The Canary Islands budgets are approved with Vox's hand extended to the CC and PP Government

The Canary Islands budgets were definitively approved this Tuesday in the autonomous Parliament with an express approach from Vox to the autonomous Executive of CC and PP, to which it "extends its hand", and with a call to its president, Fernando Clavijo, to eliminate the "red line" with this party, as he has already done with Sumar.

The budget reaches 11,301 million euros, 11% more than in 2023, and in the parliamentary process, about 50 amendments from the opposition have been accepted or negotiated for about thirteen million euros.

"We cannot support these budgets but neither can we reject them," said the Vox spokesperson, Nicasio Galván, to the government groups (CC, PP, ASG and AHI) and explained that their abstention from the accounts is "out of responsibility", because "it cannot be allowed even for one day" an extension of the 2023 budgets prepared by the previous "left-wing" government.

Neither CC nor the PP responded explicitly to Vox's "outstretched hand", although their spokespersons stressed that the amendments of this party incorporated into the budget should be measured by what they contribute, not by who presents them.

On the contrary, the PSOE deputy Manuel Hernández accused CC and PP of feeling more comfortable approving the amendments of the extreme right than those of the socialists.

"We are not surprised by the PP, but we expected more political decency from CC", said Hernández, who suggested that if what the Government wants is to "send a message to ASG that they are expendable, it was not necessary to go that far."

Sebastián Franquis, also from the PSOE, said that the budgets deepen inequality and social injustice, while taxes are reduced for the richest and the islands of Lanzarote and Fuerteventura are marginalized by not subsidizing fuels there as is done in La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.

Carmen Hernández, from Nueva Canarias, accused CC and PP of applying the "steamroller" to her party, of "getting along well with the extreme right" and of taking a turn towards "radicalism and neoliberalism", with budgets that violate the spending forecasts established by the laws of Education, Social Services and Culture.

Esther González, also from NC, accused PP and CC of belittling social services, employment policies and the promotion of culture because "they must think that the more uneducated a people is, the easier it is to manipulate."

The deputy of Coalición Canaria Socorro Beato defended on the contrary the willingness to understand and the agreement that the government groups have had in their first budget, which sets the path to fulfill the electoral commitments throughout the four years of legislature.

For Beato, the amendments of Nueva Canarias reflect "everything they left undone" when they governed, while the amendments of the PSOE are mostly "for show".

"49 financial amendments have been negotiated for 13 million euros, much more than what you accepted from us, and if they are good for the well-being of the Canarians, we support them regardless of where they come from, even if we do not share ideologies or principles," clarified the CC spokesperson.

Fernando Enseñat, from the PP, stated that the autonomous budgets for 2024 are "the basis of a legislature that will transform the Canary Islands" and stated that for PSOE and NC it is "hard" to see that this Government increases resources for public services, social policies and productive investment.

The amendments of the opposition have been "disappointing in form and content", said Enseñat, who questioned that PSOE and NC do not support amendments that improve the financing of industry, universities, education or sports federations only because Vox presents them.

Nicasio Galván, spokesperson for Vox, thanked the "good disposition" of the government groups for accepting some of their amendments, although he regretted that those that intended to end "chiringuitos", allocate the resources of the "gender ideology" to families or reduce expenses in climate change or in care for migrant minors did not go ahead.

The Vox representative regretted that CC continues to put "red lines" to his party when they already have agreements in municipalities such as Teguise or have removed them from Sumar.

Javier Nieto, also from Vox, thanked the Government and especially CC for their "great talent" and willingness to agree and approach.

"We do not see these budgets globally with good eyes", but neither "do we want to destroy them", explained Nieto.

The ASG deputy Melodie Mendoza highlighted the dialogue and willingness to agree of the government groups for a law that has been elaborated "taking into account the needs of each of the islands" and stressed that "the people of La Gomera have many structural difficulties that must be compensated to advance at the same speed."

Raúl Acosta, from AHI, stated that the budgets guarantee public services, boost the economy and advance in territorial and social cohesion, and highlighted the bonus for fuels in the islands of La Palma, La Gomera and El Hierro.