Spain's 'Marquise of Galapagar': €30,000 a month to hold a selfie phone
Madrid's regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso was photographed taking a selfie with a personal assistant reportedly paid €30,000 a month. The debate over political privilege has reignited.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
A personal assistant for selfies: the Madrid president's latest luxury
An image of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, accompanied by a bald man holding her phone so she can take a selfie, has spread like wildfire on social media. Far from being an anecdote, the scene has peine the debate about the privileges of the political class. According to figures that have come to light, the personal assistant who serves as her "selfie stick" would earn around €30,000 a month, a figure that contrasts with the austerity rhetoric the president has defended on other occasions.
The comments were not long in coming: some describe the situation as "humiliating", while others joke about the professionalisation of posturing. The presence of a bodyguard who also doubles as an improvised photographer has been compared to the excesses of royalty. Besides holding the phone, the assistant appears to be in charge of making sure the picture comes out perfect, which has spawned endless memes and sarcasm.
To understand the context, it is worth recalling Ayuso's past on social media when she worked for Madrid's Popular Party (PP). There has been much debate over whether or not she was Esperanza Aguirre's dog's community manager, a hoax she herself denied in a 2021 interview. What is clear is that the president knows the dynamics of digital communication well, and having an assistant for selfies could be a sign of her absolute control over her image.
With a salary of around €30,000 a month for this kind of task, many are asking whether there are more efficient ways to spend public money. The question left hanging: is this the kind of governance Madrid needs?
Related discussions in the forum
An image of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, accompanied by a bald man holding her phone so she can take a selfie, has spread like wildfire on social media. Far from being an anecdote, the scene has peine the debate about the privileges of the political class. According to figures that have come to light, the personal assistant who serves as her "selfie stick" would earn around €30,000 a month, a figure that contrasts with the austerity rhetoric the president has defended on other occasions.
The comments were not long in coming: some describe the situation as "humiliating", while others joke about the professionalisation of posturing. The presence of a bodyguard who also doubles as an improvised photographer has been compared to the excesses of royalty. Besides holding the phone, the assistant appears to be in charge of making sure the picture comes out perfect, which has spawned endless memes and sarcasm.
To understand the context, it is worth recalling Ayuso's past on social media when she worked for Madrid's Popular Party (PP). There has been much debate over whether or not she was Esperanza Aguirre's dog's community manager, a hoax she herself denied in a 2021 interview. What is clear is that the president knows the dynamics of digital communication well, and having an assistant for selfies could be a sign of her absolute control over her image.
With a salary of around €30,000 a month for this kind of task, many are asking whether there are more efficient ways to spend public money. The question left hanging: is this the kind of governance Madrid needs?
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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 (19 replies).
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