Citizen approval to rename Palamós to Palamós i Sant Joan. The municipality of Costa Brava held a popular consultation on Sunday where residents were asked if they wanted to rename the municipality and incorporate Sant Joan into the place name. The yes vote received 897 positive votes and 753 negative votes.
About 17,000 people were summoned to the consultation, because every person over the age of 16 who was registered in the municipality before September 23 had the right to vote. Polls were open from nine in the morning until eight in the evening.
The question posed to the neighbors is: “Do you want the municipal place name of Palamós to include the name of Sant Joan and be renamed to Palamós i Sant Joan?” You had to answer simply, yes or no. Early voting was also open throughout the week, with 350 people participating in voting.
The controversy over the name change answers a historical question. Located north of Palamos, in the part closest to La Fosca Beach, Sant Joan maintained a strong identity derived from being an independent municipality until 1942. During the Franco regime, it was annexed to Palamos, a decision that sparked a debate among citizens that lasted for decades.
Mayor Maria Puig admitted that if the referendum wins yes, changing the name of the municipality will not be “quick or easy” because it will require an important transformation.
Consultations are taking place in Palamos four years after another popular vote to change the name of a municipality on the Catalan coast. In October 2021, residents of La Rápita, in the Delta de Libre, were called for consultation to validate the removal of the term Sant Carles from the geographical names of the municipality. Turnout never reached 20%, but the city council, then governed by the ERC, went ahead with the name change.
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