PP urges expats to vote

Expatriates living in Spain are being urged to make sure they can vote.

The Partido Popular, the country's largest opposition party, has warned that Dutch, Belgian and German expatriates have been finding it difficult to prove their residency at town halls, and as a result are having trouble registering to vote.

Expats must provide a Numero Identificacion de Extranjeros (NIE) certificate which is issued by the Spanish government to all foreign residents in the country. All expats must have one in order to buy property, a car, work for a company or in a self-employed capacity or open utility accounts.

An expat political party has also joined the calls to ensure foreigners are registered to vote before next year's local elections. Partido Extranjeros Unidos, which is based in Malaga and aims to be politically neutral, hopes to represent expats from Coin, Alhaurin el Grande, Alhaurin de la Torre, Alora, Cartama and Torremolinos.

The party could unite expats who are facing the prospect of their homes being bulldozed after the regional authorities passed legislation last week which aims to clear away all illegally built holiday homes in Malaga and southern Andalucia.