Month: May 2019

Election night in Ibiza was as dramatic and nail biting as ever. Now that the dust has settled here’s an overview of what happened on the night and what might happen in the coming days and weeks.

SAN ANTONIORESULT: A low 49.3% turnout saw the Popular Party (PP) gain most votes with 3072, slightly up on 4 years ago. The Socialist Party (PSOE) including the previously strong Reinicia polled only 2853 votes and the left wing Podemos came in with 870. Ciudadanos’ (C’s) first time out saw them return 436 votes while PXE (Ibiza Proposal Party) saw their vote more than halved to 458 votes after recent turmoil within the party.

Seats: PP 9 – PSOE 8 – Podemos 2 – PXE 1 – C’s – 1

What Next: With no majority in the 21 seat chamber it’s up to the parties to negotiate with each other to form a coalition.

Likely Scenario: Nothing is guaranteed but a centre right coalition led by PP’s Marcos Serra is the probable outcome. C’s are a natural ally to PP plus PXE ripped up their previous pact with PSOE due to councillor Cristina Ribas switching sides just before the election. PXE with their 458 votes are the kingmakers here so all eyes will be on their leader Joan Torres over the next few days.

IBIZA TOWN*RESULT: Rafa Ruiz’ days as mayor look numbered after his PSOE party fell short with 4046 votes compared to PP’s 4513. The smaller parties did well in the Capital with Podemos, C’s and PXE all returning votes of over a thousand while the right wing VOX gained 883 votes and the left wing ARA party scored 773.

Seats: PP 7 – PSOE 6 – Podemos 2 – PXE 2 – C’s – 2 – VOX 1 – ARA 1

What Next: With no clear majority in the 21 seat chamber the parties will now negotiate with each other to form a coalition.

Likely Scenario: PP’s charismatic Jose Vicente Mari Bosó looks set to become the new Mayor by wooing C’s and PXE to form a tri-party coalition. Expect fireworks as JVMB promises to shake things up dramatically.

SANT JOSEPRESULT: The most fragmented Town Hall with 7 different parties winning places on the 21 seat council. PSOE claimed victory here with 2859 votes while the 2nd placed PP polled 2002 votes. Meanwhile Podemos performed well with over a 1000 votes with ARA, PXE and VOX all returning over 400 votes each respectively

Seats: PSOE 8 – PP 5 – Podemos 3 – C’s 2 – PXE 1 – VOX 1 – ARA 1

What Next: Incumbent mayor Pep Agustinet is safe as he will team up with Podemos to take control of the council for the next 4 years but he has lots to think about with noise control and beach concessions consistently in the press.

Likely Scenario: The PSOE/Podemos love-in to continue for another 4 years.

SANTA EULALIARESULT: The east cost resort town showed its true blue colours yet again by voting the PP back with 5835 votes – over 50%. PSOE were left floundering on 2631 votes while Podemos came in 3rd with 1212 votes.

Seats: PP 13 – PSOE 6 – Podemos 2

What Next: New mayor, the experienced Carmen Ferrer has a clear mandate to carry on the good work of Vicent Mari who has made his town the envy of the island balancing residents needs with tourists hard currency.

Likely Scenario: Expect more legislation to keep the town clean and the tourists happy.

SANT JOAN DE LABRITJA

RESULT: The PP bandwagon rolls on in Sant Joan with a landslide 66% (1405) of the votes while PSOE and Podemos were left to pick up the scraps with 346 and 247 votes respectively.

Seats: PP 10 – PSOE 2 – Podemos 1

What Next: Mayor Antoni Mari ‘Carraca’ carries on unabated for the next 4 years watching over the north of the island with an iron fist wrapped in a silk glove.

Likely Scenario: 4 more years of peace and relaxation for the north of the island.

ISLAND COUNCILRESULT: It was here that came the big shock of the night with PP taking back control. The incumbent left wing coalition were left licking their wounds after coming up short mainly due to Podemos losing over 3000 votes compared to 2015. PP returned 17831 votes whilst PSOE stood still on 12906. Podemos dropped off to 5430 votes whilst Ciudadanos showed their mettle by polling an impressive 3120 votes meaning it’s likely they will have a seat on the government table.

Seats: PP 6 – PSOE 4 – Podemos 2 – Ciudadanos 1

What Next: Ciudadanos have already stated that they won’t go into government with Podemos under any circumstances so a centre right council is inevitable.

Likely Scenario: Ex- Santa Eulalia mayor Vicent Mari proved too strong for the rest and will start negotiations with C’s to form a centre right coalition island council for next 4 years. Big things will be expected after his success in Santa Eulalia with land reforms, traffic and sustainability high on the agenda.

