The minority United Left Party were celebrating holding the balance of power in Calasparra last night as the two main parties are caught in a political stalemate.
The local electorate delivered a massive “Don´t Know” last night in the local Municipal Elections electing eight representatives for the ruling PSOE Socialist Party and eight representatives for the right wing Partido Popular. The United Left secured one representative.
There was no indecision for voters in the region where the Partido Popular recorded a veritable landslide at local and regional level taking eight municipal areas from the PSOE and tightening their grip on the control of the regional government. Last night only two municipal areas in the region of Murcia remained under PSOE control with all the towns around Calasparra securely in the hands of the Partido Popular including Bullas, Moratella, Cehegin, Caravaca, Jumilla and Cieza.
However, a resounding victory for the PP all over the region leaves them without control in Calasparra where they recorded 43.6% of the vote. The PSOE Socialist Party won on the night with 46.1% but with eight representatives for each party it is Ricardo Garcia´s United Left with 9.1% of the vote and one representative who are celebrating holding the casting vote in Calasparra’s new local government.
Voter turnout was low all over the region and the number of “blank” votes was an all time record but in Calasparra, there was no voter apathy. The turnout was 78% and the votes were counted and recounted well into the night in a nail biting finish. Voting closed at 8pm but the results from the 12 tables at the local polling stations dribbled in and it was almost 11pm before the final result was clear: 8 – 8 – 1.
If it was a frustrating night for the two main parties members of the local United Left Party were ecstatic: only 70 votes from securing two representatives at the Town Hall and a far cry from the last municipal elections when they failed to secure a candidate by just one vote.
The regional United Left also had plenty to celebrate increasing their share of the vote in the all the municipal elections by 5,000 and securing 13 representatives in Town Halls all over the region. The party also secured one representative at regional government level.
Ramón Luis Valcarcel and his PP Party swept the board at the regional elections taking 33 seats compared to 11 for the PSOE.
As the dust settles on the hard fought political scrap played out in Calasparra last night the political implications of the result remain unclear. The tiny majority won by the PSOE will be little consolation to a party which has governed in the town since democracy began in Spain and the stalemate will bring little satisfaction to the Partido Popular. The true winners on the night were the United Left who with just one seat won the balance of power.
