COUNCIL OF MAJORCA IN CRISIS AFTER MAJORCA UNIONISTS RESIGN

PALMA
THE Council of Majorca was in crisis last night after three ruling coalition-member UM Majorcan Unionist Party Councillors resigned leaving the PSOE Socialists and left-wing Bloc group in a minority.

The Majorcan Unionist Party announced its councillors' intentions on Monday night claiming that they no longer “feel comfortable” as part of the coalition on the Council of Majorca and cited continuing differences with the Council President, Francina Armengol.

Earlier in the day Armengol had publicly said that everyone on the Council “knows what they can do if they don't feel comfortable”.
Yesterday, the Councillor for Public Works, Antoni Pascual, the Vice-President of the Council of Majorca and Councillor for Youth, Dolça Mulet and the Councillor for Environment, Catalina Juve, handed in their resignation leaving the remaining members of the coalition with one seat less that the opposition Partido Popular.

Yesterday afternoon, Armengol called on the UM three and their party, now led by Miguel Angel Flaquer to “reconsider” their actions but, last night, the UM were standing their ground.

There have been internal, cross-party problems within the coalition for some time and the UM's withdrawal from the coalition on the Council of Majorca could have wide ranging implications for the Balearic government and key local councils, including Palma, which are coalition controlled.

Yesterday, Flaquer denied that the resignation of the three Councillors is an indication of his party's intentions to either reestablish its coalition with the centre-right Partido Popular or table a motion of no confidence in the Council of Majorca. Flaquer also made it clear that the problem lies within the Council of Majorca and neither on Palma City Council nor in the Balearic government.

He explained that during its two years as a member of the Council of Majorca coalition, his party has felt “totally ignored”.
Yesterday, however, they were the centre of attention as Armengol invited them to sit down for talks to clear the air.