Wooden crucifix back on the desk of Palma's new Mayor

Isern's gesture is by no means a new one. In their day, former Partido Popular Mayors of Palma, Joan Fageda and Catalina Cirer did exactly the same at the start of their terms of office, retrieving the crucifix from a storage area in the party's municipal offices.

At the express wish of the high profile Catholic Isern, Economy and Tax Councillor Julio Martinez had been given the job of bringing the large scale crucifix back into the light.

The new Mayor then placed the icon at the rear of his working desk at the side of a sculpture and under a photograph of the King, Don Juan Carlos.
Traditionally, the crucifix is used in the swearing in of Councillors and for other oaths.
The crucifix was not the only religious artefact to be brought out into the open yesteday.
On the occasion of the first meeting of the new City Council, Majorcan Socialist coalition councillor Antoni Noguera appeared with some saints' reliquaries, which he had found in what used to the offices of the now defunct Majorcan Unionist party.

Noguera explained that his coalition would be occupying the offices on a temporary basis.
Tourism Councillor, Alvaro Gijon, said that the first official task of the new council was to name the eight Mayor's deputies and the heads of department (which were announced at the end of last month) thereby formally removing from power those councillors who had been responsible to the former Socialist Mayor, Aina Calvo.

Gijon said that the naming of all the new Partido Popular councillors at a regional level, as well as only those related to the City Council would need a further 48 hours for full release.

Delays
Another council meeting is going to be necessary he said, before full details of all the new council appointments can be released to the press.
Gijon said that the most important appointment on the City Council to have taken place so far, apart from that of the Mayor, has been that of Planning Councillor.

The swearing in of the new position has been done swiftly to avoid delays in issuing of building permits.