Lope Afonso, candidate of the Popular Party for the presidency of the Cabildo de Tenerife, made effective yesterday the presentation of an electoral program that has been disseminated in recent months throughout the island’s geography and before the different sectors of society. The official debut, in which he was accompanied by the current members of the island group or the candidate in Santa Cruz, Carlos Tarife, was presented by the island leader of the popular, Emilio Navarro, who valued the “well-being and prosperity project in a place where people want to live” that Afonso represents. This detailed 180 measures integrated into five major axes “to start the path of change” of the political cycle and provide “solutions” after twelve years of governments that “have not been able to offer them to the people of Tenerife.”
Afonso focuses his speech on these measures, which revolve around mobility, social action, economic development, the environment and sustainability, as well as the promotion of strategic infrastructures. A review of “a program to govern”.
The elections on May 28 will define whether alone or with pacts. The candidate valued as “positive” the data from the most recent survey that brings them closer to doubling, from four to eight, the directors. Regarding possible alliances, it is committed to “stability pacts” and without the pressure of “minorities” in relation to the current mandate and the external support of Sí Podemos Canary Islands to the insular government of PSOE and Cs. From his list, he explains that “it is already in the oven” and it will be known after the regional one, which will be public next week. The profile is to combine experience in management with new blood or people from the private sector “without surprises”.
Lope Afonso proposes “recovering the confidence of the citizens»with an «aggressive» policy on fronts such as transport, the offer of social health places or support for the elderly whose island program, after the elimination of Ansina, promises to «recover» as one of the first measures. Without forgetting the progress in large infrastructures and pending projects. He considers all these factors key to ending the “paralysis” of the last three terms. The popular candidate insists on his “commitment to Tenerife” through a document “worked with different groups” with the intention that it become “something alive, dynamic, and reflects the authentic needs of the people of Tenerife.”
Mobility
The PP candidate for the Cabildo points out that “we approach mobility with special concern.” He proposes a series of measures in the short, medium and long term. From the empowerment and promotion of free public transport for frequent users, to the promotion of projects for collective guided systems such as trains, through the execution of road infrastructures. It is worth noting the commitment to the taxi sector, “very punished”, to bring the citizen closer to the large transport hubs.
Social action
Afonso also emphasizes initiatives related to social action. He indicates that “we are going to continue working on the need to agree with the private initiative to be able to immediately attend to the people who are waiting for a social health place, especially the most vulnerable, a waiting list that exceeds 7,000”. As for the older ones, the bet is to recover a specific program that replaces Ansina. Afonso is conclusive: “We will not hold our elders hostage to political troubles as up to now.”
productive sectors
When addressing the axis related to the productive sectors, Afonso emphasizes tourism as the “industry that sets our pattern of growth.” He points out the importance of “maintaining ourselves as a competitive destination, through actions such as rehabilitation or the implementation of a specific Tourism Department, which the Cabildo does not currently have, despite the importance of this sector for our economy. ». He announces a plan to rejuvenate and renovate run-down areas. The popular candidate also refers to the primary sector, to industry –also promised a counselor for the area– and to the need to promote more training adapted to the labor market to generate employment. It proposes to create a Support Office for Tenerife Town Halls and emphasizes the objective of building more public housing or the territorial balance between North, South and the Metropolitan Area.
Sustainability
Combining potential development with caring for the environment” is another of the fundamental axes on which the Una Isla Verde Popular Party program is articulated but “without falling into the utopian visions of environmentalism.” He recalled the complaint from the Arico City Council for the spills in the Environmental Complex and the problem of those that reach the sea. It supports a hydroelectric plant in Güímar.
infrastructures
Lope Afonso assures that Tenerife “needs a strong, courageous government, which exercises useful politics as a tool to unlock strategic projects for the Island”·. Among them he lists those that refer to the airport and port area; those of roads or those of energy transition. Afonso stresses that the Popular Party is in a position to offer Tenerife “a government that recovers leadership and autonomy to face the development of the Island.”
«Tenerife among all for all». It is the motto of Lope Afonso’s candidacy that can be found on a website that sums it all up: lopepresidente.com.
