Albunol is composed of two small pieces of Paradise, the Costa Tropical or the Alpujarra. It is protected by Contraviesa and has a mountain range as well as a beach that’s accessible to everyone. In the past three decades, his image has changed. The plastic greenhouses now reach La Rabita’s beach. After the 2018 Andalusian election results, it also changed. They even made national news.
The push of ten young farmers, who claimed they were fed up, made Albunol the municipality that received the most support for the party. Many keys were provided in the text four years ago, which has now been confirmed.
Vox received 20.16% support in 2018, compared to two ballots in Albunol 2015 and 491 in 2018. Despite the popularity of Vox and the fact that the formation was led by Macarena Olona in Salobrena’s electoral campaign, support for the formation fell on 19J. Vox received 644 ballots this time around, 19J. These votes are 153 less than 2018 but not enough to beat the PSOE which has 689.
Three Albunol teenagers, on the town square. A neighbor walks by the PSOE headquarters and a Halal butcher shop. Unmigrant walks under a Vox banner. / Alfredo Aguilar
Jose Jesus Lopez, president, of the Partido Popular, Albunol, describes the situation following 19J. He explains via phone that “we have won for all the polling stations within the municipality.” It has brought us an adrenaline rush, and new people have been seen,” are the immediate consequences. “We will be preparing a local congress to appoint an executive in July, to get younger people out.”
Next year’s elections are the real challenge. “Here it’s always been difficult to do things. We get along with people but it is more difficult in municipal elections. Juanma Moreno Bonilla has won the result. Because she is very focused, she is the one who pulled the trigger.
He offers his opinion on Vox’s outcome. He came out in 2018 with a lot of power. Terrible. She rode on god’s. Everyone seemed to be from Vox. The albunolero thought it through and voted with lights>>. He also offers another insight: “It’s that the PSOE ran a campaign 30 years ago and Vox has done the same, thinking back to other times.” He is confident about the near-term future, and he acknowledges the challenges of the municipal. “The system has loaded Podemos and Ciudadanos, Vox will be loaded.”
Albunol, Monday the 19th, is a calm and peaceful place. It is three o’clock. The Natalio Rivas school girl is dressed in a T-shirt, and carries her backpack. They return home for lunch. Three teenagers find shelter under a shaded bench at the Plaza del Ayuntamiento. Their names clearly indicate their origin and age. They were all born in Spain and have lived in Madrid and Barcelona. However, their families moved back to Albunol where they now reside. They look great in their Marvel tees and trendy buzz cuts.
One of them explained that they don’t follow the electoral campaign. He explains that they spend more time in the streets than watching TV news. Another person says they know something about politics. He shares his satisfaction with the statement, “I can tell the difference between anarchism or communism.” The most vocal respondent to questions about Vox, its political discourse on migration and other aspects, is the girl.
He says, “Our parents are Moroccan-born.” Vox is full of ignorance. He believes they lie a lot. She says, “They don’t tell the truth.” She recalls then a controversy over a Vox policy which defended street compliments to women. “They should remove some of them from the microphone.” She says, “The truth is that that game is not my favorite.”
Two Senegalese sitting on a bench at Albunol. Three friends enjoy coffee on a terrace overlooking the town. Statue at Calle 28 de Febrero and Avenida de Andalucia’s roundabout. / Alfredo Aguilar
Dei and Khadi sit on a bench at Calle 28 de Febrero. The first is pregnant. The father is playing with his first son. They smile. They are fluent in Spanish and happy to be living in this area. Senegalese are the country of the “teranga”, a term that refers to the hospitality Senegal offers foreigners. They wear brightly colored dresses in ocher and yellow tones. They claim they can’t vote to hide their ignorance about the campaign. They insist that they are happy to live in Albunol. They are happy to work in the greenhouses.
This image is directly connected to the 2018 report. Vox spokesperson said that Albunol’s immigrants are not a problem and that it is healthy for them to coexist. We are not against it. We are defending the regulation of immigration. If they stay for 8 to 10 months, they can return to their country. They have nothing to do in here when their jobs end.
Three friends, Down Calle 28 De Febrero, are having a conversation at Cafe Deyavu. Maria, Amanda, and Sonia (both 28, 24 and 30, respectively) have never voted for this 19J. They laugh out loud while sharing that they were having a party. One confessed, “I didn’t even know that there were elections.” One of her professions is cleaner; another is greenhouse manager. She’s a housewife because she is a single mom. Her ideology and the political environment of the municipality can be summarized in two sentences. “I think we are on the right, because we’re poor.” “The same people who vote for Vox also have Albunol greenhouses that are full of migrants.”
