The president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, Oswaldo Betancort, has appointed Armando Santana as a new member of the Island Government Council, as stated in a decree signed this Tuesday. In this way, Santana replaces Kiko Aparicio Betancort both on the Council and in the Third Vice Presidency of the Cabildo, a position that the now councilor of the mixed group will also hold from now on.
In addition to the change in the composition of the government team, the decree introduces a new redistribution of delegated areas among the councilors. Armando Santana assumes responsibilities in Open Government (which includes Citizen Participation and Transparency), Commerce, Consumption and Animal Welfare. For the moment, he has not been assigned the Biosphere Reserve area, which he had requested from the president in a declaration of intentions presented this morning.
For her part, Councilor Aroa Revelo Betancort would go on to lead the areas of Youth (including Road Education and the La Santa Shelter), Crafts —including the organization of the Island Crafts Fair— and Industry.
This situation occurs after Santana confirmed this past Friday, May 2, to La Voz that Oswaldo Betancort had offered him a position in the island government. As he also narrated this Tuesday, the island president made this proposal to him on Thursday, May 1, in his office at the Cabildo of Lanzarote.
Santana's entry into the island government arises in the midst of the crisis that the Popular Party is experiencing in Lanzarote and that has led to the removal of Jacobo Medina (PP) from the vice presidency of the Cabildo and from his organic position as general secretary of the populars on the island. For the moment, Medina maintains his position as Councilor for Public Works. In this way, the entry of Armando Santana, who was part of the mixed group after leaving Nueva Canarias, would shield the absolute majority of the Canarian Coalition and the Popular Party during the two years remaining of the legislature.