Madrid election centers on virus response, rise of far right

Madrid residents are voting for a new regional assembly in an election that tests the depths of resistance to lockdown measures and the divide between left and right-wing parties

MADRID -- Madrid residents are voting Tuesday for a new regional assembly in an election that tests the depths of resistance to virus lockdown measures and the divide between left and right-wing parties. Polling stations opened at 9 a.m. with strict requirements to prevent the spread of the coronavirus: double masks, separated entrance and exit paths for voters, and plastic screens for workers in charge of the sites. Older adults were encouraged to cast their ballots during a 2-hour period mid-morning, and the hour before polls close has been reserved for people quarantining because of COVID-19. The early election was called by a conservative regional president who is trying to broaden her power base after she dissolved her center-right coalition.