• 28-M The PSOE bought in Mojácar immigrant votes at 200 euros
  • Almería The route of the pucherazo in Mojácar: the tobacconist of Juana Torres, the beach bar Playa Juana and the Aku Aku de Sánchez

The members of the plot to buy votes by mail in Mojácar (Almería), allegedly orchestrated from the Socialist Party, controlled more than 700 votes in this municipality of the Levante region of Almeria of just 7,500 inhabitants, as explained to EL MUNDO one of the people who has delivered his vote to one of the network's supporters.

The votes were bought between 200 and 250 euros, mainly to South American residents, although there are those who have charged more and those who have charged less, says the source. There are also voters who have given their vote to some of the detainees with the veiled promise that, if the current mayor (of the PP) could be thrown out, there would be perks and friendly treatment by a future socialist government for their businesses.

Subsequently, this same person – who has asked that her identity be kept hidden – discovered that the same people who contacted her "were paying others for their vote". "I have not received even a penny and everything has been a deception," he says, but he knows that there are those who have made a good fortune for allegedly lending themselves to sell their vote to favor the Socialists.

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), 4,558 people have the right to vote in Mojácar this Sunday, of which 3,153 reside in the town, 622 are abroad and 783 are citizens from other states of the European Union settled in the municipality who can go to the polls.

With these seven hundred ballots, approximately 17% of the electoral census of the municipality, they intended to adulterate the electoral results and tip the balance in favor of the socialist candidacy to end 16 years of PP government in the Mojaquero consistory.

Although many residents claim to have heard rumours about the existence of an alleged vote-buying scheme in Mojácar, the scandal jumped to public opinion when, last Wednesday, agents of the Central Operational Unit of the Civil Guard carried out a dozen searches in the area and arrested ten residents of Mojácar related to the investigation. among them, the number two of the socialist candidacy for the next elections, Francisco Flores, son of a historical PSOE, Bartolomé Flores, and the number five of the list, Cristóbal Vizcaíno.

In the case, in charge of the Court of First Instance and Instruction number 4 of Vera (Almería) and which continues to be secret, there are a total of ten people investigated, of which seven are Spanish citizens and the remaining three of different nationalities from South American countries that are expected to go to court during the next few hours.

The investigation began a month ago following the complaint filed by a PP politician in the municipality, who claimed that a private citizen had come to her to tell him about the situation. From that moment the machinery was set in motion that ended with several arrests.

The confrontation between PP and PSOE for control of this tourist municipality on the coast of Almeria, governed for years by the popular, are evident and have been revealed, among others, in the exchange of complaints and accusations between both formations.

The head of the PSOE list in Mojácar, Manuel Zamora, who from the outset has distanced himself from his party colleagues, personally denounced on May 16 at the Civil Guard barracks in Garrucha (Almería) alleged crimes of the same nature by the candidacy of the Popular Party of Mojácar and the mayor until now, Rosa Maria Cano.

And from the Nueva Mojácar group, its spokesman and number one, Enrique García-Mauriño, brought to the fore an old issue: that of the census and irregular registrations; and denounced, in this case before the press, the existence of cases of registration in homes in the municipality without their inhabitants being aware.

  • PP
  • PSOE
  • Almeria
  • European Union
  • INE
  • THE WORLD

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