"I would leave gay marriage intact if the courts say it is constitutional"

Madrid Mayor Alberto Ruiz-Gallard¨®n accepted a request by EL PA?S to talk about current events in Spain. The interview took place at 200 kilometers per hour after he boarded a high-speed train at nine in the morning from Atocha station to take him to Catalonia, where he campaigned in Tarragona for his fellow Popular Party (PP) candidates running in the November 28 regional race.

Question. Despite your party's platform, you raised taxes in Madrid. Why did you do it?

Answer. Madrid is below the national average compared to tax burdens in other larger Spanish cities. We can say that Madrid's residents are taxed 21 percent lower than those living in Barcelona, or 32 percent lower than residents in Seville. To give you an example, of every 100 euros a Madrile?o pays in taxes, 7 euros goes to the city, 56 euros to the central government and 37 euros to the region.

Q. So you raised taxes because they were low?

A. We have introduced a new tax, which was the garbage collection tax. And the IBI - a benchmark property tax - was increased not because of a decision made by City Hall but because of the result of a review conducted by the Treasury on property appraisals.

Q. Do you think that the PP is responding well to the corruption charges that are engulfing the party throughout Spain?

A. The party has to give a political as well as a legal answer in each of the cases where there is even the slightest suspicion of corruption and abuse of power. We have had mixed experiences. We had some cases where both the media and some politicians have publicly put some senior members of the PP on trial and where the judges, after analyzing the cases, decided that those accused were not to blame. This must be taken into consideration. It must be the courts who decide on the guilt of any politician.

Q. You married two men from your party, in accordance with the Homosexual Marriage Act. Do you consider the ceremony to be a marriage?

A. As long as the law is still on the books and it defines it as a marriage, obviously it is. From a political standpoint, we cannot say that something is different from the legal standard. Another thing is to publicly debate what that union should be called, which is the only point in the law that the PP doesn't agree with. The PP does not intend to take a single right away from people who want to establish this type of union, which comes with all the social, economic and family guarantees that marriage entails.

Q. Do you share your party's discrepancy over the label marriage?

A. My personal view is that I think we have to follow what the Constitutional Court says. There is an objection that has been presented to the court and so it should be that court that decides. My point of view, my own personal opinion depends on what the Constitutional Court says. If the court rules that maintaining the designation of marriage goes hand-in-hand with our Constitution, then I would leave it that way. But again, this is just my own personal opinion.

Q. Do you think that the current Abortion Law is worse than before?

A. The problem with the new law is that instead of resolving conflicts concerning certain rights, it eliminates the rights of the unborn child from its inception to 14 weeks. And I am among those who believe that this doctrine is contrary to the Constitution.

Q. Do you think we should squeal on illegal immigrants who register on the municipal rolls?

A. The law requires that every one register on the municipal rolls. But that shouldn't be confused with a legal step toward the possibility of obtaining legal residency, which it isn't, according to our nation's laws. No person shall be denied the right to basic healthcare, regardless of their situation. We cannot have hospitals or health facilities asking people for a piece of paper before offering them emergency services.

Q. Will you ever stop dreaming of becoming prime minister one day?

A. When did you get inside my dreams? Who told you that this is one of my dreams? I've always dreamed of transforming reality. Indeed, the post of prime minister is one of the official positions where you have all the necessary tools at your disposal to transform reality.

Q. You were the first public official in Spain to open a shooting gallery for addicts so that they could administer drugs under acceptable hygienic conditions. Do you support the position of Felipe Gonz¨¢lez and Mario Vargas Llosa in favor of legalizing the cultivation and consumption of drugs?

A. No. And I welcome the outcome of the vote in California against the legalization of marijuana. Legalization is not the solution because clearly it would lead to more consumption. If we are talking about legalization, it is possible that someone would think that it could benefit the state's coffers, which was the argument used in California. But I do not think anyone believes that it would benefit drug addicts. My priority with this policy is the rights of the drug addict. The addict is the first victim because he is sick. He should never be denied an alternative substance for his addiction because it would condemn him to marginalization. But this prescription should be given under a doctor's care.