Ayuso's PP adopts aggressive counterattacks to silence critics and deflect scandals

In Madrid, the People's Party under Isabel Díaz Ayuso is reported to handle controversies by attacking the individuals who raise them. When surgeon Luis Martos accused the health department of tampering with waiting-list data at Hospital Ramón y Cajal, health minister Fátima Matute responded with a televised denunciation, claiming the doctor manipulated records and faced disciplinary proceedings, and Martos said he would file a defamation suit.

The pattern extends to chief of staff Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, who has issued threats to journalists from one outlet and El País and circulated fabricated claims of masked attackers. Internal party discipline is also highlighted by the case of a former Móstoles councillor who reported sexual and workplace harassment by mayor Manuel Bautista, only to be rebuffed by senior party figures such as Ana Millán. Additionally, the party prevented Planifica Madrid CEO Pedro Corbalán from testifying in the Assembly amid the controversy over a luxury apartment purchased with public funds. These episodes illustrate a broader strategy of intimidation and denial rather than transparent inquiry.