Editing Melilla (section)

== Government and politics ==

=== Self-government institutions ===
{{See also|List of Mayor-Presidents of Melilla}}
[[File:Ayuntamiento de Melilla.jpg|thumb|Palace of the Assembly of Melilla]]
The government bodies stipulated in the Statute of Autonomy are the [[Assembly of Melilla]], the [[President of Melilla]] and the Council of Government. The assembly is a 25-member body whose members are elected through universal suffrage every 4 years in [[Closed list|closed party lists]] following the schedule of local elections at the national level. Its members are called "local [[Deputy (legislator)|deputies]]" but they rather enjoy the status of ''[[Local councillor|concejales]]'' (municipal councillors).{{Sfn|Márquez Cruz|2003|pp=10–11}} Unlike [[List of Spanish regional legislatures|regional legislatures]] (and akin to municipal councils), the assembly does not enjoy [[Right of initiative (legislative)|right of initiative]] for primary legislation.{{Sfn|Márquez Cruz|2003|p=11}}

The president of Melilla (who, often addressed as Mayor-President, also exerts the roles of Mayor, president of the Assembly, president of the Council of Government and representative of the city){{Sfn|Márquez Cruz|2003|p=12}} is invested by the Assembly. After local elections, the president is invested through a [[qualified majority]] from among the leaders of the election lists, or, failing to achieve the former, the leader of the most voted list at the election is invested to the office.{{Sfn|Márquez Cruz|2003|pp=14}} In case of a [[motion of no confidence]] the president can only be ousted with a qualified majority voting for an alternative assembly member.{{Sfn|Márquez Cruz|2003|pp=14}}

The Council of Government is the traditional collegiate executive body for [[parliamentary system]]s. Unlike the municipal government boards in the standard [[ayuntamiento (Spain)|''ayuntamientos'']], the members of the Council of Government (including the vice-presidents) do not need to be members of the assembly.{{Sfn|Márquez Cruz|2003|pp=12–13}}

Melilla is the city in Spain with the highest proportion of [[postal voting]];<ref name=bautista /> [[Electoral fraud#Vote buying|vote buying]] (via mail-in ballots) is widely reported to be a common practice in the poor neighborhoods of Melilla.<ref name=bautista>{{Cite web|url=https://www.elconfidencial.com/espana/2019-05-06/melilla-vice-votos-corrupcion_1976146/|website=[[El Confidencial]]|title=Se compran votos por 50 euros|first=José|last=Bautista|date=6 May 2019}}</ref> Court cases in this matter had involved the PP, the CPM and the PSOE.<ref name=bautista />

On 15 June 2019, following the [[2019 Melilla Assembly election|May 2019 Melilla Assembly election]], the regionalist and left-leaning party of Muslim and Amazigh persuasion [[Coalition for Melilla]] (CPM, 8 seats), the [[Spanish Socialist Workers' Party]] (PSOE, 4 seats) and [[Citizens (Spanish political party)|Citizens–Party of the Citizenry]] (Cs, 1 seat) voted in favour of the Cs' candidate ([[Eduardo de Castro]]) as the Presidency of the Autonomous City,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://resultados.elpais.com/elecciones/2019/municipales/19/52/01.html |title=Resultados Electorales en Melilla: Elecciones Municipales 2019 en EL PAÍS |publisher=Resultados.elpais.com |newspaper=[[El País]]|access-date=15 June 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Alba|first1=Nicolás|url=https://www.elmundo.es/espana/2019/06/15/5d04d1c3fc6c833b568b46a6.html |title=El único diputado de Ciudadanos consigue la presidencia de Melilla tras 19 años de Gobierno del PP |newspaper=[[El Mundo (Spain)|El Mundo]] |date=15 June 2019 |access-date=15 June 2019}}</ref> ousting [[Juan José Imbroda]], from the [[People's Party (Spain)|People's Party]] (PP, 10 seats), who had been in office since 2000.

Melilla also maintains a local police force known as Policia Local de Melilla (Ciudad Autonoma de Melilla - Policia Local).

=== Justice ===
The judicial district of Melilla for the administration of justice and the highest judicial body of the autonomous city is the [[High Court of Justice of Andalusia, Ceuta and Melilla|High Court of Justice of Andalusia, Ceuta, and Melilla]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministry of Justice - Judicial District of Melilla |url=https://www.mjusticia.gob.es/BUSCADIR/ServletControlador?apartado=buscadorMunicipioDesdeListado&municipio=52001&lang=es_es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=C.G.P.J - High Court of Justice of Andalusia, Ceuta, and Melilla |url=https://www.poderjudicial.es/cgpj/es/Poder-Judicial/Tribunales-Superiores-de-Justicia/TSJ-Andalucia--Ceuta-y-Melilla/ |accessdate=2022-02-28 |website=www.poderjudicial.es}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Melilla Judicial District Map and Municipalities of its Territorial Scope. Ministry of Justice |url=https://www.mjusticia.gob.es/es/JusticiaEspana/OrganizacionJusticia/InstLibraryCartographyJudProv/Melilla/Melilla.pdf}}</ref>

