The president of Cabildo de Tenerife, Rosa Dávila (CC), and the first vice president, Lope Afonso (PP), have justified their stance on Wednesday regarding the potential inclusion of Vox in the City Government of Arona (located in the south of Tenerife) by asserting that “the stability of public institutions and services takes precedence over ideologies.”
Both officials commented on the presence of the far-right in Arona when questioned during a press briefing following the Insular Government Council, particularly after the municipal government in the Tenerife City Council faced changes. The mayor, Fatima Lemes (PP), who governs in coalition with CC, dismissed four councillors for Arona, necessitating her reliance on Vox’s support.
Lope Afonso emphasised that this situation is a matter of local governance aimed at “creating a municipal government that serves the interests of the citizens of Arona.” Meanwhile, the president of Cabildo de Tenerife echoed this sentiment, asserting the importance of nurturing stability within institutions as a “fundamental aspect that must take precedence,” particularly after the mayor made decisions that altered the backing for her governing team.
In line with this, Rosa Dávila is following in the footsteps of Fernando Clavijo (the general secretary of her party), who earlier this Wednesday indicated openness to Vox’s integration despite the Canarian Coalition asserting during the latest 2023 election campaign that collaborating with the far-right was among their non-negotiable points.
Clavijo and His Alleged Non-Negotiables
The inclusion of the far-right Vox into the City Government of Arona evidently does not represent, as it appears, any non-negotiable stance for the Canarian Coalition, which has indicated it will not withdraw from its pact with the PP as long as its own party remains unaffected.
Fernando Clavijo, president of the Canarian government and general secretary of CC, clarified on Wednesday that he does not perceive any issue with governing alongside the far-right, despite having previously claimed during the 2023 election campaign that he would refrain from doing so.
The leader of the Canarian Executive, disregarding his supposed non-negotiables, clarified that if the programmes and agreements with CC in the municipal government of Arona are not compromised, there are no grounds for withdrawing nationalist support from the municipal government, particularly as the recent decisions made by Mayor Fatima Lemes regarding her cabinet’s restructuring fall within her “purview.”
