LLUCHMAJOR

Each party has presented a list of 21 candidates with 3 substitutes for the election.
Unfortunately, as of going to press, there has been no reply from PSOE or ASI.

QUESTIONS ASKED:
1. How many men and women are present in your candidature?
2. What is the political and professional experience of the candidates with most possibility of being elected?
3. What are the most important points of your programme for the municipality?
4. Do you have any particular points for the European residents of the municipality?
5. What opinion do you have of the fiscal taxes in the municipality.
What are your plans in this respect?
6. Have you thought about the possibility of forming a post election pact if your party does not obtain an overall majority? Which parties are closest to yours?

7. What is your opinion of proportional voting? Do you think that there should be a “second round” in municipalities where no absolute majority has been obtained, so that the parties with less representations can state with which parties they would join forces with?

UNION MALLORQUINA, UM
CANDIDATE: TOMAS CANTELLOPS
1. There are 6 women and 16 men, amongst whom one is from Luxemburg and one from Germany.
2. As the head of the list I have the experience of four years on the council, in which UM has tried always to practice the policy of consensus. Number 2, Antoni Pallicer is 26 with a diploma in tourism and very keen to do a lot for the municipality. No 3, Yug Steffen from Luxemburg is a businessman in tourism and is the president of the Neighbours' Association of Sa Torre. No. 4, Antonio Molino is a businessman married to a German living in Las Palmeras and No. 5, Sofia Cerezo, is 28 with a diploma in social services, from Tolleric. I believe that the candidature has a mixture of youth and experience where the people from the different urbanisations have a specific weight, since these members of the public have been forgotten by the present PP-ASI government team.

3. A plan for integration in all fields for people of other nationalities. Decentralisation of the municipal services. Demand the train for the south east of Majorca. Municipal volunteer services for environment, culture, social, etc. Grants for the school books and for university students. Finish the Convent of San Buenaventura during this legislature. The correct elimination of obsolete hotel accommodation.

Macro-installation of a large common property for all the citizens.
Health centres in the urbanisations, etc.
4. The plan for integration at all levels for people of other nationalities in which plan, in all fields of culture, education, sport, social action, gastronomy, fiestas, etc. Making the general communications from our Town Hall, like our programme, in Majorcan, Spanish, English, German and French.

5. Our municipality does not have a high fiscal pressure as for example there is in Calvia, so we think that the taxes are adequate for the services that the public receives and we have not considered their modification.

6. In principal we are immersed in an electoral campaign with a view to obtaining the majority, but if this were not to be so, and always with a view to guaranteeing the governability of our Town Hall, we would pact with a party or parties who have a similar programme to ours and that they can accept ours and we theirs, except ASI with which party we have nothing in common.

7. I think that the greatness of democracy is that everyone, no matter how small their representation is in the Town Councils, can feel represented by the party voted for so that his or her voice can be heard. As for the second part of the question, as Unio Mallorquina is a liberal centre party, in principal we can pact with the right or with the left but never with extremists.

COALICCION ESQUERRA UNIDA: ELS VERDS EN LLUCMAJOR
CANDIDATE: ANTONI ALBERT ARTIGUES
1.Our list is integrated by 11 women and 13 men.
2. The head of the list, Antoni Albert Artigues, is a Professor for Geography at the Balearic University. In the past year he has carried out the administration of a public company in the Department of Environment. He participated in the direction of the Platform Anti-Llevant Motorway. The second on the list, Antonio Rotger, is a doctor in emergencies and this is his second participation in municipal elections.

3. We would open public participation in the Town Hall, for all important decisions in all collective activities. Reconversion of municipal environment via the Agenda Local 21. Plan for the Administration for the Demand for Water. Energy savings. Improvements in educational, health and cultural services. Defence of the language and cultura of Majorca, promoting the integration of citizens from abroad. A Pact of Sustainability in the building and tourist industries. A cultural centre in the Cloister of Sant Bonaventura. Youth centres and a network of children's leisure activities. A strict and transparent exchequer.

4. For the coalition EU-EV there are no foreigners, but rather citizens who have come from abroad; we hope that they all feel and participate as members of the people of Llucmajor. We want these citizens to integrate fully in our community. We will favour their knowledge of our language and culture and we hope that they will give us their proposals to advance naturally towards a Llucmajor of everyone, with and for everyone.

5. The local exchequer, besides being sparse to cater for the growing needs and social demands, does not bear in mind the environmental costs of the present model of production and consumption.

The taxes, and fiscal charges do not recognise or discriminate those that are more contaminating, or the fiscal pressure does not differentiate between the main home and the houses for rental on the one hand, and second homes or luxury use on the other. A reform must be made to create a more ecological fiscal pressure.

6. The coalition EU-EV in Llucmajor, at the appropriate moment will study openly the possibility of a progress pact that accepts and respects the proposals in our programme. The affinities will be established with the political forces that value duly our programme. In any case, we exclude the possibility that our vote should renew the actual government pact of the Partido Popular in coalition with ASI.

7. The proportional voting system is the current electoral system in Spain. From our point of view it has two obvious advantages over the majority system; on the one hand it allows a better expression of the wealth and plurality of political options existing in society; and on the other it permits the democratic representation of minorities. The present system has, possibly, the inconvenience of closed lists and the rigid control of the parties in these. In any case, for the coalition EU–EV in Llucmajor democracy is much more than the electoral appointment every four years; it is also, and principally, the effective participation by the public in decision taking for daily life and the future. We think that where there is no absolute majority, more than a “second round” the culture of pacts is better, as it demands greater collective maturity and responsibility to obtain a collective welfare.

