big wheels

Another four years.

No change.

un-mundo

Isn't there a huge change? As in ridiculously enormous urbanisations, property prices falling, and Northern Europeans staying away from the property market?

All so very predictable. I'm glad I don't want to sell!

anabella

I'm originally from Spain but now live in the US, I was so shocked when I got a package to vote a couple of weeks ago.. I still can't believe that 4 years have gone by since the last general elections, they have really flown by!!

brisca

I was wondering whether there was going to be a thread about the election!

I'm not very knowledgeable about politics either in Spain or in the UK; but these two links HERE and HERE might be interesting reading on a pretty basic level.

(I think the articles come across as being a bit biased towards the PSOE - or maybe it just seems like that because they are the winning party? After all, this is from the BBC!! )

I had a very interesting "conversation" with a 10 year old boy in our village a few days ago. (He was doing most of the talking!)
He asked me who I was going to vote for; so I explained I'm not eligible to vote in the General election.
However, he went on to advise me very seriously, that if I could vote, then he recommended the PSOE (or "The Reds"), as opposed to the PP (or "The Blues") because the PP would only help rich people!!
Bless him, I wonder how he'll vote in 8 years' time?

Casa Santo Estevo

We too.

Do you not think that it is not strange that, here in Spain, Europeans cannot vote in national elections. We know this is a EU law. But third (or more) generation of expat Spanish, that say live in South America, can.
We live here but they have usually no intention to live in this country.

anabella

That never made sense to me either, what's the point in voting in Spain while I live here? We should be allowed to vote in the country where we are residents. In England I did use to vote on the local elections, I think under EU law we are allowed to vote on local and European elections..

Ex-pat

This situation has baffled me for a long time.
I lived in UK for over 30 years and I always received voting papers from my country of birth. During 30 years away the names of the parties changed so much that I don't even know which party represents what.
Every party puts up a list of approx. 25 candidates from whom you may choose.
How do they expect me (and others in a similar position) to choose for a particular candidate?
And voting is compulsory!
However, I lived and worked in UK for 30 years + and I was allowed to pay taxes and NI but not vote!

And as someone else here already mentioned, second and third generations in other countries (South Africa etc.etc) are allowed to vote in UK elections.

As I said, a baffling situation.

anabella

It looks like we are only allowed to vote in the general elections of our country of citizenship, but this leaves me with another question.. If eventually I become a US citizen I would obviously hold on to my Spanish passport too, would I be allowed to vote in both countries?

mikelincs

I think it's partly due to 'The Empire', people who are from Commonwealth countries have, or had, a lot more rights, including those of voting. In the EU, you can only vote in local or European elections unless yopu are a citizen, or a citizen of former colonies, which most of South America was, moirroring the UK position.

Ray

Check to see if the Spanish do postal votes.

From this it would appear so ..


http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?p...d=aqPGdmZm.afQ

anabella

Yes, I know I can vote in Spain (that's where I'm a citizen!) my question is: If I was a US citizen would I be able to vote in both countries? Or am I wrongly assuming that if I hold a US passport that makes me a citizen?.. I'm starting to confuse myself with all this ..

Ray

Yes you can vote anywhere you are a citizen..unless the counrty excludes postal votes

anabella

Thanks!!