Electoral campaign in Spain closes with suspicions of vote buying

The campaign of municipal elections and regional on Sunday in Spain concludes this Friday overshadowed by suspicions of vote buying by mail in various locations that have emerged in recent days.

The president of the government, the socialist Pedro Sánchez, closed the campaign in Barcelona by supporting Jaume Collboni, the candidate with whom the socialists hope to fulfill one of their great objectives in these elections: to recover the mayoralty of this stronghold that they held between 1979 and 2011.

For his part, the leader of the opposition, the conservative Alberto Núñez Feijóoof the People’s Party (PP)concluded the campaign in Madrid together with the mayor of the capital, José Luis Martínez Almeida, and the regional president, Isabel Díaz-Ayuso, who hope to renew their mandates.

But the great theme of these last days have been the arrests and investigations for vote buying by mail, which began in Melilla.

As confirmed this Friday by sources from thehe government delegation from this Spanish city nestled in North Africa, 10 people were detained on Monday and Tuesday.

In Mojácar (south), in a similar matter not connected to that of Melilla, seven people were arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of buying votes in exchange for money, reported theto Civil Guard. Between Thursday and Friday, all were released with charges, according to the newspaper El País.

According to public television TVEvotes in Mojácar they were bought for 100 euros ($107).

In Albudeite (southeast), 13 were arrested on Thursday, also according to the Civil Guard, who were released with charges, and there are two more people under investigation.

The opposition charges against Sánchez

The cases of Mojácar and Albudeite implicate members of the Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE) de Sánchez, for which the opposition demanded explanations.

“Since yesterday we have been perplexed, concerned and surprised by the complaints that are taking place in many parts of Spain”, lamented on Thursday Núñez Feijóo.

“We demand the maximum responsibility of the president, that he exercise it and clarify what is happening”launched Feijóo to Sánchez.

Likewise, according to the Spanish press, there have been complaints in four other towns.

the analyst Narciso Michavilapresident of the polling company GAD3minimized on public radio RNE the possible impact of these last-minute scandals: “Many of the things that have happened and that have produced changes in the vote have already occurred.”

To vote by mail in Spain you have to follow three steps: request a certificate of registration in the census, receive it at home, and then proceed to send the ballot of the party you want to vote for.

For the first two it is necessary present the national identity document, but not for the third party, which is where the frauds.

The vote-buying scandal has not been the only one in the campaign in which the governments of the more than 8,000 municipalities and the parliaments of 12 of the 17 autonomous communities (regions).

The inclusion of former members of the Basque armed organization ETA, responsible for more than 850 deaths, In the electoral lists of the Basque independentistas of EH Bildu, he was the protagonist of the first great controversy and provoked the rejection of the victims’ associations.

Likewise, on Thursday it emerged that the mayoress of the town of Maracena (south), also from the PSOE, was being investigated along with her boyfriend, the previous mayor, and a councilor, for the attempted kidnapping of another mayor in February. The Spanish press relates the kidnapping to urban issues.

Source: AFP