Podemos Lanzarote, IU, and Lanzarote En Pie demand the immediate resignation of the mayor of Arrecife, Yonathan de León (PP), after the conclusions of the report by the secretary general of the City Council became known, regarding his involvement in the appointment of his brother as an officer in the Local Police.
The report is clear: the mayor failed to fulfill his duty to abstain when signing a decree that directly affected a relative. But there is another particularly concerning fact: he also assumed responsibilities in human resources matters that were delegated to a councilwoman, without following the legally established procedure.
The decree, signed on May 14, 2026, included the appointment on a service commission of seven civil servants to perform the duties of Local Police officers, including the mayor's brother.
Five months later, Yonathan de León himself requested a legal report on his possible obligation to abstain. That is, he first signed the appointment and then asked if he could do so.
For Podemos Lanzarote, IU, and Lanzarote En Pie, it is difficult to understand that the person holding the highest responsibility in a City Council has not taken into account something as basic as the obligation to recuse oneself from an administrative procedure when there is a direct family tie with one of the interested parties.
The Municipal Secretariat not only confirms the breach of the duty to abstain but also warns of the possible invalidity of the administrative act and points out the need to determine its legal consequences through the corresponding procedure.
"The problem is not that a relative of a public official can participate in an administrative procedure; they have the same right as anyone else. The problem arises when that public official intervenes despite being obliged to recuse themselves," they state.
From Podemos Lanzarote, IU, and Lanzarote En Pie, it is considered that responsibility should focus on the person who made the decision and signed the decree. It is not appropriate to question, without evidence, the professional trajectory of the affected civil servants. What is being questioned is the mayor's conduct and the guarantees under which the procedure was processed.
The parties recall that this is not the first time in recent weeks that a Popular Party official in Lanzarote has been questioned for their involvement in a procedure related to a relative.
At the beginning of October, it became known that Ángel Vázquez, then CEO of the Centers for Art, Culture, and Tourism, had signed the resolution of a selection process in which his son obtained a permanent position as a dishwasher. A subsequent legal report concluded that Vázquez should have refrained from intervening in the procedure and warned of the possible consequences on the validity of the procedure. The Popular Party ended up removing him from the management of the Tourist Centers.
Although these are different cases, both raise the same issue: compliance with the duty of abstention when there are family ties between public officials and individuals interested in administrative procedures.
"The guarantees of impartiality exist precisely to prevent family ties from interfering with the decisions of an administration that must serve all citizens equally," they state.
The organizations demand that the corresponding legal review procedure be processed, its conclusions be made public, and the rights of all affected civil servants be guaranteed.
They demand the mayor's public appearance
Likewise, they demand the public appearance of the mayor of Arrecife to explain directly to the citizens why he intervened in a file that affected his brother, why he assumed responsibilities that were delegated, and why he requested the legal report after having signed the decree.
The party also requests that the municipal government explain what concrete measures it will adopt to prevent situations of this type from occurring again, ensuring that administrative procedures are carried out with transparency, impartiality, and full respect for legality.
Administrative review cannot serve as an excuse to postpone political responsibilities.
"The rules are there to be followed, also when governing. And much more so when a decision affects someone in your own family. There cannot be one set of rules for citizens and another for those who hold public office," they maintain.
The parties consider that trust in institutions is built with transparency, impartiality, and respect for procedures. When the municipal secretary himself warns of a non-compliance of this nature, it is not enough to provide explanations afterwards.
For all these reasons, Podemos Lanzarote, IU, and Lanzarote En Pie demand the immediate resignation of Yonathan de León as mayor of Arrecife, as well as his public appearance and the adoption of measures to guarantee that similar events do not happen again.
"The citizens of Arrecife deserve a City Council where the general interest is always above any personal or family ties," they conclude.
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