There is general apathy amongst the international community when it comes to voting in Spanish Local Elections. Many residents with the entitlement to vote fail to ensure that their name is actually entered on the list of electors and many of those individuals whose name is on the list of electors do not exercise their right to vote on Election Day.
The effects of this for the residents of Orihuela Costa is that instead of returning a third of the councillors sitting on Orihuela Council we have only ever returned one, and this individual has only been in post since the last municipal elections. The lack of appropriate representation from the coast has resulted in Orihuela Costa suffering blatant discrimination and has resulted in the area having the poorest level of services of any area within the Orihuela Municipality.
Orihuela Costa has a population of 33,227 people, only 706 fewer than the city of Orihuela. However, of the twenty five councillors sitting on the Orihuela Council only one represents the coast, he has the impossible task of attempting to advocate for a third of the entire population of the whole Orihuela Municipality. Not only does this one individual represent an area that rightfully should return at least 8 councillors he also has the further disadvantage of being the only English person sitting on the council.
Many of the points he legitimately tries to make for the good of the whole population on the coast get sidelined as only being of interest to the expat British population. This individual is in an impossible situation. When there is only one lone voice attempting to advocate for a population of 33,227 people the Spanish majority of councillors can effectively disregard this individual, which they regularly do. The effects are that the whole population of the coast continue to be discriminated against, essential services are denied to them and all sectors of the Orihuela Costa community suffer, in spite the coast being the major contributor to the revenue of the Orihuela Municipality.
Spain operates a system of proportional representation. This means that in order to return a councillor a certain percentage of the votes must be cast. The votes cast from Orihuela Costa in the last local elections were only sufficient to return one councillor! This situation can so easily change if more residents from the international community actually make the effort to vote.
Unlike the system in the UK you do not vote for an individual to represent your ward. Proportional representation means that each political party has a list of candidates that are prioritised by their political party, hence you vote for a party not for an individual. Who gains access to this list is left to the political parties concerned. As the main political parties in Orihuela have no presence on Orihuela Costa, e.g. no offices, no political meetings, no constituent surgeries etc. is it any wonder that the lists of candidates offered by these parties have no body on them that actually come from the coast?
Orihuela Costa must ensure that they return a sufficient number of councillors who will actually advocate for services and resources for the coast. All residents with the right to vote must ensure that their voice is heard and that they contribute to ending the blatant discrimination suffered by all Orihuela Costa residents.
Filed under: http://www.theleader.info/article/41510/
Home Insurance | Spanish Home Insurance | Home Insurance in Spain | Spanish Property | Costa Blanca Spanish Property | Spain Property | Euromillions | Euromillions Lottery Results
KISSING IN THE CANARIES
