Ayuso’s Political Gamble Pays Off As Populares Win Big In Madrid
Isabel Díaz Ayuso has achieved a notable victory in the elections for the Madrid regional assembly, winning nearly 45% of the vote and a clean sweep of the capital’s 21 districts and 176 of the region’s 179 municipalities.
The Partido Popular over doubled their representation in the 136 seat assembly from 30 seats to 65 seats leaving them just a few votes short of an absolute majority.
The turnout was significantly higher than the last election two years ago – up by over 10 points from 64.3% to a historic high of 76.3% of the 5.1 million electorate .
The results for the new Madrid regional assembly will see the Partido Popular with 65 seats (2019 – 30 seats), PSOE with 24 seats (2019 – 37 seats), Más Madrid with 24 seats ( 20 in 2019), Vox on 13 seats (12 in 2019) and Unidas Podemos with 10 seats ( 7 in 2019).
Former governing coalition partners, Ciudadanos, have proved the big casualties of the election, losing all of their 26 seats due to failing to meet the 5% of the vote threshold for representation – achieving just over 3.5%.
Ayuso ´s victory still leaves her short of an absolute majority but will only need the abstention of Vox in order to form a government. Indeed compared to the previous governing coalition with Ciudadanos which mustered 56 seats – the PP´s tally of 65 makes it all but certain she will remain as Madrid´s premier.
The PP benefited from the collapse in the centrish Ciudadanos vote whose 26 seats went almost exlusively to them leaving the combined left vote of PSOE, Mas Madrid and Unidad Podermos with just 58 seats between them.
The failed breakthrough for the former deputy prime minister and leader of Unidas Podermos, Pablo
Iglesias, had an immediate reaction in his late night resignation announcement as leader as well as withdrawing from front line politics.
The failure of the PSOE to neutralise the “Ayuso effect” may also have consequences for their Madrid leader, Ángel Gabilondo, who went from having the largest party in the assembly to third place behind Mas Madrid who gained votes and parity with the PSOE on 24 seats.
The effect of the elections on the national scene remains to be seen; the central government´s PSOE / Podermos minority coalition remains stable and ahead of the Partido Popular in national opinion polls.
The votes cast for the main parties was as follows:
- Partido Popular: 1,613,018 ( 44.73%)
- Mas Madrid:611,629 ( 16.91%)
- PSOE: 607,788 ( 16.85%)
- Vox: 329,280 ( 9.13%)
- Unidas Podermos: 259,826 ( 7.21%)
- Ciudadanos: 128,547 ( 3.56%)
