MALLORCA TODAY - Unió Mallorquina faces oblivion

Despite changing the name of the party (to the Convergència de les Illes Balears), the Unió Mallorquina could be on the edge of collapsing. There are some doubts being raised as to whether this new name will be acceptable, given a similar one in existence, while, more importantly, the party is being held accountable for the latest scandal, the "caso Picnic", and faces paying a bail of 1.6 million euros, money that it does not have. To the party's aid, however, has come the Balearics central government delegate, Ramón Socias, who has argued that the latest legal actions taken against the UM are "disproportionate", a charge refuted by the dean's office for judges in Palma. The UM, name change or not, may be unable to take part in the forthcoming local elections, while the possibility exists of a completely separate and new party being formed by current party members.