Elections drag on
Spain went to the polls for the second
time in a month on May 26 to elect
councillors in every municipality in the
country, to decide on all seats in 38
provincial governments, and to choose
representatives in a dozen autonomous
regions. The 2019 European
Parliament election was held on the
same day.
The country was still recovering from
the General Election in late April when
campaigning began again. At least
Andalucía was spared a regional vote,
having gone to the polls early during
December when the socialists lost
power after almost 37 years to the
Partido Popular. But then in the
national vote on April 28, the PP
suffered the most crushing defeat in its
history as the PSOE took most seats in
the lower house, although not enough
to give it an absolute majority.
The outcome of the general election
continues to be formulated in political
circles with the socialist PSOE party
trying to form a viable coalition to
shore up its minority. By mid-May, it
was estimated that PSOE leader Pedro
Sánchez was likely to be invested in
early June, but to achieve success,
experts said he would need the support
of other leftist parties plus at least one
vote or abstention from Basque or
Catalan nationalist parties.
On May 20, five Catalan separatists
who had been elected in April to both
the upper and lower houses were
released from jail to register as
members of parliament. They were
then promptly returned to their cells at
the Soto del Real prison near Madrid
where they are awaiting trial on
charges related to the illegal
independence referendum staged in
Cataluña in October 2017.
However, four elected to the lower
house were back next day to take the
oath of office during what became a
dramatic day in Congress. The pledge
usually includes a commitment to the
“unbreakable unity” of Spain, but the
separatists stated they were “compelled
by law” to swear allegiance, referring to
themselves as “political prisoners.”
They immediately faced the possibility
of suspension while the Supreme Court
reaches a verdict on their futures.
However, as they spoke, their voices
were almost drowned out by shouts of
protest, particularly from the 24 newly-
elected members of the far-right party
Vox. The new speaker, Meritxell Batet
of the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), was
accused by many of excessive leniency;
her nomination had been opposed by
both the Partido Popular and
Ciudadanos.
Meanwhile, the Catalan leader at the
time of the 2017 referendum, who is
still in exile to avoid arrest at home,
was granted permission by the
Supreme Court to stand in the May
European election after initially being
turned down by the Electoral
Commission because he is not resident
in Spain. If Carles Puigdemont and two
others who fled from Spain were
elected, they might be able to return
home under the protection of
European parliament legal immunity.
Country fires in Nerja and Mijas
A 43-year-old British man has been
charged with negligence following a
fire in the Cerro de Cancharalles area
west of Nerja last month. The fire was
reported to the emergency services at
1.30pm on May 20 and was tackled by
eleven fire trucks and a support
helicopter.
The blaze, which was stabilised within
an hour and brought under control by
8.00pm, is reported to have been
started by a bonfire of garden rubbish.
High winds on the day fanned the
flames and led to it spreading to
nearby ground. Around two hectares
were razed by the flames.
The same afternoon, fire broke out in
the Valtocado park in Mijas and was
tackled by 50 fire fighters. According to
local residents, the blaze began in a
nearby ravine where it had been
smouldering for two days after being
ignited by sparks from a power line.
A number of residents were evacuated
as a precaution and at least seven
vehicles were burned out. However, no
casualties were reported.
9
Home death
Police opened an investigation after a
six-year-old boy was found dead in his
family’s bathtub at their home near
Sevilla last month. Emergency workers
could not revive the child. Initial
reports suggested he had drowned, but
it was later confirmed he passed away
from natural causes linked to a
condition from which he suffered.
ETA detention
A former ETA leader has been
detained in France after 17 years on
the run. José Antonio Urrutikoetxea,
68, better known as Josu Ternera,
participated in attacks including one
on a Guardia Civil base in Zaragosa
which killed six adults and five
children. He had been missing since
2002 after failing to appear in court to
respond to allegations of his
involvement in the incident and will
now face charges of crimes against
humanity.
Frigate withdrawal
Spain has defended withdrawing a
frigate from a US-led naval mission
last month after the fleet was ordered
to the Persian Gulf on May 5. The
orders of the joint training exercise
were changed as tensions grew
between Washington and Tehran.
Spain pulled the Méndez Núñez out to
avoid being dragged involuntarily into
any conflict between the US and Iran.
Opioids review
Spain’s Health Ministry and regional
governments are to establish a working
group to evaluate and improve the use
of opioids which pose a risk of
addiction. Studies have detected the
abuse of fentanyl, the most potent
drug on the market which is 100 times
more powerful than morphine. It
should only be prescribed to cancer
patients suffering from breakthrough
pain, according to the Spanish Society
for Primary Healthcare Workers.
Drugs bust
More than 178 kilos of crystal meth has
been found in Spain’s largest ever
seizure of the drug. A series of raids in
La Rioja, Alava, Navarra and Cantabria
last month resulted in 12 arrests and
the discovery of two drugs
laboratories. Police say €30,000 in
cash, as well as quantities of other
drugs including marijuana and speed,
were confiscated as they broke up a
network of traffickers operating in the
north of the country.