The PP may soon acquire the Mayor’s Office of Güímar; however, it refuses to comply with the sole condition imposed by CC on a regional level to part ways with its partner since 2019 (the PSOE) and align with the conservatives. This condition is that the local leader, former mayor Luisi Castro, must abstain from taking part in the session to facilitate this shift, given the poor relations with local nationalists.
The strategy was threefold, but a fourth aspect emerged that altered certain elements. Since the municipalities were established in this term in June 2023, the leadership of the Canary Islands PP turned its attention towards renegotiating some arrangements on islands like Tenerife, diverging from their overall agreement (with significant exceptions like the Cabildo de Fuerteventura) with CC in the archipelago, or due to a loss of power that they believe should belong to them. Consequently, they focused their sights and efforts from the outset on altering the pact involving their two Discolos mayors in Granadilla de Abon 2019.
Nevertheless, along the way, a possibility emerged that the conservative leadership in the islands did not initially foresee (and deemed almost improbable), despite the precedent set in San Juan de la Rambla, where participation with CC and PP at the expense of the PSOE has occurred since June 2023, despite the latter winning the elections without an absolute majority. Such a scenario had not been seen in the previous term in Buenavista, where the Socialists may face difficulties in 2023 with the sole CC mayor (who lost the position on 28m). In this instance, the gap widened in the primary municipality of Norte de Tenerife, Puerto de la Cruz, a city whose administration between the PSOE and the Portuense Citizen Assembly (ACP) has faced escalating distrust and escalating conflicts during this term, culminating in months of negotiations which led to Marco González returning to opposition despite being only 12 votes shy of an absolute majority on 28m and gaining two councillors, in contrast to the loss of one from both the PP and ACP.
This “unexpected” mayoralty in favour of the conservative Leopoldo Afonso, brother of former mayor and current vice president of the Cabildo de Tenerife, Lope Afonso (despite Leopoldo not even being the initial PP candidate, he ascended to the mayor’s office following the resignation of the General Directorate of Environment candidate, Ángel Montañés), weakened an important negotiating tool. The return of power to CC in Granadilla should be balanced by granting Güímar to Luisi Castro. Recently, the mayoralty regained by Domingo Regalado in the other municipality in the southern region of Tenerife, significant for its 60,000 residents and critical infrastructure such as the airport and industrial port, was anticipated to be offset with gains in Güímar. However, the acquisition of Puerto de la Cruz rendered this request less compelling, as reliable sources within the regional PP indicate that the scenario has changed.
At this juncture, these sources confirm that, following Granadilla, CC is only prepared to forgo the PSOE in Güímar in exchange for the PP relinquishing Luisi Castro, a proposal that the popular party vehemently rejects. Consequently, they admit this has left them feeling entirely pessimistic about a shift in the municipality of Valle de Güímar for the remainder of the term, with Castro continuing to seek support from local groups (he has reached out to the PSOE and other mayors) and, barring any unforeseen events, will once again be the leading candidate in 2027.
The third initial aspect was Arico, where the socialist Olivia Delgado, ostensibly without needing to alter the Consistory, included two PP councillors in her government in pursuit of stability, given that one councillor is needed for the absolute majority. However, the regional leadership of both the PP and CC attempted to renegotiate this agreement in favour of CC’s control of the mayoralty, but, similar to Puerto de la Cruz, this required mandatory support from a left-leaning party: Arico we are all. Nevertheless, by unanimous agreement in assembly, members of this party decided in September 2024 to dismiss any notions of censure and join a government, effectively blocking the aspirations of the PP and CC at higher levels, while always aligning with the broader coalition of Granadilla and Güímar. Furthermore, in this case, the PP does not lose any influence, since, in line with the agreement with the PSOE in Arico, it will lead the authority by the end of this year and continue until the next elections.
