Expats hit Spanish streets over lost votes

By Martin Banks

Date: 13/01/05

THOUSANDS of German, British and Dutch expatriates are expected to take to the streets in Spain later this month to protest at being barred from voting when the country holds a referendum on the EU constitution.

The Spanish interior ministry, which is organising the referendum on 20 February, says that only Spanish citizens will be allowed to take part in the vote, pointing out that the country's foreign residents can vote in their home countries.

But the decision has angered members of the country's sizeable expatriate community, some of whom have lived in Spain for many years.

In Majorca, where an estimated 60,000 Britons and 40,000 Germans are permanent residents, a protest march against the decision is to take place on 18 January.

Dutch and French citizens who also live on the holiday island are expected to join in. Briton Kate Mentink-Duncan, who, as an opposition Partido Popular local councillor in Majorca, is believed to be one of the few British-born politician in Spain, is at the forefront of the protest.

Mentink-Duncan, 60, a founder of the lobby group, Association of European Citizens, which campaigns for non-Spanish nationals' rights, says the country's foreign residents are particularly incensed that they only found out by "default" that they would not be allowed to vote in the upcoming referendum.

She said: "What is at stake is an issue affecting all EU citizens and to bar some from having their legitimate say over the constitution is undemocratic and unconstitutional."

EU rules state that member state citizens who become residents of any of the 25 EU countries are eligible to take part in local elections and those to the European Parliament. Mentink-Duncan says that many expatriates in Spain were under the impression that this right would be extended to the vote on the constitution.

She says that some expats suspect that the decision to "disenfranchise" non-Spanish residents was taken because Spain's Prime Minister, José Luis Rodrígues Zapatero, was afraid that the expat vote could have a decisive influence over what is expected to be a close result.

Each member state is being allowed to decide its own conditions for the vote but most of the eight other member states planning to hold a referendum are expected to do the same as Spain.

Only two, the Netherlands and the Czech Republic, said no final decision had yet been taken on who would and would not be entitled to vote.

Spokesmen for the EU Permanent Representation offices for Denmark, France, Ireland, Portugal, the UK and Luxembourg said that these countries had no plans to allow anyone else to vote other than their own nationals.

Each member state must approve the constitution by parliamentary vote or referendum before it can take effect. So far Hungary and Lithuania have ratified the constitution with a parliamentary vote. The Parliament also endorsed it on Wednesday (12 January).

Article says that thousands of German, British and Dutch expatriates are expected to protest at being barred from voting when Spain holds a referendum on the EU constitution. The Spanish interior ministry, which is organising the referendum to be held on 20 February 2005, said that only Spanish citizens will be allowed to take part in the vote, pointing out that the country's foreign residents are able vote in their home countries.