A local court in the autonomous Spanish city of Melilla, on the North African coast, has opened an investigation into an alleged case of postal voting fraud after an unusual number of people requested documentation for remote voting in the regional and municipal elections on 28 May. Applications for remote voting had already reached 11,002 (19.94% of the total) by Thursday and more than double the number for the 2019 municipal elections. This “flood” of requests for postal voting in Melilla, added to the numerous indications by the Spanish National Police that vote buying is taking place in the autonomous city, has led the Electoral Board of the Zone (JEZ) to open an urgent investigation, both Media reported. These figures are unsustainable, and without further intellectual effort, suggest that there may be irregularities in the postal voting process,” the JEZ stated in a press release. The Melilla Court of Instruction opened preliminary proceedings for alleged electoral fraud at the request of the Spanish Police.

Source: The North Africa Journal May 19, 2023 11:00 UTC