Photos: Sergio Betancort
Coalition Canaria has experienced up to three election nights this May 26 in Lanzarote. From expectation, the party has moved to surprise at Echedey Eugenio's resounding victory in the Arrecife City Council, to reach euphoria with the results of Oswaldo Betancort, who not only revalidates an absolute majority in the Teguise City Council, but also obtains a brilliant result in the Parliament of the Canary Islands, remaining with almost 32% of the island's votes.
But the roller coaster of emotions on this election night was not over for the nationalists. The party headquarters in Arrecife has been changing its rictus towards tension due to the close duel that Pedro San Ginés and María Dolores Corujo have maintained during the endless hours of vote counting in the Cabildo, which has finally resulted in the defeat of the current president and disappointment in the faces of party colleagues, affiliates and supporters, who have gradually left the Valterra headquarters after Pedro San Ginés himself did so, without addressing a word to those present, beyond a brief "thank you".
Echedey Eugenio gives the surprise
A retired couple, the first supporters to arrive at the nationalist headquarters, were not misguided when, as soon as the polling stations had closed, they said with conviction that they were going to win in Arrecife. A few hours later, an exuberant Echedey Eugenio arrived at the ship that has served as CC's headquarters with a balance of nine councilors under his arm, four more than those obtained by the formation in 2015, which have left the socialist Eva de Anta out of the mayor's office.
From 17.29% of the votes in the capital that Rafael Juan González Robayna, candidate in 2015, obtained, CC has gone to 28.51% with 5,311 votes. After merging into an embrace with the general secretary of CC in Lanzarote, Migdalia Machín, who followed the results from the beginning, Echedey Eugenio took the floor recalling that the campaign had begun months ago "neighborhood by neighborhood, in the street" and that the electoral triumph "is the collective success of the strongest political organization on the island".
Although aware that he will not be able to govern the capital's city council without an agreement, presumably with the PP of Astrid Pérez, who has obtained five councilors, Eugenio did not want to comment on this beyond stating that they will be done "with transparency.
Machín revalidates absolute majority again
The good results continued to arrive at the electoral headquarters with 100% of the votes counted in Tinajo, which again gave the absolute majority to Jesús Machín with seven councilors, one less than he had until now, and 49.42% of the votes. Machín, who chose to stay in his municipality instead of going to the island headquarters with the rest of his colleagues, will face the legislature comfortably, although facing the three councilors of the newly created Renovating Movement of Tinajo, led by his former colleague and until only a few days ago councilor of the Cabildo for CC, Antonio Morales. The three councilors of the PSOE complete the Tinajera corporation.
In the nationalist headquarters, David Rocío, candidate for mayor of San Bartolomé, could also be seen, who has registered four councilors, two more than those obtained in the past municipal elections, with 19.57% of the votes, but far from the 9 councilors of the PSOE list led by Alexis Tejera.
In Tías, the candidacy of Amado Vizcaíno achieves one councilor, the same representation obtained in 2015, although it has gone from 2083 to 403 votes, in a municipality in which the mayor's office is usually decided between PP and PSOE. Vizcaíno has not attended the island headquarters, nor has his counterpart in Yaiza, Ángel Domínguez, who remains as the second force at a great distance from the eight councilors of Unidos por Yaiza ? Lanzarote Avanza, with four councilors and 9.63% of the votes. Domínguez loses a representative with respect to 2015, when he obtained 24.15% of the support.
The night of Oswaldo Betancort
Around one in the morning, the mayor of Haría, Marciano Acuña, arrived in Valterra, hoping to revalidate the position after four years in the mayor's office. Although Acuña has been the most voted force with 5 councilors, the same ones that gave him the victory in 2015, he may not have the option to govern if there is an agreement between PSOE, with three councilors, and the Municipal Platform of Haría of José Torres Stinga, former mayor of Haría for Coalición Canaria, who left the nationalist formation in 2015.
Although received by his colleagues with applause, Acuña's expression showed some disappointment and concern for his future at the head of the northern consistory. An expression that did turn into an open smile when, a few minutes later, Oswaldo Betancort, one of the winners of the night, made his triumphal entry, on the shoulders of several of his colleagues.
Betancort revalidates the absolute majority in the Teguise City Council with 11 of the 21 councilors at stake and achieves 43.66% of the votes. This percentage represents a loss of nine points compared to 2015, when he obtained the support of 52.88% of the voters and 12 councilors.
But Betancort's other great victory on election night has been the result obtained with the list that he himself headed to the Parliament of the Canary Islands for the island constituency and with which he has become the most voted force, reaching 31.99% of the support, 15,566 votes, and three parliamentarians. He has increased by almost ten points the support obtained by CC in the past regional elections, when the island list obtained just over 10,000 votes, 22.22% of the support, although the same number of parliamentarians as on this occasion.
The election night has made it clear that the people of Lanzarote have not voted the same for the Parliament for their island constituency as for the Cabildo in what refers to Coalición Canaria. Compared to the more than 15,500 votes that have been granted to Oswaldo Betancort, the other candidacy of island scope of the nationalists, headed by Pedro San Ginés, has remained at 13,613 votes, almost 2,000 less than his party colleague, which represents 27.83% of the support and seven councilors.
Long struggle that does not end well for San Ginés
The fight for the Cabildo of Lanzarote has not been resolved until well past 3:30 in the morning of this May 27. There have been several hours of pulse between the PSOE of María Dolores Corujo and the candidacy of San Ginés, who hoped to revalidate the presidency of the First Institution of the island, which he has held for almost 10 years.
The faces of tension of candidates, party members and supporters, huddled around the projection with the results that the Ministry of the Interior was updating, have given way to applause and shouts of joy when it was the list of San Ginés that was ahead of his rival. Little by little, the fatigue of this long election day and the feeling that in one of those advances of the socialist list the victory was not going to be possible, turned the successful night into disappointment.
In one of those struggles between socialists and nationalists, Pedro San Ginés arrived at the headquarters, where the few party colleagues who remained dedicated some applause to him. With a serious face and after a few minutes with his team in front of the results screen, the still president of the Cabildo preferred to leave the headquarters, to return a few minutes later to say goodbye, without the count having finished. San Ginés, who preferred not to address a few words to his team, also did not want to answer any question from La Voz de Lanzarote.
