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Spanish Politics Explained 
Council NewsHome PageVoting
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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

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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).

updated gif.gifHere are some:

 

  • Comisión Informativa (Informative Committee Meeting)....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. 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 Junta de Gobierno. However they are able to vote at Plenos (Council Meetings). 

  • 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. In San Fulgencio, the reason that Manuel Barrera was so determined to make both the English councillors resign (even making death threats to both of them if they did not resign) was so that he could introduce two new AIM councillors to force an imbalance in an effort to regain control of the council.

  • 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.....