The great vote-buying controversy in Melilla and Mojácar that has turned the national campaign upside down contrasts with a campaign in the Canary Islands that has featured some isolated cases of vandalism and many jokes.
The last week of the campaign has been very intense in peninsular lands. It began with the news of the existence of a plot to buy votes in Melilla by the Coalition for Melilla party and which has resulted in ten arrests and great distrust of the voting by mail procedure, which was allegedly used to carry out the buying of votes.
A few days later, another news of vote buying broke in Mojácar, Almería. On this occasion, the accused party is the PSOE. This operation has resulted in seven detainees, two of them socialist candidates in the Almería municipality. According to information coming from peninsular media, the forms of this alleged purchase of votes would have consisted of offering jobs and cash to immigrants from the municipality in exchange for votes.
This reality contrasts with the campaign in the Canary Islands, where there has been a calm campaign, with intense debates but based on education and respect between candidates. As usual every four years, some isolated acts of vandalism of electoral propaganda have been reported.
The jokes and laughter of this election campaign in the Canary Islands have also centered around the campaign posters. Some party slogans haven't included the name of the municipality, as is the case in La Palma with "Puntagorda First" or in Tías with "Tías for Everyone."
Although the campaign at the national level only seems to be complicated by cases of electoral fraud and accusations between parties, in the Canary Islands a fairly calm end to the campaign is expected, as well as Sunday's election day.