=== Administrative subdivisions ===
<!--Anchor for redirect, do not alter. -->
Melilla is subdivided into eight districts (''distritos''), which are further subdivided into neighbourhoods (''[[barrio]]s''):
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*1st
**Barrio de Medina Sidonia.
**Barrio del General Larrea.
**Barrio de [[Ataque Seco]].
*2nd
**Barrio Héroes de España.
**Barrio del General Gómez Jordana.
**Barrio Príncipe de Asturias.
*3rd
**Barrio del Carmen.
*4th
**Barrio Polígono Residencial La Paz.
**Barrio Hebreo-Tiro Nacional.
*5th
**Barrio de Cristóbal Colón.
**Barrio de Cabrerizas.
**Barrio de Batería Jota.
**Barrio de Hernán Cortes y Las Palmeras.
**Barrio de Reina Regente.
*6th
**Barrio de Concepción Arenal.
**Barrio Isaac Peral (Tesorillo).
*7th
**Barrio del General Real.
**Polígono Industrial SEPES.
**Polígono Industrial Las Margaritas.
**Parque Empresarial La Frontera.
*8th
**Barrio de la Libertad.
**Barrio del Hipódromo.
**Barrio de Alfonso XIII.
**Barrio Industrial.
**Barrio Virgen de la Victoria.
**Barrio de la Constitución.
**Barrio de los Pinares.
**Barrio de la Cañada de Hidum
{{div col end}}

=== Postal division ===
Before the reform of the [[Postal codes in Spain|postal code]] system implemented in Spain, Melilla used the code ''29801'', corresponding to the province of [[Málaga]], with which it maintained an administrative affiliation. The number ''29'' identified all localities belonging to that province, and Melilla did not have a specific postal code of its own, despite its geographical and political singularity.<ref>{{Cite news |last=País |first=El |date=1984-07-06 |title=Correos crea 17 nuevos distritos postales y reorganiza todos los que ya existían |url=https://elpais.com/diario/1984/07/06/madrid/457961061_850215.html |access-date=2025-04-18 |work=El País |language=es |issn=1134-6582}}</ref>

This situation changed with the entry into force of the ''Order of 27 September 1995'', which established a new postal code system to better reflect the territorial particularities of certain areas. As a result of this order, from ''1 February 1996'', Melilla began using the prefix ''52'', with ''52001'' assigned as its main postal code. This change marked an administrative separation from Málaga in postal terms and was part of the broader process of institutional recognition of Melilla as an [[autonomous city]].<ref>{{Citation |last=Ministerio de Obras Públicas, Transportes y Medio Ambiente |title=Orden de 27 de septiembre de 1995 sobre modificación del código postal de las ciudades de Ceuta y Melilla |date=1995-10-04 |issue=Orden |pages=29195–29196 |url=https://www.boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-1995-21835 |access-date=2025-04-18}}</ref>

Since then, all postal codes in Melilla begin with ''52'', thus distinguishing it from mainland Spain and reinforcing its distinct administrative and territorial identity.<ref>{{Cite web |last=comentó |first=Español |date=2023-02-25 |title=Melilla y Andalucía |url=https://elfarodemelilla.es/melilla-andalucia/ |access-date=2025-04-18 |language=es}}</ref>

=== Spain-Morocco relations ===
[[File:MTN25-1111c3-2003-Melilla.jpg|thumb|Map of Melilla]]
There are recurring issues in the [[Spain-Morocco relations]], such as Morocco's claim to include Melilla and Ceuta within its territory, as well as the [[Plazas de soberanía|sovereignty plazas]], the incident on [[Perejil Island]], the [[2007 Morocco–Spain diplomatic conflict|2007 diplomatic conflicts]], the [[2021 Morocco–Spain border incident|mass crossing of people at the Ceuta and Melilla borders on May 17, 2021]], and the phenomenon of unaccompanied foreign minors. The [[Spanish Government]] has never initiated negotiations on these issues, as Ceuta, Melilla, and the sovereignty plazas are part of Spanish national territory, and the Spanish people support the Spanish sovereignty over these territories.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foreign Ministry defends the 'absolute Spanish sovereignty' of Ceuta and Melilla. |url=http://www.elmundo.es/elmundo/2010/05/17/espana/1274126915.html}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Opina Institute Poll. |url=http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/29196/spaniards_review_ceuta_and_melilla_situation/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111224223026/http://www.angus-reid.com/polls/29196/spaniards_review_ceuta_and_melilla_situation/ |archive-date=December 24, 2011}}</ref> Morocco, however, relies on the nationalist idea of [[Greater Morocco]], with occasional [[disinformation]] campaigns in British media, attempting to assimilate Melilla or Ceuta with [[Gibraltar]], which is a [[British Overseas Territory]] on the United Nations list of territories to decolonize.<ref name="books.google_1">Jesús A. Núñez Villaverde, Miguel Hernando de Larramendi, Hernando de Larramendi H. de Larramendi, [http://books.google.es/books?id=BRSzrQ01C44C&pg=PA25&dq=angel+ballesteros,+gran+marruecos&hl=es&ei=M5NVTsDZGoqcOsninZ0G&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=gran%20marruecos&f=false ''La política exterior y de cooperación de España hacia el Magreb (1982-1995)''] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120212153115/http://books.google.es/books?id=BRSzrQ01C44C&pg=PA25&dq=angel+ballesteros,+gran+marruecos&hl=es&ei=M5NVTsDZGoqcOsninZ0G&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=3&sqi=2&ved=0CDoQ6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=gran%20marruecos&f=false}}, ISBN 978-84-8198-182-7, p. 25.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Territories to be decolonized |url=http://www.un.org/es/decolonization/nonselfgovterritories.shtml}}</ref><ref>Dioniso García Flórez, ''Ceuta y Melilla. Cuestión de Estado'', Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla, 1999, p. 48.</ref><ref>Dioniso García Flórez, ''Ceuta y Melilla. Cuestión de Estado'', Ciudad Autónoma de Melilla, 1999, pp. 61-63.</ref>