Given all the recent publicity to encourage folks living in Orihuela Costa to get the right to vote you may be interested in this little story.
A couple came into the PSOE office in Orihuela Costa concerned about a letter they had received from the Mayor, Monica Lorente. This couple have been living permanently in Orihuela Costa for a number of years. They have residency in Spain. A few weeks ago they went to the Ayuntamiento in Orihuela Costa to register to vote. They went on a Tuesday when Rosa Martínez, PSOE Councillor, was present in the Ayuntamiento. They produced their passports and copies as required and they were put on the Electoral Register.
Then a few days ago they received a registered letter from Monica Lorente stating that only people living in Spain for more than six months in the year are allowed to be on the Padron. Some of this couple´s details may have changed and they now need to show proof of their residency. If they do not go along to the Ayuntamiento with the appropriate documentation within 15 days it will be assumed that the couple´s habitual address is no longer in Orihuela Costa & accordingly they will be removed from the Padron.
This couple now have to go to the Ayuntamiento for a second time with original & copy of their identity documents.
This seems very strange.
Let us suppose, given the time of year, that this couple had been on holiday or gone to visit family & friends in the UK for Christmas & the New Year, then they would certainly have lost their recently acquired rights to vote.
What´s that about? A suspicious person might even conclude that this is a canny way of reducing the number of voters in Orihuela.
I don't think this is funny!! Its a serious subject and smacks of a sort of "Franco Dictator ship"...Isn't there a guy called "Stefan" who is supposed to be available for foreigners at the Costa Ayuntamiento, 5 full days a week, to assist the foreigners with these type of problems?? Apparantly NOT,,as I only heard today that he is only available twice a week and on other days one has to make an appointment with him???? What is he........one of those pre-Christian times "German Gods"?? I hope that the people here at the COSTA wake-up to the fact that we are again being manipulated with dirty and false political motivations, which would bring again chaos in the next local elections!!
ReplyDeleteOlaf.
Comment from Dee James to the last comment received. I hope that I don´t give the impression that I think this matter is "funny", I agree with you, this is a serious subject, my aim is to draw attention to it. Before the last municipal elections in 2007 there was "the matter of the missing electoral registration forms". I want to hear explanations, this is not my idea of "democracy"!
ReplyDeleteIs this what they call democracy? Is the PP feeling threatened? Does this remind anyone of what happened in 2007?
ReplyDeleteWhen the chips are down the PP are capable of anything and democracy goes out of the window. These are desperate people wanting to hold on to power at any cost. As far as I am concerned they have remained in power for far too long and have completely lost sight of the difference between right and wrong, honesty and dishonesty and democracy and Francoism. Are we being governed by political Mafia in Orihuela? That seems to be a commonly held belief right across Spain.
ReplyDeleteI Have just come back from Orihuela Costa Town Hall and I have an awful feeling that the PP are going to try every trick in the book to ensure that people lose their right to vote. The latest is if you havent had a Padron for six months or more at your current address even though you may have residencia and been on the padron for years, you may not be able to register? So if you have moved in the last six months or the Town Hall have changed your address, (as is the case for some people on the coast)you may not be able to register. Never mind that you may have resided here legally for years and paid your taxes! So, what are we going to do about it?
ReplyDeletePerhaps we need to contact the EU and the United Nations to send advisters in to check that the forthcoming municipal elections are run properly. Where are we,?- Zimbabwe? No!
ORIHUELA Yes!!!!!
The sad thing is that if they did a good job of looking after residents here in Orihuela Costa, they would not need to resort to a plethora of Mugabe-like tactics to try and stay in power. It's that simple! Take care of the community that you are supposed to be representing, and they will take care of you (and turn a blind eye to your activities).
ReplyDeleteLook at Torrevieja - Mateo has made millions and is wealthier than Camps, BUT he has done lots for Torrevieja in terms of infrastructure and facilities, so people have kept voting him back in. I am not advocating corruption by any means, but unfortunately it happens in politics all the time.
Apathy is my biggest worry in relation to the elections in May 2011. Please, please make sure you have established the right to vote everyone! There is no point in complaining to each other about the lack of facilities, infrastructure, etc. if we don't turn out to vote. We end up with the government we deserve otherwise.