Electoral differences must be settled by Saturday

THIS Saturday will be D-Day for many local town halls.
The date, June 13, could turn out to be inauspicious not only for the superstitious but also for local politicians because some will fail to disembark in the town halls they governed for the last four years. Others will have to swallow their pride and, occasionally, their principles in order to retain power or achieve it.
Some town halls like Mojacar, Huercal-Overa and Albox emerged from the municipal elections on May 24 with their overall majorities intact but other town halls changed colour.
At the time of writing there were 16 municipalities – Almeria city, Adra, Carboneras, Chirivel, Cuevas, Dalias, Enix, Gergal, Huercal de Almería, Lijar, La Mojonera, Nijar, Vélez Rubio, Roquetas de Mar, Vera and Turre – where pacts must be made to ensure minimum, and possibly temporary, governability.
Except La Mojonera, those most-affected are the two national parties, the Partido Popular and the PSOE socialists.
There are 12 councils where the Partido Popular (PP) is currently negotiating with minority parties Ciudadanos, Podemos and smaller provincial or regional groups. The socialists have three town halls in the balance and Mojonera has one.
Unlike regional elections where an unbreakable impasse heralds a second poll, the town councils must be constituted by June 13. If agreement cannot be reached, the head of the most-voted list is named mayor, resulting in a Pyrrhic victory since it could prove practically impossible to legislate without the cooperation of other parties on the council.