Shortly after nine o’clock in the morning, José Domingo Regalado officially announced the presentation of the vote of no confidence agreed by the Canarian Coalition (CC), Popular Party (PP), and Vox against the PSOE in Granadilla de Abona. Regalado, leader of the Canarian nationalists, submitted the document to the City Council. A plenary session is set to commence on the 16th at 12:00 hours, at which the Mayor’s Office may transition back to the nationalist candidate.
José Domingo Regalado, representing CC, arrived at the City Council alongside the other councillors who endorsed the motion. The vote of no confidence is supported by the signatures of the 13 necessary councillors needed to achieve the absolute majority: 10 from CC, two from Vox, and one from PP, Marcos Antonio Rodríguez, who is now censuring his former partner and head of government, the socialist Jennifer Miranda, since the arrangement with the PSOE-PP on June 17, 2023. Bianca Cerbán, the other PP councillor, is not involved in this political manoeuvre due to her disagreement.
Among all the censors, Marcos Rodríguez appeared independently and left before the other councillors. This councillor had expressed reservations regarding this move, which will entail a change in the municipal government, yet ultimately he participated in presenting the motion of no confidence, a crucial step for its progression.
As Planned
This represents the agreed roadmap by the councillors who signed the no-confidence motion last Friday, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Economy on the Tres de Mayo Avenue in Santa Cruz de Tenerife. In doing so, they are reinstating the pact reached by the three political forces following the municipal elections of 2023, which was not implemented because the two PP councillors chose to vote for the socialist candidate, leading to a case that was archived a few weeks ago.
Should the no-confidence motion succeed, Granadilla de Abona will become the second municipality in the Canary Islands with Vox in the municipal government, alongside Arona.
Vox’s involvement in this tripartite coalition appeared nearly certain from the outset of the mandate. The far-right party has two councillors, José Sanabria González and Adaisy Arias Pérez. For the no-confidence motion to succeed, Arona, since the end of last January, alongside Granadilla de Abona, will feature a municipal administration formed by CC, PP, and Vox, making it the only two Canarian municipalities with the far-right party. Teguise (Lanzarote) was the first to have Vox representation, but the sole Vox councillor, Ginés González, departed the party and is currently unaligned.
The Resignation of Two CC Councillors
The no-confidence motion became viable because the two CC councillors who had previously belonged to the PP (Marcos José González Alonso and Carmen Yanira González González) agreed in writing to resign their positions following the establishment of the new government group. This was a requirement from the Popular Party.
Marcos Antonio Rodríguez, the councillor who signed the no-confidence motion, has faced accusations from PP members in Granadilla de Abona for allegedly presenting guarantees with forged signatures for his candidacy to lead the local committee. A complaint has been filed with the judge regarding this matter.
Following the elections held on May 28, 2023, the Granadilla de Abona City Council is comprised of 11 PSOE councillors, 10 from Canarian Coalition, two from the Popular Party, and two from Vox. An absolute majority requires a vote from 13 councillors.
