Mercader’s checklist feared that these residents wouldn’t be included within the electoral census -which closes on January 31- in view of the municipal elections in May 2023. Now he’s the one who will be unnoticed of the census, though this doesn’t would forestall him from working for election.
The mayor Josep Tremps denies the lack of the register, for the second: “Mr. Mercader continues to be registered in Ogassa. His continuity is within the palms of the authorized providers”, he responds to NIUS. Three weeks in the past Temps denounced a wave of “mass voter registrations” and warned that they had been committing an “unlawful act.” The legislation establishes that residents have to be registered within the municipality the place they reside many of the yr, although many are registered within the municipality of their second residence.
Mercader denounces “political purge”
In its response to the opinion of the JEC, the town council broadcasts the removing of Mercader as a result of “he’s registered within the municipality with out habitually residing,” he says. The mayor justifies the choice: “Those who dwell right here should vote. It isn’t logical for individuals who dwell exterior to resolve for the city,” he alleges. Mercader denounces a “political purge.”
Mercader affirms that he lives in Ogassa many of the yr, the place he runs a rural tourism lodging. “I might perceive a basic file towards all residents with second residences, however they’ve solely achieved so towards me after 10 years of being registered,” he replies, including that the council maintains round twenty registered residents with out property or a rental contract within the city.
From census registrations to huge “unregistration”
With the registrations of the final month and a half, the transfer from open lists to closed lists was additionally at stake. The mayors of municipalities with lower than 250 persons are chosen on open lists wherein the voters vote for the particular person. From 250 neighbors, mayors should current closed lists of seven individuals. “Perhaps they haven’t introduced collectively the individuals to type the lists,” alleged the Association of Friends and Friends of Ogassa, the place Mercader’s checklist got here from.
The newest INE knowledge printed on December 21, 2022 present a discount within the census in a single yr from 240 to 222 inhabitants, removed from the 250 residents required for closed lists. “The factor concerning the lists is nonsense. We have introduced ourselves with open and closed lists with out issues however we don’t need these from exterior to resolve for these from right here,” defends the mayor once more.
Now Mercader denounces “huge de-registration” within the final yr and asks why such a excessive variety of registrants have dropped (18 lower than a yr in the past) in such a short while.
An “exception” within the area
The president of the Ripollès Regional Council, Joaquim Colom (Junts), affirms that the dispute within the Ogassa register is an exception within the area: “It is the primary time that we now have seen that they’re making an attempt to unregister an individual within the area”, he defined to NIUS. “In areas akin to Ripollès, Cerdanya or the Costa Brava, that are extra touristy, many residents are registered in second houses, in addition they dwell right here extra days after the pandemic and this advantages the municipalities,” he explains and remembers that in lots of municipalities of Catalonia the mayor doesn’t reside there.
The mayor of Planoles, David Verge, has been working for 3 years to draw extra residents to the city: “I do not fairly perceive {that a} metropolis council closes the register to individuals,” he explains, including that the mayors of the world consider to the neighbors who dwell all year long and to those that dwell on weekends: “It is vital to contribute for everybody and extra in municipalities like Ogassa or Queralbs, who dwell from second houses,” he says.