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Spanish town in bullfight vote Spanish town cancels bullfighting
(1 day later)
Manzanares el Real's voters will decide bull fighting's future in the town The mayor said the festival diverted resources from other services
The residents of a small town in central Spain are taking part in a referendum this weekend to decide whether their annual bullfighting festival should be cancelled, the BBC's Steve Kingstone reports. The residents of a small town in central Spain have voted in a referendum to cancel their annual bullfighting festival because of the economic crisis, the BBC's Steve Kingstone reports.
Like many small towns in Spain, Manzanares el Real considers the annual bull fight to be part of its DNA. The move was proposed by the mayor of Manzanares el Real - on the grounds that the event would divert resources from other municipal services. But the result has caused an outcry among supporters of bullfighting.
But the price of 120,000 euros (£112,000, $160,000) meant the cost of staging the festival this year would eat up a quarter of the municipal budget for culture, sport and social services. Fifty-two percent of those who voted agreed the bullfighting festival should be scrapped. Thirty-five percent voted to keep the event.
In a letter sent to 6,000 homes, the town's mayor said that if the event went ahead it would be at the expense of basic services like street cleaning. And only 13% chose a compromise option - to maintain the festival, but scale down its cost.
Residents have now voted by post on whether to keep, scrap or scale down the event. On paper, that result means that Manzanares el Real will lose its bullfight - traditionally, part of the social and cultural fabric of small-town Spain.
The votes will be counted over the weekend by a public notary. The mayor had argued that the cost of the event, at more than 125,000 euros ($165,000; £116,000), was too high for a community struggling through a recession.
The mayor has stressed that the referendum is purely a response to the economic crisis and not an objection to bull fighting on ethical grounds. But supporters of local bullfighting are furious, and some protested in the town when the result became known.
They point that turnout was just 22% - too low, they say, to justify doing away with a cherished tradition.
The outcome puts the mayor of Manzanares in a difficult position.
After assessing the result and the passions on all sides, he will take what may be a career-shaping final decision during the coming week.