Chiclanagir

Spanish government is being dissolved in September with a General Election called for November. Is this due? Can we vote?

lynnxa

wouldn't the election have been due next Feb? -so a bit early


we can only vote in local & European elections - not national ones afaik

snikpoh

REALLY! How unfair is that!

agoreira

True, but the Cobbler has brought it forward to Nov 20th, seems to think it gives him a better chance of winning.

steviedeluxe

Zapatero isn't running.

Not the best choice of candidates. Rajoy? Or the new PSOE chap, who wants to bring back the wealth tax...

lynnxa

it doesn't seem right, does it?

personally, what happens there doesn't affect me, whereas what happens here does - so I totally agree with you

but as someone on here reminded me a short time ago we can still vote in UK national elections if we want to for up to 15 years of leaving - butas I said - why would I bother



it does beg the question though - after 15 years, when we can no longer vote in the UK - where CAN you vote?

I understand you'd have to take Spanish nationality to be able to vote here

DLC

So what happens on the 21st then. Spain leaves the euro and we return to the peseta which is promptly devaluated?

Ray51

Not a bad idea ;
I might re-consider in such a case .

Lenox

The national elections have been brought forward to November 20th and Presidnit Zippy won't be running. Instead it is is Alfredo Rubalcaba for the PSOE (he is best known by us foreign devils as the minister who burnt our residence cards) and the inept but dogged Mariano Rajoy for the PP. Rajoy has a huge advantage in the opinion polls.
Unbelievably however, the un-elected President of Andalucía and bane of western-style keyboards, J A Griñán, says he's going to hang on until March.
And no, we can't vote in those ones either.

Dick Dasterdly

It kind of reinforces what I've already, like many others, been expecting.

Basically that although things are pretty bad at present, the Govt still thinks it may still have just a very remote chance of being re-elected.

However for sure they realize that total disaster lies just around the corner for the country as a whole, and especially for their own party if they sit there till the inevitable happens and roof falls in.

Relampago

How can you talk about Rajoy, if Rajoy is not governing?

Lenox

He will be, no doubt, after the results are in.

Rosemary

Not sure who I would prefer to win in this election, Zappy´s mob appear to have cocked up but I thoroughly dislike very right wing parties and if, as I have read in the past, Rajoy comes to power then he is definitely not a friend of we immigrants.

Graham.

steviedeluxe

I agree that Rajoy's made a lot of negative sounding stuff in the last few years. However the indications are that he's beginning to realise he needs to have progressive policies in order to help Spain. His commitment to helping small companies and entrepreneurs, is sorely needed:

http://www.expansion.com/2011/07/29/...2&t=1312106531

bil

If only as an immigrant, I prefer Zappy's mob. The right is seldom a friend to non natives. Plus, our Spanish neighbours, while being well pissed with the left, loathe the right.

Anyway, the shitstorm that has hit us all thanks to the yanks and their brainless Ninja subprime mortages isn't the fault of left or right here.

There was a great cartoon in elJueves a while back. The first had a pic of Zappy brandishing the scissors, and it was captioned "Good News! Zapatero to go!"

The second had a pic of Rajoy brandishing a massive pair of shears, and the caption was "The Bad News. Rajoy is coming!"

One young lad said to me how happy he would be to see Rajoy in. My comment was, "So that will mean a return to an era of no cuts, and retiring earlier, with jobs for all?"

Anyone who thinks the right is a friend to the little man, is a fool.