The opposition abandons the plenary session of Santa Cruz de Tenerife by preventing the mayor Bermúdez from the right to reply during the debate on the State of the Municipality

The opposition groups in the Santa Cruz de Tenerife City Council, Unidas Podemos, Socialista and Mixto, have left the plenary session this Monday during the final and unique intervention of the mayor José Manuel Bermúdez in the debate on the State of the Municipality, in which the right of reply and counter-reply was prevented.

In a statement, the PSOE details that the mayor forced the opposition to take turns to speak and reserve his speech at the end of the session, avoiding confrontation with the rest of the formations.

For this reason, the other formations have denounced the “democratic deterioration” that has occurred in a municipal plenary session and have accused Bermúdez of acting with “imposition” against the rest of the political voices.

In addition, the opposition groups have recalled that after seven years it was the first time that the debate on the state of the municipality was called, and they accuse the mayor of having tried to “skip the regulations” and “not show face”, reason for which they decided to leave the plenary hall.

In this sense, they have criticized the lack of transparency and consider that this way of proceeding implies a lack of respect for the citizenry, since the mayor has refused to establish an open debate that allows knowing the current state of the efforts that affect development from the city.

The groups agreed to highlight the “inactivity” that characterizes the current mandate by pointing out the actions and projects that have remained unexecuted due to the “incapacity” of municipal management.

The PSOE mayoral candidate, Patricia Hernández, stressed that last year ended without the execution of 118 million euros. “Its lack of organization leaves this city without the resources, without the actions and without a planning that gives a response according to the citizens and their demands. And today that we come here to ask for answers about this, the mayor hides behind his councilors and does not show his face. An institution like this does not deserve this contempt, democracy and citizens must always be above. We are not the rigging of this government, we are not a decoration, we come here to debate and propose improvements for this city”.

Hernández also put on the table the works promised campaign after campaign and that have remained unexecuted, such as the Tíncer sports center, the one in La Cuesta or the roofing of 20 schools, the promenade and maritime park of Añaza or the bike lane, among Other actions. “Bermúdez avoids the debate because he lacks political arguments on which to support his speech. Until now he has not been able to present anything new, he has become a master of recycling infographics that he has been repeating since 2011, promises that he only believes because this city is tired of castles in the air, ”he added.

The councilor of Unidas Podemos Ramón Trujillo has called for “democratic normality”, emphasizing the importance of the mayor being accountable without impeding the debate and taking responsibility for his management of government, “the DNA of Mr. Bermúdez is never to participate with his political adversaries in pre-election time”.

The councilor of the Mixed group, Matilde Zambudio, of Ciudadanos, has declared that they were not very surprised by “the attitude to which Bermúdez has already accustomed us”, and has remarked that the behavior “has been reflected when it has prevented all groups from intervening of the opposition with the sole intention that no one protests.”