This local election in Salobreña sees no fewer than ten candidates, clearly indicated that the next governing administration will be a coalition.

There are only a finite number of votes to be shared out, so the more candidates, the less likely one party coming out with a governable majority.

In the  last elections, for example, the present mayor, Mª Eugenia Rufino, who was the sitting candidate for the PSOE socialists, received votes from citizens who do not consider themselves ‘socialists’ but she as a person convinced them. That advantage has evaporated thanks to a ‘palace coup’ that saw her displaced by Javier Ortega.

Perhaps, sensing a void several new parties have cropped up, such as the Agrupación Independiente por Salobreña (María Teresa Jiménez) and the unlikely sounding, Por el Reino de Granada (Antonio Gómez Romera).

Now the first of these two will attract votes from both sides of the political spectrum, as is an independent ticket but the second one (For the Kingdom of Granada) sounds pretty right wing and a little disconnected from reality, to be frank.

So, attracting right-wing votes are the PP, Vox Ciudadanos and the Kingdom party, and attracting left-wing votes are the PSOE, IU, Podemos and IU.

Más Costa Tropical Salobreña, like the Independent Party, is a hybrid party.

Lastly, there is a minimum number of votes needed to obtain a councillor’s chair and failing to attract that number simply means votes lost in what will become a closely run race for the Mayor’s seat between the two main parties, the PP (conservatives) and the PSOE (socialists).

Over in Almuñécar, it will be simply everybody against Juan Carlos Benavides, no matter where the opponents’ place is within the political spectrum – it’s a simple as that.

Motril? Well, the only reason that the present Mayor (PP) obtained the mayoralty was because of a mercenary politician who apparently would side with any party as long as he were given, in exchange, the Urban Development Department, and two ship-jumpers who abandoned their party, taking their votes with them; one of whom acquired a councillor’s seat (arguably). So, can the Mayor ‘persuade’ her way back to power (again) if she doesn’t get enough votes to govern?

It’s anybody’s guess.

(News/Analysis: Almunecar/Salobrena/Motril, Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia – Photo: Radio Salobreña)