The potential challenge posed by the faction backing José Antonio Valbuena, a senator for the Canary Islands Parliament, against regional deputy Tamara Raya as the new island secretary of the PSOE Tenerife has remained merely a threat. According to recent investigations by this publication, the former councillor from Puerto de la Cruz and erstwhile congressional representative is emerging not just as a consensus candidate to lead the party starting this April, but also, it is anticipated that he will likely pursue the candidacy to preside over the Cabildo of the Island for the May 2027 elections.
Tamara Raya and her supporters will present their candidacy for the Insular Secretariat today at 12:45 at the headquarters of the Tenerife Socialists, marking the start of the period for submitting proposals for the Congress on April 4 and 5, a deadline that closes this Monday. As indicated by this newspaper, it cannot be excluded that an affiliate may come from any group, but if that is the case, the sources consulted agree that, at first glance, their chances are slim, as her name has garnered remarkable support within recent days and hours, to the extent that she is being put forth as a consensus candidate.
Indeed, sources close to Valbuena suggest that, although they initially viewed the proposal for the candidacy as a spontaneous alternative after the spokesperson in the Cabildo, Aarón Afonso, along with La Laguna’s mayor, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, and the victor Juan Antonio García, expressed doubt about Mari Brito and the limited consensus around Gustavo Matos, yesterday it became evident that the current regional deputy enjoyed majority backing from several groups. In reality, it was practically unanimous, although should there be primaries with a significant alternative, their confidence in the outcome is uncertain.
Clarified Dilemma
The resolution of Tamara Raya’s candidacy allows the PSOE Tenerife and Canary Islands to address the considerable dilemma that existed before, during, and following last weekend’s regional congress, while simultaneously clarifying many uncertainties regarding the candidacy for the town hall in 2027, albeit it is not definitively confirmed that this will be the path forward. Nonetheless, numerous consulted sources expressed scepticism towards the formula proposed by Matos (an island secretary who steps away from the candidacy), leading them to perceive it as flawed, since neither aligns well with CC nor with the PP, unlike the PSOE in La Laguna or Granadilla, for instance.
For this reason, and considering the current circumstances, she is seen as the optimal candidate to challenge Rosa Dávila (CC) and Lope Afonso (PP), along with her electoral rivals.
