Madrid, May 26 (EFE).- The inauguration of the Madrid Book Fair this Friday has become the last institutional act shared by José Luis Martínez-Almeida (PP) as mayor of the capital and Begoña Villacís (Cs) as vice mayor.
Between books, with a cloudy sky and with the uncertainty of what will happen on Sunday at the polls, it is like the governors of Madrid, and candidates from their parties for mayor, have put an end, institutionally speaking, to the journey of the first Government of coalition that the city of Madrid has had in recent democratic history, which started in 2019 thanks to an investiture pact that the PP signed with Vox and another government agreement signed between the popular and the orange party.
Almeida and Villacís, accompanied by the Minister of Culture, Miquel Iceta, Marta Rivera de la Cruz (number 2 on Almeida’s list, although she has gone to the Fair as Minister of Culture of the Community of Madrid) and Andrea Levy (municipal delegate of the branch), have walked through the Book Fair, and have spoken with the booksellers of the booths on their own.
Individual photos have also been taken with passers-by who asked for it at this opening of the Book Fair that coincides with the last day of the electoral campaign in which the future of Almeida will be decided, who will be the candidate with the most votes according to all the polls published so far, and that of Villacís, whose permanence in the Palacio de Cibeles is in question depending on each poll.
ALMEIDA ENCOURAGES DIVING INTO BOOKS TO ESCAPE REALITY
Almeida has encouraged all the people of Madrid to go to the Paseo de Coches del Retiro to enjoy this “traditional” Book Fair, which “began in 1933” although “logically” it was interrupted during the Civil War, and also in the In the 50s there were “a couple” of editions” that were not held.
“But we have had the Book Fair in the city of Madrid for ninety years. It is an extraordinary opportunity for all the people of Madrid to disconnect for a few moments from all the worries, the burdens, and we can dive into the books. There are few better ways to escape from reality than to have a good book in your hands”, has recommended the councilor and popular candidate.
Almeida has no doubt about making an acquisition at the Fair, and has commented that during the electoral campaign he has been accompanied by a book by Juan Claudio de Ramón, general coordinator of Culture at the City Council and “diplomat” who “lived in Rome for a long time”. .
“Disorderly Rome: the city and the rest” is one of the books that has accompanied Almeida in the campaign and that he strongly recommends to everyone.
In addition, in the “more political and ideological” sphere, Almeida has also been reading these days “The war against the West”, a work by Douglas Murray that is also recommended by the mayor and candidate of the PP.
VILLACÍS INVITES YOU NOT TO MISS ONE OF THE “MOST BEAUTIFUL FAIRS IN THE WORLD”
Villacís, for his part, has encouraged the people of Madrid to go to “one of the most beautiful fairs that Madrid has” and that helps to promote reading, especially among young people, something “really important” because it is a group that is losing the habit of reading books on paper, opting mostly for screens.
The deputy mayor has stressed that the people of Madrid “like to read”, as can be seen at this fair and daily on the bus or the Metro, where many users go with their books, something that she celebrates because it helps to have “more informed citizens” and “with more decision-making capacity and a critical spirit”.
For all this, he has encouraged to attend the event “even if it rains, because that is very much of this Book Fair.”