Fewer eligible voters in the Balearics for Sunday's election

Majorca Daily Bulletin reporterPalma16/12/2015 00:00

A total of 726,264 people in the Balearics will be eligible to vote in Sunday's general election at the 385 polling stations in the 67 municipalities across the islands. This electorate is some 4,000 fewer than in 2011, and the security effort for the election will also have fewer officers this year. Between them, the National Police, Guardia Civil and local police forces will provide a manpower of 1,767, which is twenty-one down on requirements in 2011. The majority of these, quite obviously, will be in Majorca, which will draw on 1,352 officers. Ibiza will have 206, Minorca 193 and Formentera just 16.

Majorca will also have vastly more polling stations than the other islands. Its 303 compare with 40 in Minorca, 39 in Ibiza and a mere three in Formentera. Of eligible voters, over 560,000 are resident in Majorca, 80,000 plus in Ibiza, getting on for 65,000 in Minorca and fewer than 6,000 in Formentera. In addition, there are almost 15,000 people resident abroad who can vote and a similar figure for those who have requested a postal vote.

More than four million ballot papers for Congress and over 700,000 for the Senate have been printed, and the polling stations will be open from 9am and close at 10pm. The national government delegate to the Balearics, Teresa Palmer, says that she will inform the media at midday on Sunday if there have been any "incidents": not that she is expecting there to be.