Ayuso slams Spanish government's plan to cancel Madrid's May 2nd military parade

Spanish government plans to cancel the May 2nd military parade: Ayuso calls it 'inconceivable'

Isabel Díaz Ayuso has said that Pedro Sánchez's government has informed her of its intention to ban the traditional military parade that marches down the Castellana every May 2nd for Madrid Community Day. The Madrid regional president, in an interview with COPE, described the decision as «deeply painful» and «inconceivable», framing it as part of a series of «attacks» by the central government against Madrid, including «the use of all the state's resources». If confirmed, it would be the first time this event has been suspended since the era of Joaquín Leguina, the region's first president, elected in 1983.

The origin of the controversy: revenge for the Bolaños veto?

Ayuso's complaint does not come out of nowhere. The previous year, on May 2nd, 2023, the Ministry of the Presidency tried to have Félix Bolaños attend the official ceremony, but he was not invited by the regional government —according to the official version, because the invitation was not sent in time—. That episode already strained relations, and now, with this new threat of a ban, some see it as retaliation. A linguistic debate has also crept into the controversy: several analysts point out that the correct term is «desfile», not «parada» —an anglicism from parade—, though the wordplay barely distracts from the political substance.

From the parade to the 7,291: the debate shifts to the pandemic

As often happens in any controversy involving the Madrid president, the discussion has quickly shifted to the handling of the pandemic in care homes. The figure of 7,291 deaths in Madrid nursing homes during March and April 2020 —already used by Pablo Iglesias on December 14th, 2022, and drawn from the official data of the Community of Madrid itself— has resurfaced. Some argue the government wants to undermine Ayuso's credibility by recalling those figures; others reply that the parade is a smokescreen to avoid talking about the number. What is clear is that the episode shows how any institutional gesture becomes a political battleground where the original issue ends up buried under layers of mutual recrimination.

Who is in charge of the Army?

The underlying paradox is that the increase in military spending approved by the central government clashes with the decision to cancel a parade that would showcase precisely the equipment purchased. While some argue that the May 2nd celebration is not a partisan event but a tribute to the heroes of 1808 —Daoiz, Velarde, Ruiz— who acted on their own initiative, others point out that the Army as an institution remained neutral then and should remain so now. The territorial question also looms: some believe the parade is a national, not a regional, event, and that Ayuso acts as if the Army were an instrument of her own fiefdom.

Will the parade ultimately be cancelled? Pending official confirmation from the Ministry of Defence, the battle of narratives is ready to begin. In politics, sometimes what is not said is as important as what is announced.