BRITISH residents across the Vega Baja and Mar Menor regions have their chance to cast a vote this Sunday in the local council elections.
Elections take place every four years, and so long as expats have registered to vote, then they can take part in choosing a mayor and team to run a local area.
Turnout in Spanish local elections is vastly higher compared to the UK, with municipalities having a load of power to make decisions that directly affect their citizens.
Proportional voting is used as opposed to the” first past the post” system in Britain, with electors in Spain choosing a party and their mayoral candidate and team to run affairs through to 2023.
Another key difference from Britain is that local issues and candidates dominate, rather than it being some kind of national opinion poll, with around 40 per cent of voters as a national average expected to cast their ballot differently compared to last month´s general election.
So despite swings to the PSOE Socialists a few weeks ago, including in the Valencian regional elections held on the same day as the general election, local factors will also come into play.
A number of authorities like Torrevieja and Orihuela have been run by coalitions, whilst it will interesting to see how the Partido Popular and PSOE-controlled authorities will resist any electoral challenges from newer parties.
Like after the last elections in 2015, expect horse-trading and deal-making to start happening between various parties soon after the results are declared in each municipality this Sunday night.
