EDITORIAL

THE opinion polls point to a whitewash for the right-wing Partido Popular in the local elections this Sunday. Polls in newspapers over the weekend indicated that the PP could even fail to secure Palma which it has ruled for the last 12 years. The polls also claim that the coalition local government will be back in power with an even greater share of the vote which will enable them to govern without the support of the Majorcan Unionist Party led by the formidable Maria Antonia Munar. I must admit I am not surprised. The Partido Popular has done little while in opposition over the last four years and as we know their candidate, Jaume Matas, was Minister for the Environment and as a result has been largely away from these shores since his defeat in the last election in 1999. There is also the question of the hugely unpopular war with Iraq which the Partido Popular (in government in Madrid) supported. If the opinion polls are painting a true picture then the Balearics including Palma will be ruled by a mixture of socialists and nationalists and the political map of the islands will have gone a full circle. Defeat in the Balearics would be a major blow for the Partido Popular, as, until recently these islands were a safe haven for them. Matas is popular and well known in the Balearics but the fact that he has been a minister in Madrid could work against him. Madrid has been blamed for many of the islands' ills. His party enjoys plenty of support in Majorca but has seen their share of the vote in Minorca and Ibiza/Formentera fall sharply. As I said earlier if the polls are to be believed Matas will be sitting on the opposition benches next to Maria Antonia Munar. But with five days remaining until polling day it will be interesting to see if the polls show a true picture or just a random political snap-shot.