The People’s Movement (MDP) is one of the ten political formations that are running in the municipal elections of 28-M in Arona, as it did four years ago, as in Adeje. The former socialist and well-known restaurateur businessman, Juan Luis Hernández, will continue to be its headliner, after breaking the agreement to join the PSOE this year.
-Why was the integration agreement with the PSOE broken?
“Actually, the main reason is that the MDP assembly decided to go it alone instead of joining Mena’s PSOE, just when the whole Mediator case began to emerge.”
– Are your relations with Paco García Santamaría, president of the local Socialist executive, still good?
“I continue to maintain very good relations with Paco, although now with all this pre-campaign mess we have barely spoken. Politics has nothing to do with friendship.”
-And would you be willing, in case of taking representation, to support Mena as mayor?
“Hopefully we can remove one or two councilors, because that would mean that we would be transcendent to improve the future of the municipality, after a rather long misgovernment. We are willing to agree with everyone, including Mena, of course, but now we do not close the doors to anyone.
–Ten games are presented in Arona, aren’t they too many?
“Of course. This will mean a segregation of the vote, which will make it very difficult to reach an absolute majority, especially after what happened with the Socialist group”.
-And all this with 62% abstention. Why do so few people vote in Arona?
“It is evident that there is discontent with politicians and with the institutions. Citizens are reluctant to vote because they are tired that the programs are not fulfilled, that the rulers do not solve their problems”.
-You keep on your list several foreign residents, Italians, English… Will the vote of the different foreign communities be essential?
“It should be more, because they represent a good part of the census. They have the right and most do not exercise it. They live and work here and we try with them to encourage Italians and English, for example, to participate to make Arona a better municipality. Those who are on our list are very involved in improving the municipality”.
-What are the main brushstrokes of your electoral program?
“The program does not differ much from the one we presented four years ago, because in these four years nothing has been done. We need the Hospital del Sur to be promoted in a definitive way and the works to end the queues and the lack of parking, as well as the construction of public housing so that the workers do not make an excuse that they do not come to the south because they cannot find where to stay. And of course, safety and cleanliness. Crime has grown in Arona and more police presence is needed, while the aroneros do not deserve the lack of cleanliness that we have”.
