Isabel Diaz Ayuso and Pablo Casado of the right-wing Popular Party celebrate the result of Madrid's regional elections. EPA
Isabel Diaz Ayuso and Pablo Casado of the right-wing Popular Party celebrate the result of Madrid's regional elections. EPA
Isabel Diaz Ayuso and Pablo Casado of the right-wing Popular Party celebrate the result of Madrid's regional elections. EPA
Isabel Diaz Ayuso and Pablo Casado of the right-wing Popular Party celebrate the result of Madrid's regional elections. EPA

Madrid election: lockdown opponent Isabel Diaz Ayuso coasts to victory


Paul Carey
  • English
  • Arabic

Isabel Diaz Ayuso, Madrid’s combative conservative leader who campaigned under the slogan of “Freedom”, won a resounding victory in a regional election.

The result cements her position as Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s most powerful critic.

Ms Ayuso is a champion of relaxed measures against the coronavirus and is a scourge of the left-wing central government’s handling of the pandemic.

With nearly all votes counted, results early on Wednesday showed a solid win for Ms Ayuso, a rising star in the right-wing Popular Party, who won almost 45 per cent of the votes.

Since being plucked from relative obscurity to run Spain’s most important region 18 months ago, she has won popularity with her unapologetically hardline rhetoric, by consistently attacking Mr Sanchez and by challenging the European consensus on restrictions to movement and economic activity during the pandemic.

“Freedom has won in Madrid, once again,” Ms Ayuso said in her victory speech. "Today begins a new chapter in the history of Spain.”

Madrid is the only major European capital that has kept bars, restaurants and theatres open since a national lockdown ended in June last year.

Isabel Diaz Ayuso won a resounding victory in Madrid's regional election. EPA
Isabel Diaz Ayuso won a resounding victory in Madrid's regional election. EPA

Although Madrid has suffered Spain's highest numbers of infections and deaths, Ms Ayuso consistently defied calls to shut bars and restaurants, with the hospitality sector regarding her as a heroine.

In a sign that her popularity extends beyond Spanish borders, the leader of Italy’s right-wing League, Matteo Salvini, praised the Madrid regional chief.

“Congratulations and good work to President Isabel Díaz Ayuso, winner of the Madrid elections, a woman of common sense and courage, who has combined protection of health, right to work and freedom,” he said.

People wave Spanish flags outside the Vox party headquarters in Madrid. AP
People wave Spanish flags outside the Vox party headquarters in Madrid. AP

With 95 per cent of the votes counted, Ms Ayuso more than doubled her party's showing in the 2019 ballot, winning 65 of the regional parliament's 136 seats, while the Socialists lost 13 seats to secure only 24.

Falling short of an absolute majority of 69 seats, Ms Ayuso, 42, will be forced to seek support from the far-right Vox party that secured 13 seats – an option she said "wouldn't be the end of the world".

Vox leader Santiago Abascal congratulated Ms Ayuso while celebrating what he defined as a major defeat for Mr Sanchez.

With the left facing with a major defeat, Pablo Iglesias, head of the far-left Podemos party, junior partner in Spain's ruling coalition, announced he was stepping down from politics.

"We have failed. We have been very far from putting together a sufficient majority," he said, just seven weeks after standing down as deputy prime minister to run as his party's candidate.

"When you are no longer useful, you need to know when to withdraw."

More than 5.1 million people were eligible to vote in Tuesday's election, which came after a bitterly and divisive campaign in a region ruled by the Popular Party for 26 years.

From the early hours, there were long queues outside polling stations, with turnout at 76 per cent, about 11 percentage points higher than 2019.

Ms Ayuso’s call for a snap election caught the political establishment by surprise but was an astute move aimed at cashing in on the political capital she had clearly accrued.

More on Europe

Also on December 7 to 9, the third edition of the Gulf Car Festival (www.gulfcarfestival.com) will take over Dubai Festival City Mall, a new venue for the event. Last year's festival brought together about 900 cars worth more than Dh300 million from across the Emirates and wider Gulf region – and that first figure is set to swell by several hundred this time around, with between 1,000 and 1,200 cars expected. The first day is themed around American muscle; the second centres on supercars, exotics, European cars and classics; and the final day will major in JDM (Japanese domestic market) cars, tuned vehicles and trucks. Individuals and car clubs can register their vehicles, although the festival isn’t all static displays, with stunt drifting, a rev battle, car pulls and a burnout competition.

