How is it possible that a small place of some 1,000 people can generate so much intrigue? Perhaps it is precisely because Búger is so small - small village politics are at play at the town hall and have been at least since the municipal election two years ago.
You may recall that when it came to the investiture of the mayor, blows were almost exchanged. The police needed to intervene - the one officer that Búger possessed at the time. The Partido Popular, much to the disgust of PSOE, opted to give its support to the Més mayoral candidate, Josep Lluis Pons, who wasn’t long for the position. He failed to get backing for the budget, the local PP having been instructed by head office that it could have nothing to do with Més.
There was a local PP internal falling-out as a consequence, and the upshot of all this was that PSOE’s Pere Torrens became mayor, which he had assumed he was going to be as a result of the election.
Pons was only ever going to be mayor with a minority administration. There was no formal alliance with the PP. The support had just been for the investiture. There were, as I understand it, personal factors at play, and there continue to be. Earlier this week, Torrens decided it was time to shore up PSOE’s position by announcing that a PP councillor, Coloma Capó, will be incorporated into the ruling administration - a coalition by any other name, or so it seems.
Pons was not at all surprised by this. It is a “payment of favours” by PSOE. “The first thing they did was to knock down the budget. Since then, they have made the president of the PP a justice of the peace and now they have made this agreement public. There was clearly an entente.”
However, and much like what happened when the PP initially gave support to Més and then withdrew it on instruction from upon high, the socialist federation of Majorca is wanting nothing to do with the latest arrangement with the PP. The coordinator of the federation, Miquel Àngel Coll, says that they (Torrens and PSOE in Búger) argue that there is “no pact” with the PP, but they have integrated one of the two PP councillors “in a personal capacity”.
“We do not agree and we ask them to annul the decree. If they are really seeking stability, they have three progressive councillors.” And by that, Coll means Pons and Més.
Coll adds that a deadline has been given for Torrens to “rectify” the situation. If not, there will be disciplinary measures. “We are not going to authorise in any way an administration of PSOE with the PP.”
As to Coll’s suggestion regarding the three progressive councillors of Més, a PSOE alliance with them, I’d be pretty certain, ain’t gonna happen.