Madrid Mayor Ruiz-Gallardón on PP candidate list for November elections

Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallardón on Friday underscored that for now he is nothing more than a candidate on the Popular Party (PP) ticket in the upcoming general elections. His statement sought to play down suggestions made by regional premier Esperanza Aguirre that what Ruiz-Gallardón really wants is to become a minister, which would mean leaving the mayor's seat empty ahead of time.

"I've been called to be a candidate ? for nothing more. Anything that opens up speculation will remain within the territory of speculation," said Ruiz-Gallardón, who is running as number four on the list of a party that is widely expected to win the November 20 elections.

Yet Aguirre, who is a longtime rival of the mayor despite belonging to the same party, said, "I think what he would really love is to be a minister of the government of this nation."

"I hope his dream comes true," she added ironically.

Both long-serving officials ? Aguirre was a minister under José María Aznar and has led the Madrid region since 2003, while Ruiz-Gallardón held Aguirre's current post before becoming mayor that same year ? are well known for their personal ambition as well as their internal rivalries. In the 2008 elections, Aguirre famously warned PP leader Mariano Rajoy that she would resign if the mayor was included on the candidate list.

"Four years ago, the party considered it wasn't necessary [for me to be on the list] and now, it has generously considered that it is," the mayor said about those events.

Political pundits are taking it for granted that if Ruiz-Gallardón becomes a minister, his trusted right-hand man in City Hall, Manuel Cobo, would leave with him. That would likely mean that the mayor's seat would be occupied by Ana Botella, the second deputy mayor, who is also the wife of former prime minister José María Aznar. Botella, who belongs to the most conservative sector of the PP ? as opposed to Ruiz-Gallardón's more middle-of-the-road image ? has made headlines in recent years for her colorful statements on a number of issues, such as pollution, which she once blamed on "the African dust" blowing in from the Sahara, ignoring the fact that 80 percent of the city's pollution is caused by car-exhaust fumes.

She also stated that she would never officiate a wedding between two homosexuals.