The People’s Party of Tenerife is highly motivated for authority and will persist until it widens its influence in numerous municipalities on the Island. Following the unexpected success of the vote of no confidence this Friday in Puerto de la Cruz, which was deemed impossible by many just a few months ago due to the necessity for an agreement with a left-wing force of the PSOE (ACP) after Marco González’s almost complete majority in 2023, the conservative members of Tenerife are making efforts to overturn certain municipalities where they currently govern alongside the socialists, surprisingly. According to insiders from the People’s Party and CC as confirmed by Diario de Avisos, this scenario applies to Granadilla de Abona and Arico, towns in the South with varying economic significance, yet of regional and symbolic importance. Additionally, potential actions against the PSOE in Güímar and even in Icod de los Vinos (where Alternativa Icodense co-governs with the PSOE) are not being ruled out, although the latter is considered the most challenging at present, as per sources from different political factions.
Reports indicate that significant progress is being made in Arico and Granadilla. As with Puerto de la Cruz, work has been underway in a very delicate and gradual manner, yet steadily. The aim initially is for the People’s Party to gain control of the Mayor’s Office in Arico, currently held by Olivia Delgado, a former socialist senator who, in 2023, narrowly missed out on an absolute majority (with 6 councillors). Given the inability to secure an agreement at the time among the People’s Party (2 councillors), CC (3), and Arico Somos Todos (2), Delgado opted to openly negotiate with the conservatives. Ultimately, a pact was reached which, unlike the one in Granadilla, received the backing of island and regional leaderships as they were unable to form a coalition with CC, and AST was against the collaboration.
However, as per various sources, the situation has evolved, and there are increasing possibilities of a pact that could remove Delgado from the Mayor’s Office once again, a scenario she previously faced with a vote of no confidence in November 2019 supported by CC, PP, and Primero Arico. While these options are still open and pending finalization, they are more promising compared to a few months ago. It is uncertain whether the current first deputy mayor and spokesperson for the People’s Party in Arico, Andrés Martín, will assume leadership after parting ways with his current ally, although he stands as the most likely candidate.
The situation in Granadilla poses greater challenges. Nonetheless, sources suggest that a previously unlikely scenario has been reignited since the agreement between the PSOE represented by Jénnifer Miranda and the People’s Party councillors, Marcos Antonio Rodríguez and Bianca Cerbán, who were promptly disciplined in June 2023 upon confirmation of their collaboration with the socialists. In this instance, the PSOE emerged victorious in the elections with 11 councillors, followed by the CC led by former mayor Domingo Regalado with 10, while the PP and VOX secured two each.
Regalado, typically vocal when excluded due to what he deems as “unnatural” alliances, has exerted significant pressure on his party and the People’s Party to obtain control, a pursuit ongoing since June of the past year. Principally, negotiations with the People’s Party, especially with the island president and mayor of Santiago del Teide, Emilio Navarro, aim to persuade at least one of the two councillors to support a vote of no confidence. This move necessitates the involvement of VOX (requiring 13 signatures), even if they do not partake in the government. A precedent was set in Teguise when the far-right councillor in this northern Lanzarote municipality left Abascal’s party, shifting ideologies. Despite assertions from Fernando Clavijo rejecting an alliance with VOX, a pact was indeed formed in this locality with designated government roles.
Attempts to obtain a statement from the mayor of Granadilla regarding the stance of the two PP councillors challenging the conservative party and the current administration were unsuccessful as of this afternoon.
Surveys in Güímar and Challenges in Icod de los Vinos
The People’s Party’s quest for increased influence, demonstrated by the successful acquisition of the Mayor’s Office in Puerto despite a clear defeat to the PSOE in 2023, facilitated by a party allegedly aligned with the PSOE’s left wing, has extended to the Güímar Valley. While the local leader and former mayor, Carmen Luisa Castro, expressed doubts to this newspaper weeks ago, ongoing negotiations are underway with CC, who have been in a coalition with the PSOE since 2019 (incorporating the Unidas Sí Podemos councillor, Nayra Caraballero in 2023). Currently, nationalist Gustavo Pérez holds the Mayor’s Office, having previously shared it with Airam Puerta (PSOE). Their consensus is primarily underpinned by their shared disdain for Castro, although the likelihood of accommodating the former mayor in other higher roles cannot be dismissed. There remains a possibility for a coalition between the People’s Party and CC.
The 2023 elections resulted in a Güimar City Council with 9 PP councillors, 5 each from the PSOE and CC, one from NC-FAC, and another from USP. According to various People’s Party sources, Castro may garner support from NC-FAC.
The situation in Icod de los Vinos is far more complex. In 2023, the young Javier Sierra (former Culture councillor with the PSOE, who subsequently founded his party, Alternativa Icodense, after losing the local primaries by a single vote), outperformed nationalist mayor Francis González with 8 councillors compared to 7. Sierra ascended to opposition leader in 2019, then triumphed in becoming mayor at 33 with a youthful team. He assumed office with support from two PSOE councillors, later reinforced by a pact with Pedro Martín for their inclusion in the government last December. While not obtaining an absolute majority in the inaugural plenary session, the absence of an alternative pact has enabled Sierra to govern.
However, the potential coalition of CC (7) and PP (4) to reach 11 has always posed a threat. Several factors complicate such an alliance. In particular, PP spokesperson Coromoto Yanes previously belonged to CC and left on poor terms, primarily due to disagreements with Francis González, who resigned in 2023 following defeat. Yanes maintains that the citizens elected Sierra and their decision should be respected, although the People’s Party is striving to garner her support, offering positions such as senator if fresh general elections are called, and Emilio Navarro vacates his seat in the Upper House to focus on Santiago del Teide and the island presidency.
The primary impediment to a vote of no confidence against Sierra, who remains composed in light of these developments, is the former local spokesperson for Cs and PP-elected councillor in 2023, José María Polegre, who switched to the mixed group towards the end of the previous year and opposes Sierra’s removal. However, potential shifts cannot be ruled out over time, although this municipality poses the least risk of sudden change in government compared to the unexpected transition in Puerto de la Cruz involving the People’s Party, CC, and the former “podemitas” and “communists” of ACP, as witnessed in San Juan de la Rambla since June 2023, and between CC and Sí Se Puede in Buenavista from 2019 to 2023.