PARTIDO SOCIALISTA DE MALLORCA: PSM-EN
CANDIDATE: JOANA LLUISA MASCARO MELIA
1. There are ten women, eleven men in the candidature plus three substitutes.
2. Joana Lluisa Mascaro Melia has been a councillor for Llucmajor for eight years and the last four years she was the spokeswoman for the party. She is a member of the party executive committee and is responsible for political coordination. She is a teacher and at present works in the Balearic Department of Education as the head of Innovation. Gabriel Pons i Homar has been a councillor since 1999 and is an archaeologist who is a civil servant on the Majorcan council. Margalida Artigues Rebassa is a teacher who has worked with NGO organisations in the field of social volunteers. Joan Ferre Pomar works in tourism and since he was very young he has been well known in s'Arenal for his voluntary participation in associations and has promoted many activities. Aina Llompart Suau is a student who has collaborated with many youth associations.

3. In welfare: Strong social services with sufficient economic and human resources to attend the whole municipality. More places will be made available in homes for the elderly; Day centres for the elderly in Llucmajor and s'Arenal; support for working and social insertion and reinsertion; temporary protection homes for families with special needs; more street educators. For youth areas for youngsters in all the urban areas of the municipality with participative administration. Activities throughout the year, and to facilitate emancipation via programmes of working insertion and homes. For the quality of life, embellishment and adequate maintenance of streets, squares and public areas. Promotion of the protection and recovery of the cultural, historic and artistic heritage so that as well as being enjoyed by residents, they should become a resource to create wealth as a tourist attraction. Promote the cycling and walking routes. Favour cultural participation by all the associations. Social participation is essential for the life of the municipalities.

4. The municipal action has to be aimed at the group of people who live there, independent of where they come from. However, within the programme we contemplate carrying out action that will help the new residents to get to know the municipality and to help with their integration as complete citizens.

5. Fiscal pressure goes together with competent municipal services that resolve the public's problems and avoids their need to spend money in solving problems that should be solved by the administration and so in the end they win by this. We must improve the services
6. Evidently, if there is no majority pacts will be formed. From the PSM we are prepared to dialogue with any party that puts the public's interests before private ones, always based on a project for government, not just a share out of posts.

7. The proportional system guarantees more representation from different electoral options and a second round could make some sectors feel that they are not represented. We think the proportional system is the best.

LA CLAU DE MALLORCA (The Key to Majorca)

CANDIDATE: TONI NAVAS MORRO
This is a recently formed party in the Balearics that has not presented for election before that defines itself in the party's web page as a free political party, born out of the Balearic people, for the Balearic people, and is loyal with a vocation for the defence of the land
1. 21 people . We consider there to be no difference between men and women.
2. The candidates are professionals of commerce and the hostelry industry, who know the political scene well but who have not occupied public posts in the past.

3. Llucmajor must be a living place, not just a dormitory town. It must have entertainment activities, education and teaching centres for youngsters. The natural surroundings and the urban centres must be well cared for. We must eradicate delinquency from the Arenal area. We would help families who are suffering violence. We will supply e-mail contact for all the public with the Mayor who should answer all questions.

4. Yes, we would organise cultural and educational activities for those foreigners who wish to learn about the Majorcan gastronomy, history, customs, traditions, dances, music and language.

5. We shall maintain the fiscal situation without increasing taxes but we will increase economic efficiency in the public services so that the public services will increase in quality without paying more.

6. Naturally we would form a pact with the parties that do not waste the public's money and promote youth education.
7. I am not informed of this alternative but I believe that democracy as it exists in Europe today is a utopia, if not a fallacy, since facilities are not given for the appearance of new parties. Therefore the real will of the people does not always emerge. Courage must be taken to set up a real democracy, to examine the parties and the politicians in close detail, to give the maximum transparency to public administration. Gradually a democracy should be created with more participation via electronic voting between legislatures and the publication of information about the town council on internet in real time.

PARTIDO POPULAR PP
CANDIDATE: LLUC TOMAS MUNAR
1. Our candidature is formed of 9 women and 15 men out of the 24.
2. Lluc Tomas has been the mayor of Lucmajor for the past four years and from 1991 to 1999 he was the council in charge of Economics and Social Services in different legislatures. Professionally he has been the General Director for Industrial Promotion in the Balearic Government and also the Coordinator of the Centre of Innovative Firms in Inca. He was born in Llucmajor in 1948, is married and has a degree in Economics. Of the first ten candidates on the list, eight are present councillors in Llucmajor and have a varied professional curriculum vitae.

3. We will promote the attention to the public via the following steps:
Social welfare action with home help; carry out the Youth Plan with improvements for the existing Youth Information Centre and also carrying out the Homes for Youngsters Plan; promote the services and resources of environment strategy; give special attention to specialised tourist offers, particularly agrotourism, and the development of the Plan for Tourist Excellence; overall improvement to the municipal infrastructure; the improvements in sports facilities in all areas will include an indoor swimming pool in s'Arenal and another in the area of the urbanisations, plus multi-sports installations. We will promote our culture and carry out the refurbishment of the Cloister of San Bonaventura in Llucmajor.

4. In our opinion all the residents of our municipality have the same rights and obligations as any citizen and therefore we cannot distinguish between foreign residents and the others.

5. Llucmajor is one of the municipalities with the least fiscal pressure on Majorca. In fact in the last few years we have lowered taxes twice.
6. So far we have not considered this question as we shall wait to see the results of the elections to take that decision if necessary.
7. We have not considered that question either, since in Spain our laws do not permit a “second round”.