The PP of Tenerife continues to adhere to its strategy to enhance its influence on the Island, and it is unwilling to overlook any significant opportunity, especially in a municipality where it achieved a clear victory in 2023, albeit falling two councillors short of an absolute majority. This is the situation in Güímar, where María Luis Castro secured 9 councillors, while CC and PSOE each obtained 5, thereby renewing their pact from 2019 and reaching the necessary total of 11 with the backing of the representative from Sí Podemos. The conservatives are determined not to abandon Castro and have resolved to attempt to tie this potential motion to CC in order to remove the socialists from local governance (with or without the current nationalist mayor, Gustavo Pérez), alongside the other two motions with the best potential for success following the achievement in Puerto de la Cruz: those of Granadilla de Abona and Arico, two further municipalities in the South which, if realised, would consolidate the PP’s most substantial control over mayoralties and co-governments in the history of the region, joining forces with Arona, Santiago del Teide and the shared management with CC of Guía de Isora.
According to sources from both parties who spoke to this publication, The most pressing motion is that of Arico. It was, in fact, intended to be launched this August, although some sources suggest that CC and PP (which currently co-governs with the PSOE under the approval of the island and regional executives) have yet to secure the vital backing of the two councillors from Arico Somos Todos, a faction partly stemming from the socialists. Contrarily, other consulted sources argue that this initiative is being pursued with substantial prospects for action against Olivia Delgado, who declined to comment once more at the request of Canary Islands Now.
In Granadilla, the aim was to initiate the censure this September; however, this time, CC and the island as well as regional leadership of the PP must persuade at least one of the two conservative councillors who assisted in appointing Jénnifer Miranda (PSOE) as mayor in June 2023. This decision resulted in a prompt investigation due to their noncompliance with directives to support Domingo Regalado, the former CC mayor. Nevertheless, discussions to overturn this municipality have progressed in recent months, as at least one of those councillors is dissatisfied with the current administration and favours a change, although always with the indispensable involvement of the two VOX councillors. This backing from the far-right is crucial for a motion to succeed, despite placing Fernando Clavijo and other CC leaders in a challenging position again, as they have asserted that they would never enter into a pact with VOX, even if it were to co-govern, which is not essential, while stability remains necessary. Here, with an absolute majority set at 13 councillors, the PSOE secured 11; CC ended up with 10, contrasted with 2 for the PP and 2 for VOX.
However, as per the sources, the PP prefers to link Granadilla and Arico to Güímar, which could postpone progress in the operations and the confirmation, if it occurs, of these other censure motions.
Conversely, the other municipality that CC and PP have their sights on, Icod de los Vinos, remains far more challenging. The city of Drago, led by the young Javier Sierra (Alternativa Icodense, which has been co-managing with the two PSOE councillors since December 2023 and is one councillor short of an absolute majority, having attained 8), faces fewer chances of censure because the PP spokesperson and former CC member, Coromoto Yanes, is against censuring Sierra. Moreover, one of the PP councillors and a former member of Cs, José María Polegre, transitioned to the mixed group just at the close of last year and does not support an initiative against Sierra. Nevertheless, for Yanes, the PP is reportedly preparing, in principle, a potential candidacy for the Senate should the general elections be brought forward.
