The electoral hangover, following Sunday’s technical draw between the two political parties, has been greeted by a grand and uncharacteristic silence among local politicians.
After weeks of loud hailers and political rhetoric it seems the voice of the electorate has struck the politicians dumb and there is no news about who will govern Calasparra for the next four years.
Although the PSOE, Socialist Party, won the majority of the votes they gained the same number of representatives as the Partido Popular with eight seats each. As no party has a majority the two main parties now depend on a “pact” with the United Left in order to form a government.
Will the United Left, who entered the legislature at the Town Hall on Sunday for the first time in 12 years with one representative, make a pact with the PSOE or the PP? Or will they refuse to make any pact at all?
The election of a single representative of the United Left has really put the cat amongst the pigeons because the minority party leader, Ricardo Garcia, now holds the casting vote in a hung Town Hall. The majority PSOE are not able to take any decisions, vote on any heads of departments or elect the mayor without at least one vote from another party.
The PSOE and the PP have been at political loggerheads for years and it seems unlikely they will be able to forget their differences and form any type of alliance. The most likely scenario is that the PSOE and the PP will court the United Left for their single deciding vote but which way will Ricardo Garcia jump?
Almost certainly there are frantic negotiations going on behind the scenes but silence and indecision cannot reign forever as by law the new government must take possession of the Town Hall on June 11.
