The protocol is to politics what the Red Cross is to war conflicts. And the disappearance of the slightest dialogue between the parties is synonymous with the fact that the last of the bridges has been blown up and that what follows is the deployment of artillery.
That was precisely what happened yesterday at the institutional act of the day of the Community of Madrid held at Puerta del Sol, where the theatrical representation of the battle of May 2, 1808 was eclipsed by the real, almost physical battle between the Regional executive, headed by Isabel DÃaz Ayuso, and the central government, represented, among others, by the Minister of the Presidency, Félix Bolaños.
To understand what happened, we must go back to Sunday when 48 hours of mutual reproaches began after Bolaños announced his intention to attend the institutional act organized by the Community, even though the Community had denied him the formal invitation.
Despite the rattling of sabers, the Community reluctantly opted to reserve a chair in the first row of authorities for the “self-invited minister” yesterday during the commemorative medals delivery ceremony held in the courtyard of the Royal Post Office. However, in the civic-military act in tribute to the “heroes of Dos de Mayo” he did not save a place for Minister Bolaños in the honorary gallery, which did include, in addition to Ayuso, Jemad, Teodoro Esteban Lopez; the Defense Minister, Margarita Robles; the mayor of Madrid, José Luis MartÃnez-Almeida; the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo; the regional vice president, Enrique Ossorio, and the president of the Assembly, Eugenia Carballedo.
Seeing that he was going to be left out of the authorities’ photo, Bolaños put one foot on the platform ladder, but at that moment the Community protocol team prevented him from passing: “We beg you to comply with the regulations,” was the explanation from Ayuso’s team, to which Bolaños’ team replied with a blunt “the minister of Spain has to go upâ€.
After a tense exchange of views in which some argued that the institutional representation was “perfectly established”, while the others argued that it was “failing to comply with the protocol decree” – specifically royal decree 2099/1983 that regulates the presence of authorities–, Bolaños ended up giving up on his attempt.
All of this occurred under the watchful eye of Robles, the only Sanchista minister who enjoys the sympathies of the PP and who, sheltered behind her sunglasses, made no move to mutiny with Bolaños or to accompany him in his exile. Even more striking was the subsequent alignment of the president of the Government of Aragon, the socialist Javier Lambán, who seconded the operation orchestrated by the Community of Madrid, alleging that “a minister is not essential in an autonomous act.”
All this farce obeys the strategy designed by the chief of staff of the Madrid president. Miguel Ãngel RodrÃguez has given the order to keep the direct confrontation of the president with the president of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, as tense as possible. And the objective is none other than to convert the uncontested electoral victory of 2021 into an absolute majority on the basis of a confrontation with the Government. A majority that allows governing without the need for Vox and, not least, without the tutelage of Feijóo, whose results in the general elections will be immediately compared with those of the Madrid leader. Especially if it does not take the PP to Moncloa.
Ayuso may not be able to choose the guests at his party, but he has unequivocally chosen Sánchez as his enemy.
