Ayuso leaves the conference of presidents after the Lehendakari speaks in Basque.

Clash between Ayuso and Mónica García over deaths in nursing homes during Covid-19. Ayuso and Page's cold greetings to Sánchez.

Political divisions marked the start of the Conference of Presidents this Friday, the summit held at the Palau de Pedralbes in Barcelona , ​​which brings together the central government and the regional governments.

The most tense moment was between the president of the Community of Madrid, Isabel Díaz Ayuso , and the Minister of Health, Mónica García , who had to intervene in their clash due to protocol. This came after accusations were leveled against each other by their respective parties, the PP and Más Madrid, over deaths in nursing homes during Covid-19.

Some of the institutional greetings have also been characterized by coldness, such as those given by Ayuso and other regional presidents. Among them, Emiliano García-Page , the leader of Castilla-La Mancha, who this Thursday said he felt "very embarrassed" by the "spectacle" of Leire Díez, the former PSOE councilor who gathered compromising information about the UCO.

At the formal opening of the summit, Prime Minister and leader of the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Pedro Sánchez, emphasized the institutional normality that comes with the first time such an event is taking place in Catalonia. This contrasted with the absence of his predecessor, Quim Torra, and the previous Lehendakari, Iñigo Urkullu, from the meeting held in 2020.

In this regard, the President of the Generalitat (Catalan government), Salvador Illa , reiterated that he will use Catalan in his speech, although when he took the floor, he also delivered part of his speech in Spanish. Regarding the debut of the co-official languages, Ayuso threatened to leave the conference because she refused to "wear an earpiece."

While waiting to see how the conclave ultimately unfolds, Sánchez endeavored to convey a positive image of the Spanish economy. He emphasized that "it is progressing much more strongly and solidly compared to other countries" and that "it is experiencing one of its best periods in decades."

Proof of this, he noted, is the fact that the OECD ranks Spain as the fastest-growing economy, as well as the latest unemployment and employment data, which he described as "extraordinary." Sánchez also reiterated his commitment to his proposal to "protect the public housing stock " so that these types of developments do not lose this rating over time.