El Dioni runs for mayor of El Molar, 40 years after the armoured van heist

El Dioni wants to run El Molar, 40 years after the armoured van heist

The security guard turned folk incivil has announced he will stand for mayor of El Molar with Vox. In an interview on "El verano se mueve", the man who stole an armoured van in the 1980s claimed he has 80% of the vote. "I know the lifelong residents," he argued, without revealing any programme beyond his popularity.

The character, who spent years in prison and later became a TV pundit, is jumping back into politics with Santiago Abascal's party. His optimism clashes with the record: in the last local elections, Vox won 12% of the vote in El Molar. But he is confident his media pull will draw in the disenchanted.

Reactions on social media were swift. Comparisons with Jesús Gil abound — the man who leapt from business to the Marbella mayor's office without passing through the confessional. Some also point out that, at least, this candidate does not hide his past: "He's a self-declared thief, unlike other politicians," sums up one line of opinion. Others, however, believe his candidacy trivialises politics and damages the town's image.

The striking fact: an ex-convict who once made off with 300 million pesetas says he wants to govern for "his people." The question is whether the residents of El Molar will forgive his past or reward it with a protest vote. For now, time is ticking, and the polls — except his own — give him nowhere near 80%.