Results for the rest of the Vega Baja

 The PP has improved it’s hold on the Vega Baja, The Party has managed to win eleven absolute majorities in the Vega Baja region, compared to nine for the PSOE.

In addition, the PP have won the largest number of votes in three towns and cities including Orihuela.

One of the biggest surprises of election night was the PP gaining a majority in Jacarilla, winning the municipality from the PSOE. The party also achieved absolute majorities in Almoradí, Albatera, Catral, Redován, Cox , Bigastro, Formentera del Segura , Benijófar, Pilar de la Horadada and Torrevieja.

Meanwhile the PSOE has an absolute majority in its strongholds of Rojales, Guardamar del Segura, Dolores, Los Montesinos, Rafal, Algorfa, San Isidro and Benferri also winning, rather surprisingly, the municipality of Granja de Rocamora.

There you have it

In 2019, the PP got 1,666 votes which gave them 7 seats on the council. The PSOE got 1,341 votes which gave them 5 seats. The 13th seat went to the Liberal party.

This time, the PP have increased their majority to 3 over other parties. 

The PP also gained ground in Alicante Province where they increased the number of seats from 598 to 716.

 

 

Voting today

Polling stations opened at 9am and will close at 8pm.

If you are inside the polling station when the clock strikes 8pm, but still haven't voted, you will still legally be able to complete your vote. 

Identify yourself

When you arrive at your local polling station you will first need to identify yourself. You can use several different official documents or cards to identify yourself. These include:

National identity document (DNI) if you have Spanish citizenship

Passport

Driver's licence (with photo)

Green EU residence card, for citizens of the European Union (remember though this doesn’t include a photo, so you will probably also need your passport or other photo ID)

Foreign identity card or TIE for non-EU nationals whose country has a bilateral agreement.

Where to vote

For us that will be Table C in the Auditorium.  

 

Mud slinging

 Mud slinging is an unfortunate feature of pollical campaigns. Mostly it is used when a particular party has little to offer themselves - they resort to slagging off the other parties. The tactic works best if it is employed days before the vote takes place (remember how the disclosure of Hilary Clinton's use of private  emails just days before the Presidential Election in 2016 gave Donald Trump the keys to the White House). 

Just a few days before we vote, the PP (Conservatives) here in Bigastro are complaining that the PSOE (Socialists) are spreading lies in an attempt to make a case against them. Each has taken out a "denuncia" against the other. 

It all centres around postal votes. The Socialists claim there has been an increase in the number of people using a postal vote from 30 to 170. They say this is because the PP are "helping" or even coercing the most vulnerable to vote by post for them. They say that PP Councillors have been seen  accompanying people to the Post Office to make a postal vote in favour of the PP. They have also been seen carrying postal votes made on behalf of people to the Post Office. Of course, if someone offers to help you vote, you will look upon them favourably but the PP say that they have helped people regardless of who they support. Their mantra has always been, who you vote for is your decision  - the important thing is that you vote. 

The people of Bigastro have long memories. They remember how the golden days of the Socialist Councils in the past crumbled and they left the town heavily in debt. 

The diesel generators outside La Paz school and the Sports Centre because the town could not pay its electricity bill were visible evidence of how far the town had fallen. Even if the courts could not find the Socialist Council and the Mayor in particular guilty of corruption, everyone knew of the way things operated in Bigastro. We recall that Joaquin Moya spent 15 months in prison and Raul Valero had to take over as mayor. 

I'd say this latest wheeze by the PSOE could be said to be the kettle calling the pot black. By making these claims, it could all backfire on them - instead of gaining votes, they could end up losing them. Using Trump’s tactics from the 2020 Presidential Election is not a wise move! 

That's the garden watered

And the pool filled!

 

The painting group

 Members of the Club de Pintura de Bigastro met last night with the Alcaldesa and the Councilor for Culture. 

Since Pam and I were in Manchester for the grand opening, I took the opportunity to take photos of the paintings on display and then photos of each member posing with Teresa and Alejandra in front of their paintings. 

One of the members not exhibiting, kindly took a photo of me in front of my pictures. 

You can find the photos in the sidebar.  

Only the second time

 It is normally hot and sunny for San Isidro. The pilgrims, who walk all the way from the town up to the Hermitage at La Pedrera, often complain about the log hard slog up the hill from the entrance to our estate to the little chapel. 

Today there was quite a strong wind to cool them down and now there is a thunderstorm circling overhead. 

If it is still raining at 8pm, I'm not sure what they will do. I doubt that they will bring the statue back down and risk getting it soaked. AEMET forecast is for the storm to pass by then - we shall see. 

On another note, one of the horses taking part in the romeria, fell just outside the town. Apparently they were were able to get it back on its hooves and it was OK. 

This Saturday

 

Big Arte

After countless hours at the easel and hours of preparation, the first exhibition of the Club de Pintura Bigastro, “Big Arte”,will open to the public on Friday. We hope that this will be the start of another chapter in the cultural history of the town. 

The eight of us participating are showcasing a variety of styles of expression and talent unique to ourselves. We hope that you enjoy the exhibition as much as we have enjoyed putting it together. 

 I won't be there because it will be my grandson's first communion on Saturday. However, I look forward to seeing photos of the inauguration on Facebook and the work of my fellow artists on my return. 

