Pedro Martín was proclaimed yesterday president of the Council of Tenerife at the head of the list with the most votes, that of the PSOE, but in an unexpected script twist, the product of a Machiveic decision and without legal precedent in the Island Corporation, he announced by surprise his resignation from office in the last sentence of his speech that closed the constituent session of the new mandate. Martín pointed out in his office, after the plenary session and in the face of enormous media expectation, that he is not going to wait for the announced motion of censure of Canarian Coalition and the Popular Party, but instead resigns from office to promote an “orderly transition”, “facilitate the transfer of powers” and not have to wait the 15 days provided by law in the event that the mechanism had been launched. In addition, he keeps an ace up his sleeve, precisely that of the motion of no confidence, since the Regulation only allows one every four years and all the political groups present can exercise it in the future throughout the mandate. Widespread surprise and coup d’état during a solemn protocol ceremony that took place in the Noble Hall of the Insular Palace to open the political stage in the 2023-2027 period.
Martín explained after the inauguration that he resigns and remains in the position “formally” until a plenary session is held next Monday – it will be that day to meet the legal deadlines – and give an account of his decision. Then, approximately a quarter of an hour later, another session will take place to vote the new insular president with the system of town halls. That is to say, with the presentation of candidacies, a ballot box and, in principle, secret suffrage, to choose the one who reaps the most votes. There, if all goes as expected, would do effective the government agreement between popular and nationalists and the residence for Rosa Dávila.
The socialist launched an order to the motion of censure of CC and PP, which will no longer occur as there is no one against whom to present it. There is the legal tool to be used for the first and only time in emirates. The transition was going to last about fifteen days until the plenary session that would unseat Pedro Martín from the institution was held on July 12. The document was already drafted and was going to be presented today, in principle. Now the time period will be different, although the end result looks identical: Rosa Dávila will be the first woman president of the Cabildo de Tenerife.
Martín insisted that “I do not want to repeat the show of four years ago of the Canary Coalition when he resisted the motion of censure – the one that elevated him to the presidency to the detriment of Carlos Alonso (CC) -“. He predicted “four entertaining years with a strong opposition and a defense of Tenerife like ours” and acknowledged that he only warned his fellow Socialists of his decision to resign at the entrance to the event held yesterday.
In his official speech, Pedro Martín summarized the achievements of his four years in office, including the best employment data in 15 years, a very powerful tourism sector and a primary sector with a budget on the rise to strategic. He referred to the collaborative work on highways with the Government of the Canary Islands and gave the recent completion of the Erjos tunnel as an example. Also the efforts in the matter of residual waters, in protection of the environment and in increase of the renewable energies, Or the social policies and the air connectivity. He warned that Tenerife “will only get ahead if no municipality is left behind.”
The speech that ended with a “Long live Tenerife!”, was an obvious farewell statement. Both because of the closure of this four-year management stage and because it seems that he has agreed to go to the Senate as a representative of the Autonomous Community.
The formal act began with the parade of the 31 directors -20 new ones-, until the Plenary Hall. The oldest, Juan Acosta, from Coalición Canaria, and the youngest, Naím Yánez, from Vox, formed the Age Table prior to the opening of the session by the Secretary General. One by one the new components of the Cabildo were called, according to the order established by the D’Hont Law, in the counting of votes. Juan Acosta, president of the Board, gave them the corresponding commemorative medals. To the second, because they had to be named again, since they were not delivered by mistake to the first. From the two directors of Vox to those of the PSOE through those of PP and CC.
The 31 swore or promised with the formula “by my conscience and honor to faithfully fulfill the obligations of the position of director of the Most Excellent Island Council of Tenerife, with loyalty to the King and to keep and have the Constitution kept as a fundamental rule of the State”. The only one who deviated from the general norm was the socialist Nauzet Gugliotta who swore, in addition to the same thing as the others, “for the laws that protect women and diversity on our Island.”
Next, Juan Acosta, president of the Table of Age, declared “formally constituted the Island Council of Tenerife for the four-year period 2023-2027”. He also proclaimed as president of the same, by virtue of article 201.5 of the Organic Law of the General Electoral Regime, the first candidate from the list with the most votes in the insular constituency of Tenerife: Pedro Martín Domínguez. To this end, Acosa handed Martín the symbolic command baton and the two members of the Age Table returned to the seats they occupied together with their Corporation colleagues.
The president then gave the turn to speak to the heads of the electoral lists presented for the elections on May 28, who obtained representation in order from lowest to highest.
with the hymns of Canary Islands and Spain closed the solemn constituent session. The next appointment in fifteen days with the debate on the motion of no confidence.
