The Lanzarote En Pie (LEP) formation "regrets" having to denounce the maneuvers of certain political formations, as is the case of the Popular Party with the mayor of Arrecife, Astrid Pérez, at the head, who "have been systematically violating the specific regulations for pre-election periods and urges the large political parties to respect the law and play fair in the upcoming elections on May 28, 2023".
From LEP, a formation that brings together citizens concerned about the deterioration of democratic quality, we are obliged to denounce that some parties systematically violate electoral rules, such as the prohibition of institutional propaganda during the campaign.
For the island coordinator of LEP and candidate for Mayor of Arrecife, Leticia Padilla, "these practices constitute a violation of the principle of equality between candidates and a distortion of the popular will". Furthermore, Padilla warns, "we believe that repeated non-compliance with the electoral law can generate distrust in the system and favor abstention or extremist voting".
From LEP we recall that the electoral law establishes a series of principles and rules that guarantee equal opportunities, transparency, neutrality and proportionality in the dissemination of electoral messages. These principles are essential to preserve the quality of our democracy and the right to information of citizens and their compliance is an obligation of all political actors, so we will continue to demand that the competent bodies, such as the Zona Electoral Board (JEZ), exercise effective control and sanction the infractions that are committed.
Without going any further, Leticia Padilla explained, "after weeks of non-compliance with the Electoral Law by the mayor of Arrecife, with permanent presentations of alleged achievements or future projects, and given the evidence that she is not going to change her strategy of using the resources of a public institution such as the capital's city council for her electoral campaign, we have been forced to denounce this situation before the JEZ".
Indeed, given the call by the mayor of the Arrecife City Council, Astrid Pérez, to present the paving plan for the Altavista neighborhood in the "Parque de los Luchadores" Senior Center of the aforementioned town, this formation has been forced to file a claim with the JEZ as it is a public inauguration act expressly prohibited by law, which has had a prior public call and also with the participation of local authorities.
In this sense, as it could not be otherwise, since it is a clear violation of the Electoral Law, the JEZ of Arrecife has agreed to "prohibit the act object of the complaint, communicate the resolution to the interested parties and require the National Police Corps of Arrecife to appear at the "Parque de los Luchadores" Senior Center in Altavista, in order to personally notify the present agreement to the Mayor of Arrecife, Astrid Pérez Batista, with a requirement to comply with what has been agreed, under warning of disobedience".
The island coordinator of LEP, Leticia Padilla, has stressed the fact that "the Zona Electoral Board gave a period of two hours to the Arrecife City Council to make allegations, without receiving any communication in this regard from the institution".
Therefore, from LEP, Padilla has indicated, "we call on citizens to be attentive to the development of the electoral campaign and denounce any irregularity they observe, given that these practices represent a serious distortion of public debate and a threat to political and media pluralism".
