Simon Hunter
APPROACHING elections in Spain mean, for many, a sense of dread. Not just because of the endless onslaught of bickering politicians in the news, but also because of the chance that they might be called up to man a polling booth on the big day.
In a bid to avoid that obligation, and to ensure that they can enjoy the upcoming Romería Catholic processions in El Rocío, Huelva, an ingenious group of people has come up with a solution: creating a political party.
Members of a political party running in a local election are, of course, exempt from manning a polling station should they get called up to do so. That is the strategy that this group – who are almost all going to be taking part in El Rocío on May 28, when local and regional elections will be held across Spain – has opted for to ensure that their plans will not be spoiled.
The political party is called Unidos por Mazagon (United for Mazagon), which is a small coastal area of Huelva. The group has attracted people from different areas with the aim of avoiding the elections.
According to online daily El Español, the party was officially registered on April 26 with the Interior Ministry.
But for now the Unidos por Mazagon has not planned any campaign events, nor has it made its electoral proposals public. Nor will any posters or other promotional material be appearing ahead of the polls on May 28.
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