Unseated MEP alleges Spanish poll malpractice

Date: 08/07/04

A FORMER MEP who was ousted after a controversial recount in the European elections in Spain has mounted a legal challenge to protest at the way the poll was conducted.

Galician deputy Camilo Nogueira, who for the last five years had been a member of the Greens/European Free Alliance group, thought he had been

re-elected in last month's poll.

But a recount was ordered after allegations from the Spanish Popular Party (PP) of voting irregularities. The seat was awarded, by a margin of just 334 votes, to PP member Maria Esher Herranz Garcia who was an MEP in 1994-99.

Nogueira, who is backed by the Greens/EFA, has now lodged an appeal with the Spanish Supreme Court, which is to give its judgement on 19 July.

He claims new ballot papers were found between the original vote and recount and there was unequal access to counts for party scrutinizers.

The Green has likened the counting controversy to the "hanging chad" fiasco in Florida which saw George W. Bush triumph over Al Gore in the 2000 American presidential elections.

Nogueira said: "I was denied a seat which I had clearly won and what has happened is nothing short of a disgrace. What I find particularly surprising is that a significant number of votes suddenly appeared in favour of the Popular Party in the Madrid area during the recount. I am asking for a rerun, at least in certain areas."

Greens/EFA joint leader, Monica Frassoni, said: "We have serious concerns about an election system which allows a recount to take place without supervision by all interested parties.

"This whole process has been extremely dubious and there must be serious questions asked about its validity and credibility. The fact that all the ballot papers have now apparently been destroyed further undermines any credibility in the system."

A spokesman for the European People's Party, of which the Spanish Popular Party is a member, said: "Mr Nogueira is perfectly entitled to appeal. But there was evidence that, in the first round, votes which had been cast for our candidate had mistakenly been distributed to other candidates. That is why we requested a recount."

A former MEP, Camilo Nogueira, who was ousted after a controversial recount in the European Parliament elections in Spain in June 2004 has mounted a legal challenge to protest at the way the poll was conducted.