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AS the countdown to the local elections in May gets underway Anne Kay takes a look at the parties involved in the last elections in 1999. Eventhough the Partido Popular gained the largest share of the vote they did not secure enough to have a majority in the Balearic parliament. For this reason the five party coalition, which includes all the major parties except the Partido Popular, was formed.

AT present in the Balearics in power is what has been called the Progress Pact, since several parties joined together to oust the previous governing party, i.e. the Partido Popular. However, in the different municipalities, all the parties were given Carte Blanche by their leaders to make what ever pacts they saw fit for their town and surroundings. In this way, you will find the Partido Popular and Union Mallorquiña voting together in the opposition against the Partido Socialista Obrero Español (PSOE) in Calvia, whereas in other places the PSOE and UM are linked together. Over the next few weeks I shall try and get information from each of the main parties what they are representing. The independent parties in the towns will be more difficult to find out. In any case, one of the important things that each possible voter should consider is what has been done in his/her municipality, facilities like sports centres, cultural facilities such as theatres, libraries, etc., medical centres, parks, school installations and kindergardens, pensioners' day care, entertainment, homes, etc. and the overall cost of all this to the rate payer calculated as a percentage of his rateable value which can be seen on the IBI, i.e. contribucion or rates bill. In the last elections the total votes in local elections for the main parties throughout Majorca were:
Census: 657'358 Voters on the day: l 371.663: 57'41% Votes in blank
6.519 1'75% (an empty envelope).
Null and void
4.378: 1'18% (you must not mark the voting papers)
Councillors elected in the Balearics:
853 : Partido Popular
153 : PSOE
112 : PSM
68 : UM
IU–Els Verds
Guide to the above: Partido Popular: (PP right wing/centre), Spanish Socialist Party: (PSOE) mainstream socialist party, PSM: Majorcan Socialist Party: Nationalist Social Party, UM: Union Mallorquina, centre nationalist party, IU/Els Verdes: far left and the Greens. Other parties that presented to the elections were the following: Naturally a different number of voters represents a councillor in each town, depending on the total number of voters. The percentages are of the total number of voters. Agrupacin Social Independiente (2.150, 0'59%, of vote 2 councillors). Independents de Minorca (2.071, 0'56%, 8 councillors). Partido Politico–Independents de Marratxi (1.898, 0'52%, 4 councillors) Convergencia Democratica Murera (1.619, 0'44% 5 councillors) L'Agrupacio d'Electors “Coalicio d'Orgs. Progs) (1.536 0'42% 8 councillors) Agrupacio Independient de Porto Cristo (1.534 0'42% 3) Convergencia del Municipi de Santanyi (1.416 0'39% 4 councillors) Uniod'Independentsd'Arta (1.293, 0'35, 5) Unio per Capdepera (1.169, 0'32, 5) Grup Independent de Son Carri (1.038, 0'28, 5) Ca'n Picafort Unit (914, 0'25%, 3) Grupo Independientes Formentera (864, 0'24%, 4) Agrupaci Electoral Sinevers Independents (847, 0'23%, 5), Acord pes Mercadal i Fornells (793, 0'22%, 6) Coalicin PSM–PSOE (698, 0'19%, 5) Agrupaci d'Agricultors de Petra (678, 0'18, 4) Sencellers Independents (629, 0'17%, 4) Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (621, 0'17%, 0) Entesa d'Independents (Bunyola) (615, 0'17%, 3) Entesa de L'esquerra de Ferreries (522, 0'14%, 3) Agrupacion Electores de Sant Joan (498, 0'14%, 3) Acord per Es Migjorn Gran (395, 0'11%, 5) Agrupacion Independent de Puigpunyent–Galilea (323, 0'09%, 4).