Top investing tips for UAE residents in 2021

Build an emergency fund: Make sure you have enough cash to cover six months of expenses as a buffer against unexpected problems before you begin investing, advises Steve Cronin, the founder of DeadSimpleSaving.com.

Think long-term: When you invest, you need to have a long-term mindset, so don’t worry about momentary ups and downs in the stock market.

Invest worldwide: Diversify your investments globally, ideally by way of a global stock index fund.

Is your money tied up: Avoid anything where you cannot get your money back in full within a month at any time without any penalty.

Skip past the promises: “If an investment product is offering more than 10 per cent return per year, it is either extremely risky or a scam,” Mr Cronin says.

Choose plans with low fees: Make sure that any funds you buy do not charge more than 1 per cent in fees, Mr Cronin says. “If you invest by yourself, you can easily stay below this figure.” Managed funds and commissionable investments often come with higher fees.

Be sceptical about recommendations: If someone suggests an investment to you, ask if they stand to gain, advises Mr Cronin. “If they are receiving commission, they are unlikely to recommend an investment that’s best for you.”

Get financially independent: Mr Cronin advises UAE residents to pursue financial independence. Start with a Google search and improve your knowledge via expat investing websites or Facebook groups such as SimplyFI. 

Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
  • Priority access to new homes from participating developers
  • Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
  • Flexible payment plans from developers
  • Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
  • DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
While you're here
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%3Cp%3ECreator%3A%20Tima%20Shomali%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%C2%A0Tara%20Abboud%2C%C2%A0Kira%20Yaghnam%2C%20Tara%20Atalla%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

Richard Jewell

Director: Clint Eastwood

Stars: Paul Walter Hauser, Sam Rockwell, Brandon Stanley

Two-and-a-half out of five stars 

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The rules on fostering in the UAE

A foster couple or family must:

  • be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
  • not be younger than 25 years old
  • not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
  • be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
  • have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
  • undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
  • A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
The biog

Favourite colour: Brown

Favourite Movie: Resident Evil

Hobbies: Painting, Cooking, Imitating Voices

Favourite food: Pizza

Trivia: Was the voice of three characters in the Emirati animation, Shaabiyat Al Cartoon

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How to apply for a drone permit
  • Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
  • Add all their personal details, including name, nationality, passport number, Emiratis ID, email and phone number
  • Upload the training certificate from a centre accredited by the GCAA
  • Submit their request
What are the regulations?
  • Fly it within visual line of sight
  • Never over populated areas
  • Ensure maximum flying height of 400 feet (122 metres) above ground level is not crossed
  • Users must avoid flying over restricted areas listed on the UAE Drone app
  • Only fly the drone during the day, and never at night
  • Should have a live feed of the drone flight
  • Drones must weigh 5 kg or less
HEADLINE HERE
  • I would recommend writing out the text in the body 
  • And then copy into this box
  • It can be as long as you link
  • But I recommend you use the bullet point function (see red square)
  • Or try to keep the word count down
  • Be wary of other embeds lengthy fact boxes could crash into 
  • That's about it
What can victims do?

Always use only regulated platforms

Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion

Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)

Report to local authorities

Warn others to prevent further harm

Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence

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UK-EU trade at a glance

EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years

Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products

Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries

Smoother border management with use of e-gates

Cutting red tape on import and export of food

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Brief scoreline:

Manchester United 1

Mata 11'

Chelsea 1

Alonso 43'

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: ARDH Collective
Based: Dubai
Founders: Alhaan Ahmed, Alyina Ahmed and Maximo Tettamanzi
Sector: Sustainability
Total funding: Self funded
Number of employees: 4
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Packages which the US Secret Service said contained possible explosive devices were sent to:

  • Former first lady Hillary Clinton
  • Former US president Barack Obama
  • Philanthropist and businessman George Soros
  • Former CIA director John Brennan at CNN's New York bureau
  • Former Attorney General Eric Holder (delivered to former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz)
  • California Congresswoman Maxine Waters (two devices)
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Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Mobile phone packages comparison
Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law