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It would take a change in the constitution law to allow us foreigners to vote in General Elections in Spain and, I have very mixed feelings about the issue.
Part of me wants the right to vote, especially now that I no longer have that right in the UK, having been away for longer than the 15 year limit.
The other half sees it suiting my purposes very well thank you that the British “Conservatives Abroad” faction cannot vote for what I see as the far right.
Knowing that most Brits never get past the “Cafe con leche, por favor” stage in Spanish, many would vote virtually blind. A little knowledge being dangerous.
But it does mean that the tough go for lunch, while the rest of us bite our nails, as our futures are left in the hands of the Spanish voter.
Do I trust them to vote in a manner that suits our common interests?
Not even one tiny little bit, which is not really a good sign, is it? All I can say is that I hope that the Socialists are returned for another 4 years, because that at least should give me a chance to decide when to leave, on my terms.
More than that, my wish (it’s just an impossible dream, really) is that they’re returned with a notably bigger majority (if not an outright one) than last time to shut up those whining twits of the opposition, de una vez y por todo.
If you’re interested in the outcome of today’s General Elections in Spain, Graeme at South Of Watford has a widget thing ‘ere that should tell you, in English.
Written by Pamela Heywood - Visit Website | Leave a tip | Buy me something
They wouldn’t have to change the constitution to let us vote. It could be done by law. We can vote in municipal elections. Like you I have lost my UK vote because I have been here so long. I think I should vote here but I don’t now how the expat vote would split. I suspect that quite a lot on the costas would want to set up their own foreigner-free ethnically-pure parties to represent themselves. But most of the Brits I know here are EFL teachers and so on and they wouldn’t touch the PP anyway.
Thanks for your visit Peter. I stand corrected then. I’d believed something I’d read that said a change to the constitution would be needed. Whichever, I still harbor the same doubts. There is one district here on Tenerife with a HUGE expat community - and has expats forming political groups that sound terribly right wing to me - where the council went to the PP some years back. Obviously, I can’t say if that is because of the foreign vote, or if it would anyway, but it’s worrying.