Ayuso hands former Madrid leaders €33,750 allowances in new posts
Gallardón, Aguirre and Cifuentes will receive 750 euros per meeting of Madrid's Legal Advisory Commission, up to €33,750 a year. A textbook sinecure.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Ayuso revives the former presidents' sinecure with allowances worth €33,750
Isabel Díaz Ayuso's government has switched the sinecure machine back on. The Legal Advisory Commission of the Community of Madrid will include Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, Esperanza Aguirre and Cristina Cifuentes as appointed members, each receiving a 750-euro allowance per meeting. With the 45 meetings held in 2025, each of them could earn up to 33,750 euros a year.
The archives hold a juicy detail: it was Cifuentes who abolished this body in 2015, and she now returns as a member. A gesture some read as institutionalised golden retirement.
A double standard on public waste
The decision reopens the battle of figures over political spending. While criticism focuses on these allowances, others point out that the central government keeps more than 80-90 million euros a year in advisers. The difference is substantial: 33,750 euros versus tens of millions. But the substance is the same: public money out of the taxpayer's pocket to pay for loyalty.
The sinecure as an institution
Some argue the problem is not the party but the system: Spain's regional governments squander money on advisory structures that advise no one. The anecdote of Cifuentes advising on the very body she abolished is the perfect metaphor for Spanish politics, where decisions are reversed depending on who holds the chair.
The question hangs in the air: how many reports does it take to justify 33,750 euros a year? No one answers. The former presidents, though, get paid for knowing.
Isabel Díaz Ayuso's government has switched the sinecure machine back on. The Legal Advisory Commission of the Community of Madrid will include Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón, Esperanza Aguirre and Cristina Cifuentes as appointed members, each receiving a 750-euro allowance per meeting. With the 45 meetings held in 2025, each of them could earn up to 33,750 euros a year.
The archives hold a juicy detail: it was Cifuentes who abolished this body in 2015, and she now returns as a member. A gesture some read as institutionalised golden retirement.
A double standard on public waste
The decision reopens the battle of figures over political spending. While criticism focuses on these allowances, others point out that the central government keeps more than 80-90 million euros a year in advisers. The difference is substantial: 33,750 euros versus tens of millions. But the substance is the same: public money out of the taxpayer's pocket to pay for loyalty.
The sinecure as an institution
Some argue the problem is not the party but the system: Spain's regional governments squander money on advisory structures that advise no one. The anecdote of Cifuentes advising on the very body she abolished is the perfect metaphor for Spanish politics, where decisions are reversed depending on who holds the chair.
The question hangs in the air: how many reports does it take to justify 33,750 euros a year? No one answers. The former presidents, though, get paid for knowing.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (10 replies).
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