SPECIAL REPORT by MATS BJÖRKMAN
Vice President, Costa Press Club
Spanish journalist Viruca Yebra held a conference at the Costa Press Club¹s
monthly meeting on January 30th at the Centro Forestal Sueco, Marbella.
Viruca spoke about the local municipal elections, which will be held on
May 25th.
In her opinion, the elections will have double importance, as the political
parties consider them to be almost like primary elections in advance of
the general elections in March 2004.
According to Viruca, the socialist party has managed to renew itself and
gain new confidence. This makes it a serious candidate to win the general
elections.
The ruling Partido Popular has the advantage of a well-established political
program that has gained many followers during recent years. Thanks to
the PP, she says, Spain now has the highest social welfare benefits in
its history and the public health system is the best in Europe.
One of the main problems that the government has to deal with is worsening
crime, she notes, caused partly by the fact that Spain has developed from
an emigrating to an immigrating country.
According to Viruca, traditional Spanish hospitality may well transform
itself into racism if immigration is not regulated in a satisfactory way.
Marbella´s ex-Mayor Jesús Gil y Gil was well aware of the
importance of public security, she says. During his first year in office
he literally cleaned the streets, giving local police unlimited authority.
Still, at the same time he is accused of organising what has been described
as a ³systematic theft of public funds². Building licences were
granted in huge numbers and people in positions of authority allegedly
became more and more wealthy.
Gil is no longer in office but he still rules the town hall, as his right-hand
man, Juan Antonio Roca, remains in charge of the construction area.
In Viruca¹s opinion, the new Mayor, Julián Muñoz, does
not agree with this situation but is not in a position to change things.
She says the local elections this year are completely different from earlier
elections won by the GIL party. First, Jesús Gil is no longer in
office, and second, Marbella has also changed and developed into a large
city, with all its subsequent advantages and disadvantages.
All the parties that run in the elections hope to take votes from a GIL
party that is expected to break into pieces. Still, Viruca believes that,
provided he is not barred from holding public office beforehand, Mayor
Julián Muñoz might well defend his position. The reason
is that Muñoz is a people¹s mayor, making sure he is continuously
close to the people and the voters of Marbella.
Still, there is speculation that the GIL party¹s candidate might
not be
Muñoz, and that Jesús Gil will nominate his own son-in-law,
José Luis Fernández Garrosa. If this is the case, it is
probable that Muñoz will run for the new party created by members
of his own family.
Another candidate who wants to rule the town hall is socialist Isabel
García Marcos, and she earned much merit for helping to remove
Gil from office.
Viruca thinks that García Marcos is well respected in Marbella
for her constant battle against Gil, but she has never won people¹s
affection.
The candidate for the Partido Popular in Marbella is Angeles Muñoz,
a doctor from Córdoba but resident in Marbella for several years.
She has forged a prominent career within the party in Madrid and is a
member of the national parliament. Her contacts with the leadership of
the ruling party have led to numerous visits from ministers and other
important national representatives.
The final make-up of the town hall could hinge on the performance of the
Partido Andalucista if none of the major parties manage to win their own
majority. Former GIL member Carlos Fernández managed to win the
party¹s first two seats in the town hall and is appreciated for speaking
clearly about different matters. One problem is that he is accused by
the ruling party of misappropriating public funds during his period as
councillor in charge of the sports department, though he has never been
convicted of wrongdoing.
Other parties with no current representation will also be standing, including
the PSOC, GIM-SP and PRIMS. Unfortunately, the importance of Marbella,
and its money-earning possibilities, has also attracted candidates with
controversial reputations from other parts of Spain.
Viruca concluded her conference by noting that it wasn¹t unlikely
that between eight and 10 parties would run in the local elections in
Marbella.
