Blue Balearics

Conservative PP gain 92 seats in local elections on the islands

By Alberto Lejarraga

THERE has been a blue surge in the Balearic local elections.

The conservative Partido Popular (PP) was the clear winner with it claiming the majority of votes and seats in most of the municipalities of the island.

Throughout the region it attracted 34.16% of the votes, which translates into 357 seats, 92 more than in the 2019 elections.

Meanwhile, the socialist PSOE, with 23.56% of the vote, lost two seats compared to four years ago.

Palma will see its current socialist mayor Jose Hila ousted by potentially Jaime Martinez of the PP, which took 11 seats. Martinez intends to form a minority government, but may end up needing to form a coalition with far-right party VOX.

In Campos, PP’s Francisca Porquer held on for another four years, while in Andratx, conservative Estefania Gonzalvo also obtained an overall majority with nine seats.

Meanwhile, in Calvia, although the socialists were the

CAT-TASTIC!

biggest party with 12 seats, the PP and VOX’s combined 13 seats will allow them to take office.

In Llucmajor, PP candidate Xisca Lascolas will become the new mayor if an agreement is reached with VOX

THE LYNX population has risen by over 300 cats in just a year.

There are now 1,668 of them living across Spain and Portugal.

The figures for 2022 are in stark contrast to over two decades ago when there were less than 100 Iberian lynxes alive, with the species facing extinction. Some 563 cubs were born last year helped by captive breeding centres. Most of the species (84%) are found in Spain with the rest in southern Portugal.

They have spread around large parts of mountainous Andalucia, while work was recently begun to reintroduce them to rural districts, near Lorca, inland Murcia. European Union funding, through various Life projects, has played an important part in the running of the programme.