would not run as candidates. Both supported the former president in February 2022. Finally, the latest attack on Pablo Casado’s sector came with the presentation of the lists, a few candidacies in which no one stands out. owner in the Madrid Assembly and the City Council they have been relegated to positions where they can hardly be elected. This is the case of Blanca Pinedo or Loreto Sordo, the latter with few possibilities according to the surveys -although some exist-. However, in the case of Pinedo, there is no possibility of her being elected – she was placed beyond the number 30-.

Andrea Levy was one of the profiles imposed by the Pablo Casado and García Egea team in 2019 on Almeida’s list. Although her good relationship with Casado is known, Ayuso did not relegate her to impossible choice positions, nor did she punish her by sending her to a smaller commune like Camins. However, the drop in position is significant. The current cultural adviser has died from position number 2 to 13, surpassed by Marta Rivera de la Cruz, current Minister of Tourism and Culture.

Two very similar profiles and for which sooner or later the mayor, if he wins, will have to decide to entrust one of them with the responsibility of the cultural center of the Town Hall. Almeida, a few months ago, maintained during an informative breakfast that his intention was, in the event of revalidation, keep the same team However, in the statement shared by the Community of Madrid party, it is argued that “the lists have been drawn up in such a way that the district presidents can be, a posteriori, the councilors who are responsible for them in the Consistory”. District chairpersons include names like Carlos Segura (Center), Ángel Ramos (Vicálvaro) or Orlando Chacón (Villaverde), all linked to Ayuso.

Among the profiles that the Madrid management have incorporated among the executives of Ciudadanos, names such as Angel Niño or José Aniorte for the town hall. In either case, it will be difficult for them to be elected according to the polls, however, Niño, at number 25, plays in a better position than Aniorte, whom Ayuso placed at number 31 due to his relationship with Alberto Reyero, former adviser for families in the government of Ayuso and Aguado in 2020. Both profiles had wanted to put Almeida on their lists for some time, but he needed the green light from the Madrid management.