Spanish Elections

Spain had another general election vote on Sunday a mere six months after their previous vote. The new vote was necessary because neither of the two main parties was able to build a majority coalition.

The outlook is grim, however. Voter turnout is expected to be low and the results are expected to be similar to those in December when no single party gained enough votes to for a majority government.

Sounds like a good description of what we can expect in November (except for not having a winner). There’s still a chance the far left party may be able to persuade the other left-leaning parties to join them. I’m not sure the EU can handle another Greece, but that’s what they’d become.

Gibraltar and BREXIT

Now that the UK has voted to leave the EU, Spain plans to press them for joint sovereignty over the tiny territory of Gibraltar.

Garcia-Margallo said in a radio interview that he believed the Brexit vote could prove decisive for Spain’s claim to Gibraltar. Spain ceded the peninsula to Britain in 1713 in the Treaty of Ultrecht.

The Spanish government says they plan to close the border into Spain once the UK exit is complete if the UK does not agree to their demands.

Iceland Presidential Election

Gudni Johannesson, a historian, was expected to be elected over the weekend as the new President. He has been polling at 49% for weeks now.

Johannesson, a 47-year-old historian and political commentator, declared his candidacy after the release of the Panama Papers leak indicated several high ranking members of the country’s government were involved in offshore accounts. Included on the list was former Prime Minister Sigmundur Davio Gunnlaugsson, who resigned from the post as a result of his and wife’s accounts being revealed.

It seems we aren’t the only country that has lost faith in the political class. Here’s hoping Icelanders chose better than we did.

Venezuela Petitions to Recall Maduro

Venezuelan opposition leaders said they have enough validated signatures on a petition to remove President Nicolas Maduro in a recall referendum.

The initial petition handed in last month gathered almost 2 million signatures but election officials said 600,000 of those were fraudulent. Residents who signed the petition had until Friday to have their identity cards and fingerprints checked.

Voter ID laws. Apparently they’re only for third-world countries.

Christian Leaders Supporting Trump

This is Donald Trump’s Evangelical Executive Advisory Board. Some of them are a surprise, though most are not. I think it’s important to keep a list for future reference. We need to know who sold their soul for crumbs at the table of political power.

Michele Bachmann – Former Congresswoman
A.R. Bernard – Senior Pastor and CEO, Christian Cultural Center
Mark Burns – Pastor, Harvest Praise and Worship Center
Tim Clinton – President, American Association of Christian Counselors
Kenneth and Gloria Copeland – Founders, Kenneth Copeland Ministries
James Dobson – Author, Psychologist and Host, My Family Talk
Jerry Falwell, Jr. – President, Liberty University
Ronnie Floyd – Senior Pastor, Cross Church
Jentezen Franklin – Senior Pastor, Free Chapel
Jack Graham – Senior Pastor, Prestonwood Baptist Church
Harry Jackson – Senior Pastor, Hope Christian Church
Robert Jeffress – Senior Pastor, First Baptist Church of Dallas
David Jeremiah – Senior Pastor, Shadow Mountain Community Church
Richard Land – President, Southern Evangelical Seminary
James MacDonald – Founder and Senior Pastor, Harvest Bible Chapel
Johnnie Moore – Author, President of The KAIROS Company
Robert Morris – Senior Pastor, Gateway Church
Tom Mullins – Senior Pastor, Christ Fellowship­
Ralph Reed – Founder, Faith and Freedom Coalition
James Robison – Founder, Life OUTREACH International
Tony Suarez – Executive Vice President, National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference
Jay Strack – President, Student Leadership University
Paula White – Senior Pastor, New Destiny Christian Center
Tom Winters – Attorney, Winters and King, Inc.
Sealy Yates – Attorney, Yates and Yates

Open thread. Happy Ratcatcher’s Day.