MADRID's controversial anti-lockdown 'Trumpista' has won a landslide re-election in Madrid following a huge turnout.
The Conservative party leader Isabel Díaz Ayuso, who was synonymous for her refusal to shut bars and shops during the pandemic, celebrated as crowds gathered shouting "Freedom" at her victory speech.
She won 44.7 per cent of the vote, taking 65 seats in Madrid's 136-seat assembly, whilst the remaining three-party left bloc could only muster 58 seats between them.
Preliminary results showed the regional leader more than doubled her score from a previous election in 2019.
Following the result, hundreds of flag-waving supporters gathered outside the People's Party (PP) headquarters to celebrate the victory.
"Freedom" was the slogan throughout the controversial leader's campiagn, as she banked on her anti-lockdown “Trumpista” strategy to appeal to voters tired of restrictions imposed to fight the pandemic.
It included her decision to keep shops and bars open, despite widespread criticism from central government.
Following the result, an emotional Ayuso told supporters, "Freedom has won.”
“Voters trusted our handling of the pandemic."
"Freedom, always, always."
Critics of Ayuso have accused her of neglecting health services whilst she prioritised the economy.
The latest result now signifies a polarisation in Spanish politics, with anti-lockdown sentiment continuing to rise.
The Madrid region, home to seven million of Spain's 47 million people, recorded 343 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 in the last 14 days on Tuesday, against a national average of 213, according to the latest figures.
Occupancy of intensive-care units is also at it’s the highest in Spain, at 44%.
Unlike in other elections in the COVID era in recent months, turnout was high, at around 74%, well up from 64% in 2019.
Ayuso fell just shy of winning enough seats to rule the region without support from any other party, after 92% of votes were accounted for.
The final results are expected in the evening.
Ms Ayuso, 42, has been a vocal critic of the central government's handling of the pandemic, having persistenly fought against a number of its lockdown restrictions.
She has become a rising star in the PP party, which has governed the capital region for 26 years.
Her decision to keep Madrid's bars and restaurants open were controversial, especially when other regions continued to clamp down amid rising cases nationally.
However, many residents bought into her 'freedom campaign', which looked to expose the frustrations of many towards Covid-19 restrictions.
At a speech on Tuesday, she said: "Madrid is freedom and they don't understand our way of living, that's why Sánchez and his colleagues do not enter in Madrid."
"Because it can't be directed, can't be controlled and things can't be imposed here.
READ MORE SUN STORIES
She added: “Freedom means a person can start again a thousand times, give opportunities for young people and security for the elderly.
"That's freedom, and they wanted to take it away from us."