Madrid on Saturday completed a major political changes resulting from municipal elections last May 24 with the proclamation of the candidate of the leftist coalition now Madrid, Manuela Carmena, as mayor. The other great Spanish city, Barcelona, complete the process later with the probable appointment of the former activist Ada Colau, Barcelona in common.
The economic crisis and the glut caused by some cases of corruption traditional parties favored results Carmena and Colau. The two led paths candidacies popular left, supported by the emerging Podemos party but that included a mix of small formations and movements that emerged from the so-called revolution of the indignant of May 15, 2011.
Other similar platforms with the same success at the polls, will govern capital important province as Zaragoza and La Coruna.
Carmena a retired judge of 71 years, was appointed mayor by the votes of the Socialist Party in a coalition announced on Thursday that ended 24 years of rule by the conservative Popular Party in front of the municipality of the capital of Spain.
Among the proposals of the two new mayors are once Barcelona without Grand Prix Formula 1 and limits to tourism, culture orchards in the heart of Madrid, elite golf courses converted into public spaces or participatory budgets and continuous referendums to decide on strategic policy.
“This is a historic moment. For the first time in Madrid and Barcelona are not going to govern parties but social movements are coalitions, “said Manuel Martin Algarra, Professor of Public Opinion at the University of Navarra.” Primarily it reflects disenchantment with Spanish political parties and Traditional politics. “
Colau, 41, will be the first woman to govern Barcelona after ousting the Catalan nationalism. The mayor, leader Barcelona group Common is one of the best known activists of the country as .. responsible for the Platform of People Affected by the Mortgage in the past had to be reduced while trying to stop an eviction by police who now will direct
Colau has set its priorities: social assistance, scholarships free food for students with families with economic difficulties and discourage evictions by mortgage defaults arising from the crisis. The Formula 1, which has 25 years vying in the Catalan capital and is funded by contributions from the municipality and sponsors, is not one of them.
Colau said he wants to change the tourism model, which has drawn criticism in the hotel sector. Barcelona is one of the most visited cities in the country, with an average of 8 million people in recent years. Some neighborhoods have been literally invaded by aliens, given the summer beach tourism and alcohol, resulting in neighborhood complaints.
“If we are not charging any limits Venice tourism will be put in Barcelona. We can grow most, but not know how far, “he said in an interview with the newspaper El País.
Madrid has no such trouble of tourism, but it has a huge debt of nearly 7,000 million generated by construction major infrastructure designed for the Olympic Games to the Spanish capital never win.
Among the first measures announced by Carmena is a general lowering of salaries of councilors and less official cars.
“We are making a new policy that is not in the protocols,” he said Eve Carmena be invested. “Acostumbrándoos Id”.
The new mayor agenda includes reviewing numerous private concessions of public services such as garbage collection or early childhood education. One of its most promising is the creation of an anti evictions office, which wants to create a public park of empty housing for affected families locate a regimen of social hire very cheap. And if banks, owners of most of these properties, do not cooperate, the council would consider up to 50% taxes on vacant homes.
The new mayor wants a more open city to bike in which people can cultivate gardens in vacant lots and self-management of municipal buildings to improve living neighborhood. Also calls for a public transport service for unemployed families with popular prices. The continuous training advocates hold referendums to set priorities for the districts.
One of the symbols of change is the restructuring of the Club de Campo Villa de Madrid, an exclusive meeting point for Madrid’s high society golf courses and swimming pools. The municipality owns 51% of the company that manages it.
“Public structures must be open, as if in a public library or only tall people could come down,” Carmona said. “What we want is to be with the city of not just go to the Club de Campo”.
The proposed changes to Madrid and Barcelona have generated doubts. Many analysts consider them unrealistic and that the proprietary blend of politics and personalities of these coalitions difficult governance of the capital.
“It’s an amalgam of people with very different interests, scant political experience and unfeasible problems” said Martin Algarra. “Many proposals are unworkable, in some cases extreme and rather vague”.
“They will try to implement things and see if they work. There will be failures and idealism than anything else we do can change” he added.
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