The Government of Tacorontemade up of PSOE, Nueva Canarias and Yes You Candefends that the new organic regulation of operation of the municipal corporation “will streamline the plenary sessions” and reduce their duration by avoiding excesses in the interventions and in the number of motions, questions, prayers and requests for appearances. CC, PP and the three non-attached mayors of the Corporation they criticize him harshlydemand its withdrawal and consider that it restricts their freedom of expression and political representation by placing limits on the exercise of the activity of the councilors, who may only present a maximum of one motion, two questions and one request per session.
The government he leads Jose Daniel Diaz has defended the new regulation with arguments such as “it will make the plenary sessions more agile and dynamic, through a more valued participation of the groups». Precisely the PP, which is part of the Mixed Group, has emphasized the discrimination that, in its opinion, implies having to share the speaking time with the spokesperson for the SSP, which will mean that the spokespersons for the PSOE, NC or Cs have double the time to intervene in the session.
From the Tacorontero government It is highlighted that this regulation has had in its initial approval the support of 14 of the 21 members of the Plenary, 66% of the total, and four of the six formations that make up the Consistory: PSOE, Ciudadanos, Nueva Canarias and Sí se puede. . “They are two thirds of the local Corporation, which shows that it is a necessary, consensual and possible tool,” according to the mayor, Jose Daniel Diaz (NC)after its initial approval last week.
The spokesman for the Socialist Group, Tarshish Morales, also maintains that “the need to have a regulation of plenary sessions was a historical demand, whose criteria have been chosen from an average of the norms of other municipalities.” An affirmation that the CC spokesman, Álvaro Dávila, considers a falsehood.
“As a group that won the last elections, we have more councilors and we have more time to defend our proposals and a greater number of questions to ask the Government”
Virginia Bacallado, spokesman for Cs, justified his favorable vote “after consulting with the municipal secretary to find out if it was in accordance with the law and if it complied or not with the laws.” In addition, he stressed that “as a group that won the last elections, we have more councilors and we have more time to defend our proposals and a greater number of questions to ask the Government Group. Obviously, if it is a proposal that also benefits us in defense of the interests of our neighbors, then we are going to vote in favor.
For Bacallado, “democracy is a matter of majorities, by the same majorities as in Tacoronte a tripartite governs that did not win the elections or for the same ones that when it suits the opposition groups they knock down any proposal or motion of the different groups of the plenary session ».
“This new regulation will improve the political debate and will represent a saving in the time that was wasted in the interventions”
The spokeswoman for Sí se puede, Violet Brownindicated that his party, despite the fact that its intervention time is limited to half with respect to PSOE, NC, CC or CS, «considers that this organic regulation is a necessary demand, which has not been taken to the Plenary until now due to the absence of a fixed Secretary in the City Council».
Moreno believes that this instrument “is an open text that does not inhibit political debate, but rather enriches it, distributes democratic equality and places the participation of political groups.” In his opinion, “this new regulation will improve the political debate and will represent a saving in the time that was lost in interventions, generating the disinterest of the citizenship. It will generate a more concrete, enriching and constructive debate, because many plenary sessions ended in personalistic speeches that did not lead to anything».
Recording of plenary sessions
The Tacoronte Participa platform asks the local government (PSOE, NC and SSP) to re-record and broadcast the plenary sessions, “since Covid-19 and limited capacity do not allow citizens to attend or be informed.” This group demands “transparency in this matter so crucial for political life”, which according to Tacorontero government sources, “have stopped being broadcast after the end of the contract with the producer that recorded them.” Regarding the local regulations, Tacoronte Participa believes that “the way of presenting it already prepared has not been the most participatory or appropriate. What is going to govern the political life of the Plenary that represents us requires consensus, so we hope that they will choose to dialogue and look for more adequate and democratic alternatives, with the same duties and rights for all»
