Spain’s Melilla exclave rocked by alleged vote tampering scheme days before elections

MADRID (AP) — Spain’s north African exclave of Melilla has been rocked by an alleged mail-in vote-buying scheme just days before the city goes to the polls in nationwide local elections. Ten people including a town hall government member have been detained this week for their alleged participation in an attempt to tamper with Sunday’s vote. The police crackdown comes after authorities became concerned when 20% of Melilla’s voting population requested to vote by mail. That is far above the 2% national average. Some 55,000 voters will be called to the polls in Melilla during the elections that will involve every town hall in Spain and several regions.