Génova 13 no longer sees Ayuso as 'immune' after her latest scandals: "It's the first time she's backed down"

The current president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, is at the center of a new controversy that has opened a rift with part of the national leadership of the Partido Popular. From Génova 13, they have begun to distance themselves from the Madrid leader after the criticisms that arose regarding the acquisition of a luxury penthouse in Chamberí and the intended use for the property.

The main point of conflict lies in the purpose intended for the property and its compatibility with urban planning regulations. While Ayuso justified the purchase as a provisional workspace during the rehabilitation of the Real Casa de Correos, the seat of the regional Presidency, municipal regulations establish that this apartment, due to its location and characteristics, must have an exclusively residential use. The controversy finally led the Madrid government to announce the sale of the penthouse to try to close the debate generated.

However, the decision has not managed to quell the criticism, neither from the opposition nor within the Partido Popular itself. The popular deputy Cayetana Álvarez de Toledo, in an interview granted to El País, was asked "have you understood the thing about Isabel Díaz Ayuso and the penthouse?" Her answer was blunt: "No, not yet".

Sources from Génova 13 consulted by this newspaper have expressed themselves along the same lines, considering that the decision to put the property up for sale is an unusual move within the trajectory of the Madrid president. According to these sources, it is "the first time she has backed down" in the face of a controversy of this type.

Furthermore, reliable sources from the national PP show their discomfort with the management of the crisis and consider that the image generated by the operation has caused internal rejection. "That only happens to you when you are deified and believe you are immune to everything," these sources convey, assuring that "the photo of the penthouse has generated shame and indignation internally."

From the popular circle, they also point out that this episode adds to a series of controversies that, in their opinion, have been eroding the image of the Madrid president. Génova 13 maintains that Ayuso "goes from blunder to blunder." "This time she is truly affected," they assume from the party.

Urgent meeting for Ayuso to give explanations

The acquisition of a luxury penthouse through the public company Planifica Madrid, came to light on July 29, in the midst of the forest fire crisis. In just one day, the regional Executive went from defending the operation to announcing that it would put the property up for sale. The acquisition with public money has unleashed criticism from the opposition. In this regard, the Madrid PSOE demanded this Monday that an urgent meeting of the Permanent Deputation Board of the Madrid Assembly be held so that the Government of Isabel Díaz Ayuso can give explanations about the purchase and about the alleged works in the Real Casa de Correos with which they justify the acquisition. 

In this context, the spokesperson for the PSOE of Madrid, Mar Espinar, has accused Ayuso of taking the people of Madrid "for fools" and has stated: "No matter how many media silences they buy with public money and no matter how many sycophants she brings with her to applaud her grace, she cannot hide the truth."  Likewise, Espinar has affirmed that the president of the capital "continues to lie like a scoundrel." 

For the PSOE, the purchase of the luxury home in the exclusive neighborhood of Madrid clashes with the principles of "transparency and legality" and they point out that said acquisition is not included in the annual budget. In the same way, they criticize that there is no contracting file for "the invoked rehabilitation works nor is there an assessment of patrimonial alternatives." Faced with this, the Madrid socialists demand "to shed light on an issue that deserves clarity and transparency." 

The spokesperson for the Madrid PSOE concluded by pointing out that the works are "a hoax." "Ms. Ayuso has come here to live the high life and what Quirón doesn't pay her, the people of Madrid will pay her. What is happening in Madrid is an absolute disgrace."