Opposition parties Somos Mojácar and the PSOE have joined forced in Mojácar to submit a joint complaint to the local electoral council (JEZ) and a local Judge denouncing irregularities on the padrón ahead of municipal elections.
According to the complaint, the opposition parties have proof that the Mayor has been ordering by decree the inclusion on the local electoral roll of suspicious or potentially non-existent voters. The complaint alleges amongst other things that the Mayor has been allowing the following to register en masse without having to prove they live in the town:
- There has been mass registration of workers employed by local companies that have lucrative contracts with the townhall, when these workers do not live in the town of Mojácar
- There have been a large number of voters recently registered to the same addresses, usually homes that are empty upon visual inspection
- All townhall workers who do not live in Mojácar have suddenly requested to vote in Mojácar
- And that all the above are registered to vote by postal vote
The complaint also includes the recently surfaced audio recording of a senior member in the Mayor’s party cajoling for a postal vote from a local resident in the last election, promising more work for her husband if all the postal votes are given over blank.
The opposition parties also reminded the local authorities of the allegations of postal vote that surfaced after the last elections, when Mojacar not only had the highest number of postal votes in the country, but that all the postal votes went to the same party: Mayor Rosa Maria’s PP party.
Jessica Simpson of Somos Mojacars says that the two opposition parties have also agreed to work together on an advertising campaign in the town reminding people of their rights in the question of postal votes, and urging residents “not to sell your vote, but vote freely in a democratic manner”. They have also promised to press charges against anyone who they suspect is forcing local residents to vote for a specific party.