 I would like to join my fellow artists in thanking those who have assisted us. In particular we would like to thank Alejandra Moya Celedonio, the Councillor for Culture, for her support.

New lamps for old

Today, they are installing new, safer lighting on the road from town up to the junction where the roundabout is.

 

Testing, testing 3,2,1...

 🚨Attention! ⚠️ From the Emergency Centre we are informed that on Thursday 04/05/2023 in the morning at 11.30h the national alert network system will be tested in the region of Vega Baja del Segura.

🚨 IT IS A TEST from the Centre for Emergency Coordination of the Valencian Generalitat.  In case of  a new flood episode (DANA2019), an earthquake, a fire or any other grave incident, a warning message with instructions will be sent to the population.

📲 A loud whistle will ring on the mobile phones and they will display a message indicating that it is a test to all the mobile phones that are at that time in that territory.

✅If you receive it, follow the instructions. DO NOT CALL 112.

That was brilliant

 The theatre group, Lugarico, entertained us last night with their latest production. 

A  great deal of hard work must have gone into this play. It was not just the lines of which there were many but the timing which was perfect. All the effort though paid off with a magnificent performance that had the packed auditorium in pleats of laughter. 

I was delighted to give my new Fujifilm XT5 and my new Fujinon 70-300mm zoom lens a  thorough workout. 

Get the beers in ready

Note these are times in England. Add one hour on for here in Spain. 

 

A bit of culture for you

Evaristo Moya and I have talked about forming a club for artists for years now but never got round to it. Well now we have and the membership is growing. 

At our first meeting, Antonio Segura suggested that we should have two exhibitions - one in May where we would  each contribute 4 or 5 paintings and then a solo exhibition of my work as a photographer and artist in August. 

Our first exhibition!!

 

The PP candidates

 The Auditorium was packed for the presentation of the Partido Popular candidates for the forthcoming municipal elections on the 28th May. 

The people who spoke for the party enthused about the work that the present council has achieved. The videos showed the wide range of projects that have either been completed or are in progress. Over 4 million euros of grants have been gained to complete this work - more than any other town in the Vega Baja. 

I'm left wondering what the other parties taking part in the election can say and what slogan they can come up with that will beat "Passion for Bigastro". 

I would not be surprised to find the PP gaining a higher percentage of the vote and therefore more councilors in the next legislature. 

You can see my photos from the event in the album located in the sidebar.  

Carrying the torch

 

The PP candidates

 

La Cruz

 

It's a nice walk for those who are fit!

 

And if you live at Villas Andrea, you could meet them en route - save walking up from the town!!

The campaign begins

 

For your health's sake

 

This route takes in the parks in Bigastro where facilities are being installed for the health conscious.

Easter in Bigastro

 

Afternoon tea at Butterflies Cafeteria, Jacarilla

We returned today to Butterflies Cafeteria for traditional afternoon tea. It was a challenge to clear the three tiers of cakes and savouries but we managed it!!

My favourite from the savoury selection was the quiche which had the right amount of mature cheddar to give it bite. It was a close call on the cakes between the scones and the chocolate choux bun. 

To be honest, it was all perfect and very good value at 15 Euros per person. 

 

Palm Sunday

 After the Covid years when the procession for Palm Sunday could  not take place, it made a welcome return on a glorious Spring morning.

A minor change had to be made due to the work going on in the park. The procession set off from the Town Square in front of the Church. 

You can find my photos in the album located in the left hand sidebar.  

We have a museum!

On Saturday, the lady Mayor cut the ribbon to open the Museum (at the back of the Town Hall). 

You can find my album of photos in the left hand sidebar.  

Facts and figures

In the year 2000 there were just 392 foreigners living in Bigastro. You can see from the latest table below how that number has grown. 

The numbers have remained reasonably steady since 2007. The largest figure was in 2011 when there were 1,253 foreigners here. The group that has grown most is that from Africa. 

Población según nacionalidad (principales nacionalidades), 2022 (Unidad: personas)
Nacionalidad	Total	Hombres	Mujeres
TOTAL POBLACIÓN	7.130	3.591	3.539
Españoles	5.873	2.937	2.936
Total Extranjeros	1.257	654	603
Total Europa	518	267	251
Total Unión Europea	245	130	115
Alemania	11	5	6
Bulgaria	89	45	44
Francia	9	6	3
Italia	6	6	0
Polonia	14	8	6
Portugal	6	4	2
Rumanía	29	13	16
Total Europa No Comunitaria	273	137	136
Reino Unido	174	90	84
Rusia	29	12	17
Ucrania	52	26	26
Total África	592	321	271
Argelia	93	56	37
Marruecos	481	249	232
Nigeria	0	0	0
Senegal	16	14	2
Total América	117	49	68
Argentina	8	4	4
Bolivia	13	7	6
Brasil	8	3	5
Chile	1	1	0
Colombia	48	14	34
Cuba	6	2	4
Ecuador	22	14	8
Paraguay	0	0	0
Perú	1	1	0
República Dominicana	4	1	3
Uruguay	1	0	1
Venezuela	3	1	2
Total Asia	30	17	13
China	11	6	5
Pakistán	9	7	2
Oceanía y Apátridas	0	0	0
Fuente: Instituto Nacional de Estadística. Revisión Padrón 2022. Fecha de consulta: 26/01/2023