Mallorca housing row looms over Prohens' final debate
Mallorca’s housing row sets the stakes: Marga Prohens opens the Balearic parliament’s final general policy debate of this term in Palma, Mallorca, on Tuesday. The regional president starts at 10.30 and has an hour and a half to speak. Parliamentary groups respond from 09.00 on Wednesday, with parties already looking towards Spain’s 29 November general election.
Housing takes centre stage
Antoni Costa, the Balearic government’s vice-president and spokesperson, expects Prohens to set out measures to tackle the difficulty of finding a home. He said her speech would focus on issues that concern people across the islands.
Socialist politician Rosario Sánchez sees it differently. On Monday, she accused the government of heading into the debate without solutions. Homes cost more than they did at the start of this term, she said, while also criticising tourist overcrowding and health service waiting lists.
Vox spokesperson Manuela Cañadas wants housing and irregular immigration at the heart of the debate. She has called for all taxes on the purchase of a first home to be scrapped.
Election campaign casts a shadow
Lluís Apesteguia of MÉS per Mallorca also expects housing proposals, but fears the debate will be coloured by electioneering. Josep Castells of Més per Menorca and José María García of Unidas Podemos say access to housing remains a serious problem.
The governing People’s Party rejects the picture of a government standing still. Its parliamentary spokesperson, Sebastià Sagreras, says Prohens enters the debate having delivered much of her election programme. He points to support for self-employed people and families, and the abolition of inheritance and gift tax. On Wednesday, the other parties get their turn to challenge her account.
Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com