Ayuso overshadows Casado with opposition to pardons

MadridIsabel Díaz Ayuso has not waited even a week to start the friendly fire against Pablo Casado. On the day that the President of PP has asked the Spanish President, Pedro Sánchez, to resign for the granting of pardons, the President of the Community of Madrid has tried to overshadow its organic leader with an institutional statement - without questions - at the headquarters of the Puerta del Sol in which she has expressed her frontal rejection of the pardons. After the meeting of the governing council, has proclaimed that it will not allow that "companies and self-employed from Madrid, and much less the rest of taxpayers, pay for this party. Ayuso has thus linked an alleged collusion of Sanchez with sovereignism and tax policies of which he preaches".

The appearance has occurred shortly before the Spanish government announced that Sanchez will receive the Madrid President on July 9th. In a visit to the Isabel Zendal Hospital, he has taken the opportunity to announce that he will move to the head of the Spanish executive that are the Catalan businessmen who "pay for these pardons and the road to independence". "From what I see, the majority are in favour", said Ayuso, who insisted that she will not allow the tax harmonisation promised by the Spanish government - which has to reduce Madrid's fiscal dumping - "to serve for this."

Ayuso has also asked Sanchez to call elections with pardons in the electoral program - despite the fact that they are already granted - and, in this sense, coincides with what Casado has expressed this Wednesday morning in the control session in Congress. Even so, in Madrid any manifestation of Ayuso on Spanish politics is read as a desire to mark his own profile, and the appearance of this Thursday carries reasons for this thesis. "In the last 48 hours, all [the regional Presidents of PP] have come out showing their rejection. Today Ayuso has left because she had her first government council", they allege from Genoa, despite the fact that the first executive meeting was on Monday. The rest of the territorial ministers have not appeared to expressly make an institutional statement on this matter.

On the other hand, the President of Madrid contributes to the distancing of her party with the business sector. Casado brought it about last week when he described as "accomplices" the actors of civil society who had spoken out in favour of pardons. Among them, the Catalan bishops, Foment del Treball and the Cercle de Economia, where he was left alone vehemently opposing the pardons. There have been days of tension among businessmen and good proof of this is because the President of the CEOE, Antonio Garamendi, has not been able to hold back tears on Wednesday when the assembly of employers has received him with a standing ovation, after his hesitation regarding pardons.