Calvia reports “vote scandal” to Brussels

Staff Reporter A delegation from the Calvia town council, led by tourism councillor Kate Mentink, is off to Brussels today, to inform European MPs of the alleged vote rigging which deprived a number of European residents of Majorca of their right to vote in the local elections last May. The scandal came to light after various European residents of Calvia were turned away from the polling booths at the last elections, as they were not on the census, even though they had completed all the necessary paper work. The Calvia council, now run by the conservatives, claims that this was the previous council's fault, alleging that it wanted to block the European vote. Going with Councillor Mentink are Peter Newey, chairman of Conservatives Abroad, representing a number of people who claim they were denied their right to vote, along with a British woman who first contacted her Euro MP to denounce the Calvia council concerning the situation, and a Frenchman who had the same problem. Councillor Mentink said that the reason for the trip was to ensure that such a situation could never happen again and to inform the European Parliament of what went on. She said yesterday that if the situation had arisen in Calvia, which has a large foreign population, then it could have occurred elsewhere. With the European Union expanding, the June 1 election takes on a new importance. The councillor will be having a series of meetings with Euro MPs while in Brussels. Ms Mentink estimates that hundreds of European Union voters were denied the vote in the last elections because they were not on the census. She added that it was vital to get things right ahead of the Euro elections which will be held on June 1. Balearic leader Jaume Matas is also taking up the issue in Madrid. Foreigners can vote in the municipal and the European elections, and in order to get on the electoral roll they should contact their town hall to make sure they are on the census. Many people will already have received confirmation in writing in the form of a letter, in both Spanish and English, giving details of the entry on the census.