Election campaigns are well organised in Spain. The general order of events is as follows:

• Candidates are chosen: - The political parties choose the candidates and publish the names in a list in order from most to least important candidates. This means that citizens vote for parties and not for individual candidates.

• Pre-campaign: - This begins approximately eight weeks before the actual elections.

• Campaign: - All the canvassing for votes must cease two days before the actual election day, and no campaigning is permitted either on the last day (the so-called "day of reflection") or on election day, which is normally a Sunday.

• Elections: - These take place at what are known as "colegios electorales", which are simply the various places in your local community where voting takes place. Members of the European Union residing in Spain, and Norwegians meeting specific criteria (*), are allowed to vote in Spain in local (municipal) election. Visit the following pages to learn more about the procedures foreigners must follow and to explore Spanish elections at their various levels:

Voting - Foreigners wishing to vote in local (but not regional or national) elections need to prepare in advance in order to be admitted to the polls on election day.

Municipal Elections - The next municipal elections are scheduled to take place in late May 2007 and, nearer the time, you will notice the billboards with the smiling/compassionate/friendly faces of all the nominees on billboards throughout the province.

Provincial Elections – these elections take place indirectly as the “Diputación Provincial” is actually a body of representatives of all town and city halls from across each province.

Regional Elections - Get an idea regarding the general climate surrounding regional elections by reading this review of the last regional elections.

National Elections - Find the 2008 national election review posted here.

Political Parties - Across Andalucia there are four main political parties operating.

(*)Norwegians must certify that they have been residing in Spain for at least three years. Because residency cards do not state when residency began, the only way to certify how long you have been here is to show that you have been registered in your town's padrón for at least 3 years.

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