MIJAS PSOE ENCOURAGES FOREIGNERS TO REGISTER ON THE ELECTORAL CENSUS

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More than 26,000 foreigners living in Mijas may vote if they register on the Electoral Census before 15th January 2011. They also have to be on the municipal register at the Town Hall by 31st December 2010

Alfonso Luis Nieves, member of the PSOE Mijas local comity, and Sheila Knight, a British supporter, this morning presented the information campaign launched by the Socialist Party of Mijas. The campaign is aimed at foreigners living in Mijas, to give them the opportunity to exercise their right to vote in the forthcoming municipal elections and tell them what steps to take in order to qualify.

As Luis explained in Spanish, most of the foreigners living in Mijas “have the right to participate in the forthcoming elections and to decide who is going to represent them”. He also pointed out that the campaign aims to promote the integration of foreigners and to emphasise the importance of knowing their rights and how to exercise them.

To this end, PSOE has launched a website: www.inscribeteparavotar.es to inform foreign citizens who wish to participate in the forthcoming elections about the procedures and documentation needed to enable them to vote. He added that “we are working to prevent discrimination and one of the best ways of doing this is to be informed about the rights and duties we all have, whether you are a Spanish national or not”.

He went on to explain that an essential requirement for foreign citizens to exercise their right to vote is that they register on the Electoral Census for Foreign Residents (CERE) in order to vote in the municipal elections in May 2011.

For countries with reciprocal arrangements, the deadline for registration is 15th January 2011 and for EU citizens the deadline will be the closure of the Electoral Census In addition, EU citizens who are not registered at the Town Hall should do so by 31st December.

Nieves explained that the non-EU countries with a reciprocal arrangement are: Bolivia, Columbia, Chile, Ecuador, Iceland, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay and Peru. In addition, other countries may sign reciprocal arrangements up to 15th January. EU citizens have to be resident in Spain.