The 285 residents of the Zaragoza town of San Martín del Moncayo already know who will be their mayor for the next four years.

A little more than two months before the municipal elections of May 28, this Saturday, they have chosen in a particular primary those who will make up the electoral list for the next elections.

The rules for this process were published days before on the City Council website. Thus, the participants in the consultation had to vote, at most, for five candidates among all the residents of the town.

Jacob Ramírez Mora, 43, a native of this small town in the region of Tarazona and Moncayo and current mayor, will repeat at the head of the City Council by obtaining 80% of the support of his neighbors.

This result is interpreted as an endorsement of the municipal management of the outgoing team, which is the same and will repeat.

This unique system turns all residents into voters and, at the same time, potential candidates.

In Ramírez's opinion, "this process represents the union of the people and, in fact, it is the neighbors themselves who make up the candidacy that will compete in the elections" regardless of whether there are other alternatives.

"The important thing is to go all the neighbors to one, more than the ideology that each one may have."

On the ballot, each neighbor over 18 years old had to write a maximum of five names, the most voted will head the electoral list and will be the future mayor while the next will be the councilors who complete the municipal corporation up to seven councilors.

San Martín del Moncayo carries out this unique process since the beginning of democracy and the first municipal elections in 1979.

The most voted list usually then chooses the party with which it will compete in the elections. In this case, when repeating it, it is expected that they will continue with it and will go with the PP list, although, according to the mayor, "the important thing about this system is that all the neighbors support this list, whatever the party."

This Saturday, 155 of the 237 voters of the town voted at the polls, 65.4, a number higher than in the 2019 primaries.

In the last elections, Ramírez stressed that this system is "democratic" and prevents "a social fracture." "We are very proud and grateful for the support we have had. We are a team that mixes youth and seniority and with many projects and desire to work for San Martín".

In addition to mayor, in this legislature Ramírez has been Minister of Tourism of the region of Tarazona and Moncayo, which includes 16 municipalities.

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  • Saragossa
  • Municipal Elections