The councillor of the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Juan Manuel Hermoso, who recently resigned from the Vox party to join the mixed group as an independent, has spoken out against the “harsh attacks” and even instances of “intimidation” he has faced after making his decision public. He stated, “Individuals who previously worked for the party have labeled me as a traitor, among other insults and criticisms, rather than trying to understand my perspective and circumstances.”
In response to these events, Hermoso has affirmed that despite these “attacks”, he remains committed to working for the municipality and its residents, “now as a free agent, because my dedication to serving this city remains unwavering and I will always be accessible to the community, wherever and whenever needed.”
The councillor elaborated that “his departure from Vox was a carefully considered choice, born out of a sense of isolation within a political faction whose primary focus was merely gaining positions in government and fostering a climate of inaction within the council, neglecting the numerous important matters that naturally arise in such a significant municipal body.”
He pointed out that “since Vox’s arrival at the City Council of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, a confrontational atmosphere prevailed within the group, enforced by the party’s national leadership through the group’s spokesperson, Alejandro Gómez, marginalising the other councillors and preventing them from working independently, disregarding their input and blindly following directives issued by party officials in Madrid, individuals unfamiliar with the municipality’s uniqueness and requirements.
Hermoso highlighted that “critical local matters affecting the residents of Santa Cruz were pushed aside to pursue motions dictated by Vox’s national leadership, which were often unrelated to the party’s principles. Instead of actively addressing the community’s concerns and issues, the Vox group in the council engaged in fruitless debates devoid of relevance to local governance, laden with fundamental errors that will have repercussions in the long term. Effective municipal policymaking requires grassroots engagement, yet Mr. Gómez has not engaged with the community, neither before nor during his tenure in the City Council, to understand the real challenges facing the citizens.”
According to Hermoso, this situation has led to “a significant erosion of trust among voters, who feel deceived and disillusioned by the new provincial executive committee of Vox, headed by Alejandro Gómez, and the party members and associates of the previous committee under Manuel Molina, who were sidelined with the arrival of the new provincial team. This prompted my careful decision to leave the party that was my political home for nearly five years.”
Despite the criticisms against his decision, “I do have the unified support of my colleagues, with whom I participated in 80 events promoting Vox’s ideology, events that aimed to secure representation in the council, alongside the two other councillors in the group who declined involvement, despite explicit requests for collaboration from the prior provincial executive committee. They were more focused on holding positions than fulfilling their political duties for the citizens, as evidenced by their actions since June last year.”
Hermoso questions, “what can be expected from a party built on deceit, especially in light of the court ruling in 2023 which highlighted the unethical conduct of the candidate representative within her role, contrasting with the subsequent actions of the national leadership that accused her of manipulating candidate lists and committing various offences. “The public posting of those individuals’ photos resembles tactics employed by extremist groups like ETA, marking targets,” the councillor remarked.
Additionally, Hermoso noted that “despite the national leadership’s eagerness to meddle in the affairs of local groups, no one has reached out to me for my perspective, underscoring Vox’s leadership’s lack of concern for its members, a sentiment echoed by council colleagues and residents, for whom I am sincerely grateful.”
