An interesting contest

By Jason Moore WELL, the worst-kept secret in local politics was finally confirmed on Friday night when it was announced that the Mayor of Calvia, Carlos Delgado, would be standing for the leadership of the Partido Popular. Delgado´s key policy is language; Balear (a general term for Majorcan, Minorca and Ibizan) instead of Catalan and a reduction of the teaching of Catalan in schools. It should be a fascinating contest because his rival is Rosa Estaras, who has been a key member of the party for more than a decade. She is well respected across the islands. The leadership contest comes at a time when the Partido Popular is undergoing a period of “reflection” both in the Balearics and in Madrid after recent election defeats. For the first time in more than 20 years the socialists polled a larger share of the vote in the islands than the Partido Popular in the recent general elections. Delgado´s language campaign will certainly appeal to the more “Spanish” side of the party but whether it will impress Partido Popular supporters in the pueblos is yet to be seen. Rosa Estaras had the terrible job of trying to unify the party after the debacle at the last local elections. Jaume Matas, left for Washington, soon after the elections, leaving the party without a leader. Since then the Partido Popular has struggled especially, as for the first time in recent years in the Balearics, it controls none of the key local institutions. It is certainly going to a be an interesting contest. Estaras will be seeking to keep the party and its policies, much as they are at the moment, while Delgado wants an important change. Now they just have to convince the party.