Summary

PSOE will be bitterly disappointed after such a strong showing in the general elections less than a month ago. PP will be elated that they look likely to control 4 town halls plus the island council. The big losers are Podemos who lose a foothold in 2 councils and the island council but Ciudadanos will be delighted that even though their numbers weren’t great they now have traction in San Antonio, Ibiza Town and the Island Council. For all the bluster the VOX bandwagon never took off however they may have a part to play in Ibiza Town. PXE numbers were poor compared to 4 years ago but as often is the case in proportional representation they will be the power brokers in San Antonio and Ibiza Town. What this election has showed yet again is that with a low 50% turnout only a few dozen votes were the difference between winners and losers.

*NOTE: as of 29 May there has been an allegation that some votes may have been attributed to the wrong party in Ibiza Town so this result may change subject to legal proceedings.

This Sunday, 26 May, important elections will be held in Ibiza. If you are non-Spanish, a resident of the island and have registered to vote then you have 2 votes to cast.

Firstly you can vote for your local council and secondly you can vote in the European elections (although this is a sore point for us British at the moment).

Unfortunately (and quite bafflingly) you cannot vote for the Ibiza Island Council nor the Balearic Government even though they make decisions on your behalf on a daily basis.

Here’s 10 reason why you should make the effort and vote on Sunday.

MAKE A DIFFERENCE – Ibiza is a small island so political decisions affect everyone, your vote changes things.

GET INVOLVED – too many people turn a blind eye to politics even though they are affected by it every day. If you vote, you care.

DON’T VOTE, DON’T COMPLAIN – in this social media age it’s easy to become a keyboard warrior ranting away so this is your chance to actually do something about it. If you can vote but choose not to then you lose your right to complain.

HOLD POLITICIANS TO ACCOUNT – talk is cheap and actions speak louder than words. Collectively, we all need to make politicians accountable for their promises.

IT’S OUR ISLAND TOO – some may say otherwise but Ibiza belongs to no one so everybody has the right to have their say and the only real way to do this is at the ballot box.

COALITIONS – in the fractured world that we live in, separate political parties teaming up to govern is becoming more and more prevalent and Ibiza is no different. This means that your vote counts more than ever because just a few votes could make a massive difference when it comes to power sharing.

IT’S FUN – voting day is always dramatic with all parties nervously pacing the polling stations trying for that last push. Make sure you’re part of the process.

EXERCISE YOUR DEMOCRATIC RIGHT – as a foreigner living on the island, it’s all we have, don’t underestimate the power of your vote and don’t waste the opportunity.

FEEL-GOOD FACTOR – once you have cast your vote you can go back to your everyday business knowing that you have made a difference.

4 YEARS – if you don’t vote you will have to wait another 4 long years until you can vote again. As we have seen, a lot of things can happen in 4 years!

Good luck to all political parties this coming Sunday. It’s now time for the people of Ibiza to decide.

Playtika, a Chinese start up company dedicated to the development of mobile games and platforms such as social networks is having a BIG party on the White Isle this Friday.

This is no ordinary private party though as it’s 2500 employees will be entertained by Jennifer Lopez at the world famous Amnesia Ibiza nightclub with rumours that Madonna will be amongst the guests. Unconfirmed reports are also circling that Enrique Iglesias may also take the stage at some point in the evenings festivities.

It’s seems that no expense is being spared as the lucky employees will be arriving on private aeroplanes and staying in 15 local hotels according to sources close to the event.

As the club prepares for the party all people working on the venue have been forbidden to carry mobile phones or any device that can record or take photographs, in addition lawyers have traveled to the island to have all employees sign a confidentiality agreement whereby they agree not to disclose any details of the event.

Playtika is a multinational of Israeli origin but was acquired by a Chinese consortium in 2016 for $4.4 Billion. In 2017 it became one of the main sponsors of Sevilla Football Club.

Source:Diario de Ibiza

It’s that time of the decade again. Every 4 years the municipal elections are held in Ibiza which determines who controls the local town halls and the island council.

This vote is arguably more important that the national elections that took place last month as the local and island decisions are what affects us all on a daily basis and gives a clear indication in which direction Ibiza and its municipalities are travelling in.

The 2015 elections saw the Island council plus 3 (Ibiza, San Jose & San Antonio) of the 5 municipalities become coalition councils with the socialist PSOE party having the majority of seats but having to play lip service with their more hard left coalition colleagues. Only San Joan and Santa Eulalia remained under the control of the conservative Popular Party.

The 2019 election looks like it could split the vote even more with several new parties entering the fray, the PP party will be particularly vulnerable from the right wing Vox and the centre right Cuidadanos who may eat into their core support.

The Island council vote will be interesting after the national elections saw the left wing Podemos party experiencing a surge in Ibiza but the incumbent president Vicent Torres of PSOE has proven quite popular over the last 4 years despite his differing views from his coalition partners.

