Elections in Spain

LOCAL ELECTIONS SPAIN

On the 22nd of May 2011 there will be elections in Spain for 13 of the 17 autonomous regions and for the municipalities.

So what – you may say!  These are not national elections so what difference will they make to me?

Well, the local elections in Spain are really important.  Indeed, the results of the local elections are probably more likely to influence your daily life in Spain than any national elections.  This is because significant power in Spain has been devolved to a very low level with local town halls and their governing party of councillors able to control much of what happens within their immediate area.

Certainly, one of the curiosities of Spain for a Briton is the way that Spaniards will talk about what is happening with the ‘government’ – meaning their local town hall not the national government.  After all, for anyone living here, real daily power is exercised by the elected Mayor (the Alcalde) and it is the local town hall that is responsible for local taxes, local planning and infrastructure works.

In a way, democracy devolved to its lowest possible point is a good thing.  It can mean that, in principle, you can influence things in your own area in a way that would be impossible in a centralised system such as that of the UK.

For example, in my own village of Barx (pop. 1,400), the Mayor is invariably available and approachable.  On the whole, he is quick to respond to problems – not least because, unlike most national politicians, there is nowhere for him to hide!  As a resident of the village, he is always present in the bars and streets and therefore is constantly face to face with his electorate and their multifarious problems.

A good Mayor can certainly be a boon to any local community.  He has the power and ability to address local concerns quickly and efficiently and I have often been impressed by how well this can work.

Unfortunately, one of the downsides to devolved democratic power is that it can mean that strategic power is placed into the hands of people untrained to deal with it.  A good example, lies in planning.  During the Spanish property boom it was quite clear that there was no national strategy and that each and every municipality (however tiny) was doing its ‘own thing’.  This resulted in uncontrolled building, in every regard, that had nothing to do with the facts of the national marketplace and the reality of supply and demand – both in terms of quantity and quality.

Needless to say, Spain is notorious for its corruption and there are constant reports and court cases concerning corrupt politicians.  Much of this has been due to the power residing with local Mayors and their ability to initiate and control building projects and infrastructure works where the financial stakes can be be very considerable.  Indeed, a Mayor’s decisions as to who does the work and what is open to development provides almost infinite possibilities for corruption.

A complication to local elections in Spain is the importance of the symmetry (or lack of it) between regional authorities and local authorities.  By this I mean that the regional authorities have significant powers to spend money (although not to tax) and they favour municipalities of the same political persuasion.  So, for example, if a regional authority is run by the PP (Conservative party) then it is likely to provide more money and grants to a PP town hall than one that is governed by the PSOE (Socialist) party.

So, in an ideal world, if you want your local town hall to benefit to the maximum then you would want its governing party to be the same political persuasion as for the regional government.

My own village has a PSOE government whilst the regional government is PP – so, of course, it will not, currently, be favoured by the regional government.  Meanwhile, Gandia, my local town has the same orientation.

As a properly registered expatriate you can vote in the local elections in Spain – and I would suggest that you should make the effort to do so.  They are important and the results will affect your life here…

RELEVANT INFORMATION

All the King’s Men – Politics in Spain