Melilla, 8 October 2026 – Juan José Imbroda, president of the Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla and regional leader of the Partido Popular, has warned of possible “fraud” in postal voting in the Spanish parliamentary elections scheduled for 29 November 2026 . He cited previous cases in Melilla and urged that lessons be learned from them. His comments came amid debate over voto por correo, reignited after Madrid regional president Isabel Díaz Ayuso advised people to vote in person if possible.
As evidence, Imbroda cited final court rulings relating to the 2008 elections in Melilla. The Tribunal Supremo upheld prison sentences of two years on 17 February 2021 against Mustafa Aberchán, then leader of the regional party Coalición por Melilla, and Dionisio Muñoz, former secretary-general of the Socialists in Melilla, including for electoral fraud and forgery of documents. “These cases have happened, and I hope they do not happen again,” Imbroda said.
He also recalled the investigations in May 2023, when police and the courts in Melilla acted on suspicion of organised vote-buying involving postal ballots. There were arrests and searches, and several political figures came under the authorities’ scrutiny. The cases are or were at different stages of investigation.
Imbroda made clear that his comments were not intended to undermine confidence in the work of the national postal service, Correos. However, he called for additional safeguards from the electoral authorities to rule out abuse. No specific new measures by the Junta Electoral Central have been agreed so far, although discussion of possible improvements to oversight and transparency is accompanying the election campaign.
At the heart of the matter is a serving regional president’s warning of a specific risk, based on documented cases in Melilla. The references to the 2021 ruling by the Tribunal Supremo and the investigations in May 2023 are substantiated. The statements do not point to an immediate disruption of the current electoral process; rather, they are bringing political pressure to bear to address known weaknesses in postal voting arrangements. Whether, and to what extent, the Junta Electoral Central will respond in the short term remains open.
The debate over the integrity and accessibility of postal voting is therefore likely to grow in importance ahead of 29 November 2026 – particularly in Melilla, but also in the national election campaign.
Editor: Mira Cadena (Article created with AI assistance).