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1.
A judge has decided that Manuel Barrera will go to trial by jury for
the alleged acceptance of a bribe. He was videoed receiving an
envelope that had 5,000 Euros inside. He opened the envelope and
counted the money in front of the hidden camera! Return here soon to
read what the English press are reporting about
this…
2.
Manuel Barrera is formerly accused of embezzlement by the public
prosecutor. To read the story in the Leader on 17 January 2011
click here
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Spanish people are much more
active, politically, than expatriates living in Spain. For the
municipality of San Fulgencio voting in previous elections has
always resulted in the Spanish political parties achieving good
results, despite the fact that there are many more expats living
here than Spanish nationals.
SPANISH NATIONALS = HIGH %
TURN OUT AT VOTING TIME.
EXPATRIATES = VERY LOW % TURN
OUT AT VOTING TIME.
Because of this disproportionate
voting, for any new party at the next local government
election (May 2011) that will include expat candidates, it
is highly unlikely that they will get an overall majority
to govern outright (without a coalition) due to the apparent expat
reluctance and/or apathy at voting times. If expats continue this
trend it is likely that a party with a combination of Spanish
nationals and other nationalities will again win seats and, after
the election, there will be no alternative but to form another
coalition government.
MAY 2007 ELECTION
RESULTS
HERE
EX-PATS VOTING IN
SPAIN
HERE
In an effort to persuade more
expats to vote at the next election we would like to unveil the
spectre of Spanish politics by explaining some of the procedures,
terms and phrases that are often heard in the Spanish Ayuntamientos
(Town Halls).
Here are
some:
- Comisión
Informativa (Informative Committee Meeting for all
councillors)....These meetings are always called before a
Pleno (a full council meeting) in order to ensure that all
councillors, including opposition councillors, know the full facts
of each and every project or proposition introduced by the Equipo
de Gobierno (the governing councillors) that needs to be voted on
at the next council meeting.
- Plenos (Council Meetings)...... The
schedule for council meetings (public meetings) are
predetermined by statutory requirement, they must be held every
two months. These meetings are normally conducted at 8pm in
the evening in San Fulgencio Town Hall council chambers (top
floor). Governing councillors and opposition councillors must be
given at least 48 hours notice of these meetings and
each will receive in advance the documention on all the
subjects/projects that will be announced and then held to a vote
at these meetings. All councillors (those in the government team
and those in opposition) receive an invitation to attend all of
these meetings.
- Junta de Gobierno…….
(Local Board of Governors), in the Ayuntamiento’s this is
the team of governing councillors that meet at regular intervals
to consider and
approve new projects, proposals, works licences, appeals from
organisations and people, social welfare grants, and all matters
concerning the use of public money. The Junta de Gobierno
is made up of the Alcalde (Mayor/ess), and the Teniente
Alcaldes (Deputy Mayors) and any other councillor invited by the
Mayor/ess to be part of the 'Junta'. The Junta de Gobierno
is always made up from the councillors that are in the
governing team/coalition. In this elective term of office there
are four councillors that make up the Junta de Gobierno in
San Fulgencio, one of them is English councillor
Lewis.
-
Opposition councillors cannot
be included in the local 'Junta de Gobierno' but they
are able to vote at Plenos (Council Meetings). This is where
the importance of having a government majority comes into play. If
there are more opposition councillors than governing councillors
then it is likely that none of the 'Junta de Gobierno' policies
will be approved as they will be out-voted.
-
Overseeing and recording of the minutes and of
the council meetings is the Ayuntamiento secretary, a
qualified legal representative or lawyer who is independent of the
council and employed by the government of Spain. It is they
that implement and manage the administrative procedures and
decisions of the voting councillors at the Town Hall.
The Town Hall employees and contractors carry out all
the actions necessary to complete the projects decided by the
councillors.
An explantion of more terms and
council procedures coming
soon..... | |
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