In a turn of events that perfectly sums up the unpredictable nature of democracy and bureaucracy colliding, a Madrid woman has found herself on the brink of an unexpected political career after accidentally receiving the most votes in her district during European Parliament elections.
Luisa Vicente Gracia, whose primary occupation involves pushing paper in the Spanish parliament, had joined the “Movimiento Indignados” party more as a philosophical gesture than with any real plans to helm a political crusade. The tiny party, which gained some traction in 2011 during widespread anti-austerity protests, apparently still had a heartbeat and notably, a ballot line. Ms. Vicente’s name was included among its candidates, more or less for the sake of formality. Unfortunately for her carefully bureaucratised life, fate and a suspiciously low voter turnout intervened.
Despite the party only garnering 32 votes nationwide, Vicente managed to secure the single vote cast in her district, namely her own, which was just enough to crown her queen of her one woman fiefdom. Clearly no one else in the area was as enthusiastic about participation in civic life, or perhaps they simply shared a collective forgetfulness come polling day.
Realising the arcane consequences of participating in a democracy that occasionally takes its paperwork too literally, she urgently petitioned to decline the position. Unfortunately, Spain’s electoral law, that steadfast enforcer of unintended consequences, does not consider accidental candidacies grounds for resignation. Ms. Vicente is now legally obligated to either serve or secure someone else to take her place, which may present a challenge given that the other 31 supporters are presumably just as surprised about this turn of events as she is.
“I only voted for myself because I wanted to support the movement,” she told journalists, possibly reconsidering every choice that had led her to that ballot box.
The incident has sparked plenty of bemused commentary in Spain, with one legal expert pointing out that being singlehandedly responsible for a party’s electoral fortunes might soon become the most efficient form of job application in politics. Meanwhile, Vicente is left to navigate a Kafkaesque administrative odyssey, where casting a vote for yourself is less about personal empowerment and more about accidentally becoming your own boss.
As it turns out, believing in yourself is powerful, but voting for yourself is downright dangerous.