The Conservative Party (PP) councillor, Leopoldo Afonso, was appointed as the new mayor of Puerto de la Cruz yesterday following the successful censure motion against Marco González’s Government (PSOE) by his coalition partners, the Asamblea Ciudadana Portuense (ACP), along with the PP and Coalición Canaria (CC).
An hour before the session, a large group of socialist supporters gathered in Plaza Europa to show their support for the former mayor with banners, whistles, and chants such as the traditional ‘ista, ista, ista, the Port is socialist’, amidst a heavy police presence.
As scheduled, the members of the new government entered the council chamber at twelve o’clock, followed shortly after by the Socialist group, both accompanied by supporters and leaders of their respective parties, although key figures such as Manuel Domínguez, Francisco Linares, and Pedro Martín were absent. Emilio Navarro, Aarón Afonso, Lope Afonso, Jonathan Fumero, and Nira Fierro were present, among others.
The council’s secretary read out the minutes, and then the Board of Age was established, chaired by councillors Jesús Reverón (PSOE) and Alonso Acevedo (CC). Acevedo was the one to present the reasons for the censure motion, the third one submitted to the PSOE of El Puerto in the democratic era, which he justified as “extreme emergency” and “necessary” due to the “neglect” it is experiencing.
Leopoldo Afonso, brother of the vice president of the Cabildo of Tenerife and former mayor of El Puerto, Lope Afonso, who was second on the PP list in the last municipal elections since the candidate was Ángel Montañés, the current general director of Ecological Transition and Fight against Climate Change of the Government of the Canary Islands, was the first to address the council. Afonso stated that Puerto de la Cruz is currently going through “one of the worst times in its history due to the disastrous management in recent years, where cleanliness is noticeably absent; there is a shortage of public parking; there is no auditorium; the children’s parks are in a deplorable state, and the neighbourhoods are neglected.”
The closure of Playa Jardín due to water quality issues was the final point, “a problem that the PSOE has failed to resolve.”
He criticised the “uncontrolled waste” in the city to cover up “the chaos, disaster, and neglect” in which it finds itself. To address this situation, he pledged that the new government will focus on sustainable urban planning policies; accessibility; promoting commerce; supporting entrepreneurs and the service sector; and promoting culture and sports, “which have made the Port a reference point”.
He concluded by stating that in politics “there are no enemies, only opponents” and extended his hand to the opposition to collaborate on important issues that concern the citizens.
The council session proceeded normally without any surprises or unexpected incidents. There were no sudden changes. Only one individual from the audience was reprimanded by the Board President and subsequently removed by a local police officer for repeatedly interrupting while González and the PSOE spokesperson, Flora Perera, were delivering their speeches.
The most tense moments were between the former coalition partners who did not hold back in expressing their differences and airing their grievances. Marco González accused the ACP spokesman, David Hernández, of “betrayal,” while Hernández accused him of trying to “subjugate” the two councillors with a new agreement that would force them to vote on everything brought forward by the socialists during council sessions. “They sent us a letter on April 24, without even shaking our hands, altering the agreement. Who decided on this one-sided breakup? How many of you are aware of the contents of that letter? What you wanted was submission, but you will not find that from ACP,” he stated.
The tension was reciprocated by the socialist representatives. González blamed the other ACP councillor, Alberto Cabo, for not providing the report that led to the closure of Playa Jardín, while defending his management and his concept of a “liveable” city during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After the interventions by the respective spokespersons and the voting by all councillors, Leopoldo Afonso assumed the mayoral position with the support of the seven councillors from his party, the two from ACP, and the other two from CC. The eleven councillors from the minority coalition gained more power than the ten from PSOE who were elected by the citizens in the last elections.
“This situation is unique because the left has aligned with the right”
At the conclusion of the council session, Marco González addressed a crowd waiting for him in Plaza Europa chanting ‘ista, ista, ista, the Port is socialist’ and displaying supportive banners. There were embraces, flower bouquets, well-wishes, criticism of the ACP, and a commitment from the opposition to strive hard to regain the Mayor’s Office in the 2027 elections.
“I am aware that many of you chose not to attend the council session, like my mother, who did not want to witness disloyalty, because this is not a typical censure motion like the previous ones. The motion against Salvador García was due to PSOE gaining a majority that allowed left-wing forces, similar to Lola Padrón’s, but this time it’s different because the left has aligned with the right. The ACP has dwindled into a minor party, gradually losing the trust of the citizens. Today, it is evident that it will never stand for left-wing values,” he remarked.
Betrayal and disloyalty were the terms used by Marco González to describe his former coalition partner. Regarding the letter mentioned by David Hernández, which supposedly led to the breakdown of the agreement, he stated that “it serves as another example of how low one can stoop in politics, exposing the communications exchanged between parties.”
