A voter at a polling station in Madrid during the elections on May 4, 2021. (Credit: JAVIER SORIANO/AFP via Getty Images)

(CNN) More than 36.5 million people are called to the polls this Sunday, May 28 in the municipal and regional elections in Spain, according to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE). It is an appointment in which they must choose the mayors of more than 8,000 municipalities and the representatives of 12 autonomous communities.

  • Elections in Spain of 28M: what are the main proposals of the parties and what worries the Spaniards?

For this type of election, the number of voters varies. For the municipal, 35.4 million people are summoned, while in the autonomous communities the figure is reduced to 18.3 million.

In these figures, the INE includes foreigners who have the right to vote, since not everyone can do so in both elections.

I am Latin American and I live in Spain, can I vote on 28M?

To exercise the right to vote in regional elections it is necessary to have Spanish nationality, be over 18 years of age and be registered on the electoral roll of the relevant autonomous community. Those Spanish citizens who reside abroad and who have had their last administrative neighborhood in one of the 12 autonomous communities that attend these elections and who prove this condition before the corresponding consulate of Spain can also vote.

Based on the data provided by the INE, in 2022 there were 2,515,837 foreigners with Spanish nationality residing in the country, of which 1,653,156 were Latin American. However, it is not possible to obtain from here the exact figure of how many will be able to vote this Sunday, since the INE does not allow filtering the data by age or year of birth.

With regard to municipal elections, all Spaniards over 18 years of age who reside in Spain or who temporarily reside abroad and who appear on the electoral roll may vote. Additionally, citizens of legal age of the European Union who reside in Spain and who are registered on the electoral roll can participate in these elections. Also the citizens of the countries with which Spain has a reciprocity agreement, which are Norway, Ecuador, New Zealand, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay, Iceland, Bolivia, Cape Verde, South Korea and Trinidad and Tobago.

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Citizens of these countries with reciprocity agreements must be of legal age on voting day, not be deprived of the right to vote, have a residence permit in Spain and have resided legally in the country for five years at the time of requesting registration on the electoral roll at the corresponding town hall. In the case of Norway, the requested period of residence is reduced to three years, and is non-existent in the case of New Zealand.

According to the data provided by the INE, there are 12,420 people from Ecuador, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Paraguay and Bolivia who are registered on the electoral roll and who will be able to vote in these municipal elections.

What motives will lead Latin Americans to the polls?

Jonathan Herrera is 35 years old, 20 of which he has lived in the Spanish capital. He tells us that he is originally from Quito, Ecuador, and that he will be one of many residents in the Community of Madrid and with Spanish nationality who will be able to vote in the regional and municipal elections.

For him, one of the most important issues that he will take into account when voting are the proposals made by each political formation to facilitate access to housing. But he is also concerned about unemployment and the solutions that political leaders offer young people to facilitate their access to the labour market.

"In the end, what we all want is for politicians to follow through on what they say," he says.

Rocio Dominguez, 48, and Javier Fernandez, 47, are husbands and partners. Domínguez —descendant of Spaniards and born in Montevideo, Uruguay— and Fernández —son of Uruguayans and born in Buenos Aires, Argentina— reside in the Community of Madrid since 2019 and hold the reins of a company dedicated to the distribution of industrial products.

From the comfort of their home they explain that the issues that concern them most are, in general, of an economic and financial nature.

"For me, the most worrying thing is the housing issue. We have many friends with mortgages, with skyrocketing rates, people who are looking for a rental house... The issue of housing is very complicated. But I'm also very concerned about safety," says Dominguez.

"In the medium term, I am worried about controlling inflation," confesses Fernández. "There are many families who are being hit hard by inflation. It also brings consequences of job loss, and that is going to be a drag on the economy and on development," he adds.

Beyond their concerns being addressed, Fernández is convinced of the need to exercise the right to vote on May 28.

"For me, voting is fundamental. We are fortunate to live in a country where we are allowed to vote and improve as a society through the exercise of this right," he says.

"It allows us to express ourselves with politicians and for them to listen to us as citizens, to decide where we want this society to go," he adds.

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