Article 155 for Ayuso? Chronicle of a normal day in the Madrid Assembly
In the Madrid Parliament, we hear phrases reminiscent of 2017: "Ayuso is not above the law. She will have to comply with it."
Madrid"[Isabel Díaz] Ayuso is not above the law. She will have to comply with it," said Manuela Bergerot, spokesperson for Más Madrid, in the corridors of the Madrid Assembly on Thursday. This was a phrase often heard from representatives of the PSC, Catalunya Sí Que es Pot, Cs, or the PP in 2017, when the Catalan government was preparing to unilaterally declare independence, changing the subject to "Carles Puigdemont." Eight years after the DUI (Monday is October 27th), the regional chamber of the Spanish capital has replaced the Parliament of Catalonia.honor of hosting the most tense plenary sessions, especially during the sessions overseeing the Madrid president.
Thursday's session wasn't the most strident, but it serves as an example of the challenge Ayuso poses to the Spanish government. The Official State Gazette published on Wednesday that the Madrid government must place a plaque on the Real Casa de Correos, the headquarters of the regional executive in Puerta del Sol, marking it as a space of democratic memory. Ayuso's team, which fought a long battle to prevent this, immediately circulated that the file had expired, but the Ministry of Territorial Policy has already made it clear that no, that everything has been done correctly and that the plaque must be placed. "She's rebellious," denounce opposition groups in the Madrid Assembly.
In response to the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Ayuso has made a proposal: "Put a plaque in Moncloa Palace that says 'Pedro Sánchez's brother was hidden here.' What's more, I'll give them another plaque that they can put up in Ferraz: 'We accept cash payments.'" In the coming days, the degree of cooperation from the Madrid regional government will have to be seen when state executive personnel go to Sol to place the commemorative plaque.
Where Ayuso has the most room to oppose Sánchez is on issues where there is a conflict of powers. In recent weeks, this has been a topic of discussion with the Ministry of Health's request to create a register of doctors who conscientiously object to abortion. There is a state law that obliges regional governments to do this, but they have the powers to offer women who wish to voluntarily terminate their pregnancies the option of using the public health system or not.
The Madrid Assembly, where Ayuso is booed by PSOE and Más Madrid every Thursday, will not be dissolved like Parliament in 2017. Certainly, the independence project and Ayuso's rebellion are not comparable, nor are the Senate majorities—absolute for the PP—. "If I could, I would propose an article 155 to intervene in the housing jurisdiction of the Community of Madrid. It is impossible for an average Madrilenian to access housing, and that is because of Ayuso," warned the Minister of Housing, Isabel Rodríguez, a few days ago on the program The Sixth Column.