Editorial: The big vote

IF you don´t vote, you can´t really complain about your council. It is an old saying but still very relevant today, especially when it comes to the international community and their voting rights in the local elections later this year. It would be nice if a large section of the non-Spanish European community living on the island, actually turned out and voted this May. Now, the excuse is generally, I don´t really understand local politics. But this isn´t an excuse at all. All the political parties go to quite alot of effort to explain their electoral programme to all, foreign residents included. Now, some political parties make an even bigger effort than others, and they should be congratulated for trying to get the non-Spanish Europeans interested in local politics. I think the choice is relatively easier. If you are happy with your present council then vote for them, if you are not then look around for an alternative. And there are plenty.  The newcomers are Podemos, the protest party formed the anti-austerity movement and of course you have the two mainstream parties, basically conservatives and socialists. And then there are the nationalist parties which are obviously big on local issues. This is a big local election. Opinion polls say that no single party will gain an overall majority which will mean that we are faced with a coalition government. Even at council level it appears that coalitions could be on the horizon. Now, is the time to show how much you care about the island and vote!