The Arona City Council’s Socialist Group has raised concerns about the commencement of the Los Cristianos International Carnival without the government group, comprised of the Popular Party, the Canarian Coalition, and More for Arona, having initiated the competitive bidding process for organizing activities, events, and essential aspects such as security and the selection of participating artists.
According to the PSOE, the Los Cristianos Carnival is one of Arona’s most significant events, with a budget exceeding 700,000 Euros. The absence of any tender documentation on the contracting platform so far has raised apprehensions that they may resort to the common practice of non-competitive hiring, which has been prevalent during the management of these three parties.
The PSOE further added, “It is becoming increasingly concerning that this modus operandi is becoming the norm for Arona’s new government group.” The Tourist Board, presided over by Más por Arona councilor Dácil León, has organized events like the Day of Traditions, the Quevedo concert, and the Surf Festival totalling 400,000 Euros, despite warnings of potential illegality from the municipal Secretariat and Intervention, as highlighted by socialist councilor Raquel García.
Among the pending expenses not yet put out to tender are items like the stage rental, sound equipment, private security, artist bookings, and more, as detailed by the councilor.
Raquel García expressed concern, stating, “This clearly illustrates the operational methods of these three parties and their approach to public management, with contracts set to be awarded without fulfilling legal requisites, disregarding legality warnings and established procedures.”
The Socialist Group, the largest in the council with eight members, is alarmed by “the inefficiency of the tripartite, particularly councilor Sebastián Roque, responsible for the Contracting department, who allowed crucial contracts for municipal operations like vehicle rentals and bottled water supplies to lapse. Furthermore, his management of new tenders has been lacklustre, with only about ten contracts awarded in 9 months, some not even overseen by his team but initiated by the previous socialist government, such as the Cookies pavilion roof,” she concluded.
