Isabel Díaz Ayuso, the new hope of Spain’s right

WHEN OWNERSPP of cafés and bars in Madrid wanted to honour the regional boss, Isabel Díaz Ayuso, after the hardest months of the pandemic were over, several offered dishes , , or with two eggs; a reference to the expression’s other meaning: “with a pair of balls”.Ms Ayuso is riding a wave. In 2019 she was elected president of the Madrid region (including the city and surrounding towns, with 6.6m people), representing the centre-right People’s Party (). Just a year later she faced a brutal first wave of the coronavirus, and heavy criticism for its toll on Madrid. Nonetheless, over the ensuing year, she fought to keep the region’s businesses open—earning the gratitude of such as those bar owners. Today her face adorns signs in shops (“We Are All Ayuso”), and even socks depicting her as a Catholic saint.