San Antonio is spicing up nicely with 2 young and enthusiastic guys heading the big parties. Simon Plannells looks a natural fit for PSOE who have teamed up with Reinicia to form a pact going into the election. There’s no room for the polarising deputy mayor Pablo Valdés in his team nor security councillor Aida Alcaraz but the strong list includes several who served on the last council.

San Antonio’s Popular Party is headed by the hard working Marcos Serra who proved to a thorn in the left wing council’s side over the last 4 years as a very effective opposition spokesman landing many blows. He has overhauled his team injecting youth and mixing it with experience to try and appeal to those who may have been disillusioned in the last.

The centre right PI Party who had 3 councillors in San Antonio over the last 4 years have the experienced Joan Torres at the head of their list. PI were the coalition power brokers last time round and could be again however their falling out with PSOE over the swapped allegiance of their number 2 and the subsequent break up of the San Antonio coalition could affect their vote especially with other parties lying in wait.

The real wild cards of the San Antonio vote will be Ciudadanos (C’s) and Vox. These are brand new parties to the island and could benefit from any right wing protest vote. The centre right C’s are well on their way to becoming the 2nd party in Spain so can expect good support come 26 May.

The polarising right wing Vox Party has recently come to foreground of Spanish politics with positive results in the Andalucía autonomous elections as well as the April general election and may well be the surprise package. If they can garner enough local support then they could assume the power broker role this time around.

With less than 2 weeks to go until the elections the pressure is now on for all the parties to hammer home their message and grab those swing voters. Expect plenty of twists and turns and lots of handshakes. Watch this space.

Wow. What a ride the last 2 nights have been! I’m exhausted after 2 incredible Champions League semi finals which both delivered a helter skeleton of emotions for fans all around the world.

Liverpool’s comeback against a Barcelona team including the greatest player that’s ever lived (in my opinion) plus 2 South American ex-players sold for over £200 million will be etched on the memory for years to come, just like that 2005 night in Istanbul.

This was better than that glorious Turkish adventure in many ways but with one major difference because you can never under estimate the power of Anfield. Have you ever seen opposition players of that quality freeze like 4 year olds performing at their first school concert? We are talking about, golden boot winners, Euro winners, World Cup winners who have played at the very highest level yet when the Kop started their famous roar you could literally see and feel the energy sapping from them, their faces a mask of fear knowing they were on the receiving end of the biggest turnaround in semi final history in the biggest club competition in the world.

Little did we know when the final whistle sounded at Anfield and those wild celebrations began that Tottenham would equal Liverpool’s achievement in an arguably more stunning way but this time not on home turf but by overturning a 3 goal deficit in the cauldron of the Amsterdam Arena against a young and fearless Ajax side that has made The world fall in love with Dutch football all over again.

Not since Cruyff in the 70’s (so good they named the aforementioned stadium after him) and the Ajax dream team of the 90’s that included so much talent has the world been spellbound by a group of youngsters playing total football and after a fantastic 2nd goal in front of their adoring home crowd it was time for them to take their foot off the gas and sit back a little…..but football is a fickle mistress as Amsterdam’s exasperation became North London’s ecstasy.

The young and fearless suddenly became the scared and inexperienced as Tottenham launched a comeback that in many ways was more thrilling than the previous nights exploits. Spurs battered their younger opponents in the 2nd half and when a long, hopeful ball was punted upfield in the last few seconds of the game, Lucas Moura managed to be that split second quicker and wrap his favourite left foot around the ball to send Spurs to their first ever Champions League final.

The small margins in sport had played their crucial part yet again so on 01 June the fans of 2 English Premier League clubs will descend on the amazing city of Madrid in a footballing fiesta that will be watched by hundreds and hundreds of millions around the world.

Back in November when I was talking to some mates about the 2019 Final being in Madrid I checked the flights on a whim and saw that they were 40 euros return for the weekend so decided to book them for myself and my football mad youngest son (who’s a Man City fan!) so we could be a part of the story whoever qualified. He was obviously praying that Citeh would get there but I was just hoping for any English team so we could enjoy the weekend with a few fellow countrymen and women in the Madrid sunshine.

Sometimes things work out and sometimes they don’t but my cheap flights and budget hotel that cost a grand total of 140 euros per person now seem like a great investment to be a part of footballing history. Getting match tickets to the big games is always a challenge (this isn’t my first rodeo) and my contacts have always said that it was 50/50 depending on who got to the final so let’s see what comes up over the coming weeks but whatever happens we will be at the stadium on final day soaking up the atmosphere that sporting occasions like this can deliver.

As a proud Englishman living in the host country I’m just hoping for a final that showcases the very best of the Premier League and as a Derby County fan I can remain strictly neutral although I’ve always held a great affection for one of the sides but I can honestly say……good luck to both teams and may the best team win.