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.
"MAN IN SAN AN" by Martin Makepeace 