The tense plenary session in Cibeles
The first plenary session held in Cibeles after the return of the mayor of Madrid, José Luis Martínez Almeida, from his honeymoon trip has ended up becoming a scene of tension, reflecting the situation at the national level between the PSOE and the groups of the opposition after Pedro Sánchez’s decision to continue leading the Government after five days of “reflection” that the PSOE leader began after learning that a Madrid court had opened a case for alleged corruption against his wife, Begoña Gómez.
The hoax about Sánchez’s supposed trip to Doñana
During the tense exchange in the Plenary Session, Almeida spread the rumor that the President of the Government had taken advantage of those days to go to Doñana to “rest.” This hoax was denied by Más Madrid, pointing out that it is false information spread by far-right media.
Tension and confrontations
The tension between the mayor and the spokespersons for the PSOE and Más Madrid remained throughout the plenary session. During her speech, PSOE spokesperson Reyes Maroto urged the mayor to commit to the fight against corruption, recalling the ruling in the Gürtel case that led to the motion of censure that resulted in the election of Pedro Sánchez as President of the Government.
The mayor responded by raising the tone, accusing Sánchez of laughing at the Spaniards and spreading the rumor of the supposed trip to Doñana in Falcón. In addition, he described him as a “populist leader” and “authoritarian.”
Expulsion of Rita Maestre
The confrontation between the PP, the PSOE and Más Madrid culminated with the expulsion of Rita Maestre by order of the President of the Plenary, Borja Fanjul, of the PP. This situation caused the Más Madrid councilors to protest and leave the plenary session in solidarity with Maestre.
