78% of the voters in the popular consultation held on Sunday in La Pobla de Segur (Lleida) opted to change the name of Paseo Josep Borrell to that of October 1, in a non-binding vote with low participation.
Borrell, High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice President of the European Commission, was born in 1947 in this municipality in the Lleida Pyrenees, but in recent years he has become one of the targets of criticism from the Catalan independence movement for his opposition to the process.
The municipal government of La Pobla de Segur, headed by Marc Baró, from ERC, organized a referendum in which residents could choose between two options: either keep the current name of Paseo Josep Borrell i Fontelles, dedicated to the former socialist minister, or rename the road as Paseo 1 de Octubre. In the consultation, to which all those registered in the town over the age of 16 were called, 322 people have finally participated, in a population with about 3,000 inhabitants.
78% of voters have opted to change the name, which corresponds to 250 votes, while 64 participants have chosen to maintain the current name, five have voted blank and three ballots have been declared invalid, reported the City Council.
The consultation is not binding and now the consistory must decide if the participation, of just over 10%, is enough to change the name of the street. Baró explained that the consultation arose as a result of the statements that “our great friend” made in relation to the process that “disparaged and angered” the population of the municipality, he said.
