Despite still having the possibility of ousting the CC councillors in La Laguna or announcing the rupture of other alliances with the nationalists in different institutions to try to prevent the motion of censure put forward on Thursday in Puerto de la Cruz against Marco González (PSOE), the local socialists and some key figures are becoming increasingly pessimistic about a potential turnaround in the situation in the primary city in the north of Tenerife. In this city, their partner on the left since 2019, the Asamblea Ciudadana Portuense (ACP), has entered into a pact with the PP and CC that, whether it goes ahead or not, will mark a significant moment in local and even regional politics.
The Minister of Territorial Policy and Democratic Memory himself, as well as former president of the Government of the Canary Islands and general secretary of the island socialists, Ángel Víctor Torres, acknowledges that despite his discussions with Fernando Clavijo (who, as per sources, is currently on vacation), to prevent the censure and the potential reversal as pointed out to him last Thursday morning, “the motion is closed and buried.”
As reported by this newspaper, the PSOE will continue to negotiate with CC “up until the last moment” in an effort to avoid the removal from power of one of its prominent mayors in a city with a strong socialist background. However, they do not conceal their pessimism and lament that Marco González, who was close to achieving an absolute majority, is now facing “an unnatural alliance driven by power and contradictory to the clear vote of the citizens of El Puerto”. In the elections on May 28, 2023, the socialists fell just 14 votes short of an absolute majority, after gaining two more councillors than in 2019 and over a thousand new votes.
The key focus for the PSOE remains the situation in La Laguna, the city where Clavijo was mayor, and which is the third largest in the Canary Islands. Following unsuccessful negotiations with Unidas se puede and Drago, the socialist mayor since 2019, Luis Yeray Gutiérrez, spent a few months with a minority position (having 9 councillors in a council with an absolute majority of 14, a number that he achieved by forming an alliance with the parties on the left) and eventually reached an agreement with CC to ensure stability in the administration. Clavijo played a significant role in this arrangement, preventing a coalition government with Alberto Rodríguez (Drago), who had recently left Podemos and formed a new party, as he demanded certain conditions that the La Laguna socialists were not ready to agree upon.
According to sources, Clavijo is concerned that the PSOE will not only threaten but will take decisive action in Aguere. However, recent investigations reveal that there is a growing sense of pessimism among the socialist ranks in the Port and at other levels, and Torres’ statements encapsulate this sentiment.
Recently, the President of the Government and General Secretary of the PSOE, Pedro Sánchez, contacted the local Secretary of Organisation, Zebenzuí González, to express the “full” support of the Federal Executive for the socialists of El Puerto, without considering actions such as retaliation in other municipalities. Additionally, the head of Organisation of the state PSOE, Santos Cerdán, has reached out to Yolanda Díaz and Íñigo Errejón to explore the possibility of convincing the ACP to reconsider their stance. However, their leverage with the two Assembly councillors, David Hernández and Tito Cabo, is almost non-existent, as their decision to terminate the pact with the PSOE and initiate a censure was not only backed by a meeting on Wednesday (where about 23-24 individuals attended, with 65% supporting the motion), but it is resolute on the part of these councillors.
Hernández has long argued that the PSOE in Puerto “lacks left-wing principles” (often referring to its leaders as “this group that claims to represent the local Socialist Party”) and in a recent joint press conference with the PP and CC, he dared someone to cite “a left-wing initiative by the socialists in power” since 2019. In contrast, he appreciates the conservatives and CC for adhering to the pact signed with the PSOE in June 2023 (merely two days before the new council was established) point by point, and believes that they can now implement their left-wing agenda amidst the struggle faced by their councillors and the financial constraints in this term caused by the socialist segment of the government renewed a year ago.
Speculation is mounting about the potential repercussions of the situation in the Port, with a special emphasis on Tacoronte (where the PSOE holds the Mayor’s Office in an unusual pact with CC and PP), as well as in Güímar (CC-PSOE, but chances of a shift are minimal here). Moreover, the socialists are in partnership with the nationalists in Garachico on Tenerife (where they could propose a censure along with the NC of former CC member Ramón Miranda), although this is not currently under consideration, based on the sources consulted.
