The leader of the Platform of the Municipality of Haría (PMH), José Torres Stinga, has responded on Radio Lanzarote to the statements of the general secretary of the Canarian Coalition, Migdalia Machín, in the press conference in which they declared the pact in the northern municipality broken, accusing their now former partners of not being "a serious party".
The press conference of the Canarian Coalition did not take anyone by surprise. Were you trying to negotiate with them?, what were the main problems?
First, it must be said that the PMH has not broken anything, and it was CC who called a press conference to announce the breaking of the pact.
Secondly, to accuse the PMH of not being a serious party, it must be remembered that CC has been convicted of cheating in internal organic procedures to achieve an objective.
And thirdly, it must be remembered that when the motion of censure occurred, CC unilaterally vetoed me, and in the proposal they decide that I cannot have areas and responsibilities. The situation was quite serious.
In addition to vetoing you as mayor, couldn't you have government areas?
Effectively, and when the proposal is made, they say that I cannot have an area. Really nothing happened, since the important thing was that it worked, and on my part I was not going to have any problem. It was at that moment when the area of institutional relations was invented, because to help and manage I did not need to carry an area. Despite all that, and that the colleagues did not want to, I said that we had to continue.
This led to a fairly tense and complicated situation, because you know the situation that was carried out, as a result of the absences, in this case due to the pregnancy of Chaxiraxoi Niz, and at no time did we put any impediment or difficulty to the claims of CC.
We had difficulties because we requested the celebration of the pact table on 14 occasions and we did not meet on a single occasion, because it seems that the priority was another.
During the period in which Chaxiraxi Niz resigns, the situation is normal and everything is prepared.
Allow me, when Chaxiraxi Niz was on leave, another of the things that surprised us is that you did not assume the mayoralty. Was that not allowed either?
No, CC forced that the mayoralty corresponded to them and I had to present a writing every time it occurred, in which I said what my situation was and that I could not assume that responsibility, when in reality it was another the reason. I say it to clarify this situation a little, and we have been cautious during this process, and there are even more things that I am not going to say, more than they continue lying.
On the day of the plenary in the morning, at 9, the secretary and I met, and once the plenary was prepared, I went down to my house. When I arrive at the El Aljibe room, around 11:50 in the morning, the secretary calls me and says: 'Look, there is a new fact, give me the paper you took, because there will be the absence of a CC councilor'. I was astonished.
Did you find out at that moment? CC assures that you already knew it.
That is a lie, it is a falsehood. Not only that, but I do not lie, and when I go down I see Víctor Robayna I take him by the hand and I say: and this? And he says to me: 'Pepe, I just found out'. And I believe Víctor Robayna, because it was like that, and the face of astonishment was monumental.
In fact, Evelia García realizes once the plenary begins and we have to vote for the candidacy of Armando Bonilla, since he was not present. Absolutely nobody knew it, not even Víctor Robayna knew it.
The plenary ends, and at 14:09 Evelia García calls Víctor and informs him that, after what happened, she is not going to give Armando Bonilla responsibility for areas. During the whole afternoon there is no type of contact, she makes a round through the media and in hers she said that she did not give areas in Armando Bonilla.
Migdalia Machín said that day, also on Radio Lanzarote, that she had just found out
Well, at 14:09 that call took place, which caught Víctor Robayna eating with colleagues in El Lago, and he was informed because I was present in the conversation.
Five or ten minutes later Echedey Eugenio calls me and says the following: 'This is intolerable, it is a break in the pact, so that you are governing, let Alfredo govern in minority'. And I said: Look, you yourself. If this is the line you are going to follow, or you have no problem. I think there are enough reasons and instead of trying to solve it, it seems that you want to put out the fire with gasoline.
From there came the famous press release, and we have tried to talk, although along the way I caught Covid that had me for 10 or 12 days, and we have had some telephone conversations, but the positions have been radical.
CC has not left us the slightest margin. We have not at any time replaced absolutely anything, in fact the releases continue as they were, in fact we have them but we denounce them, and we have not taken them to plenary thinking that there was some possibility.
We understand that when CC announces the breaking of the pact, they will have to explain why they do it. We want to leave it there, because we have to have good relations with all political formations. We are not going to run away from saying other truths that may be there, especially some things that were said in the press conference that were regrettable.
Did you only ask not to delegate areas to Armando Bonilla?
Effectively, it was the only request. At all times they said no, so during this period they have opened reflection, they have opened I don't know how many committees...
CC recalled in that press conference that Evelia is mayor thanks to their votes.
In the same way that Chaxiraxi Niz was mayor with a motion of censure, what are they telling me. I do not want to make an analysis of what I have lived, especially through the appointment of Evelia García. In the document it was that the candidacy of the PMH had to be with the consensus of CC, so in the end they were the ones who had to choose, and we accepted everything.
We were very clear about what the objective is, here it seems that it is another, they have made that decision and we respect it, I have a good relationship with all the formations and it will require dialogue and commitment.
And I think we are going to make the only town hall in the Canary Islands where there will not be a single released, because it must be remembered that the people of the platform do not charge a penny, nor does Evelia. All that money we are going to allocate to employment plans and scholarships, and we are going to demonstrate that a town hall can be run by making a personal effort, ensuring that there is stability.
I also want to clarify with the issue that the Finance councilor was missing from the budget issue. It is false. Víctor Robayna did it, and the plenary was scheduled for one day, they changed it, and he was working, and I do not want to say what happened with that plenary because I do not want to add fuel to the fire.
Therefore, it seemed to me an unnecessary stab in the back, because if you want us to take out what has happened, then possibly the Canarian Coalition would come out very badly.
I suppose you have spoken with the PSOE, since they have said that they are going to support what is good. Will they be able to govern with tranquility?
Minority governments are normal, the one in Spain is governed in minority. What happens solely and exclusively is that it forces an effort of flexibility to have guaranteed the necessary majorities.
Víctor Robayna reproached him that the agreement could not be changed, and it clashes with the story that you have said now.
Let's see, I get along very well with Víctor Robayna. I understand that position and that conversation if we have it maybe in a few months, you will understand everything. And as I know it, I do not want to reveal the cards of each one.
Were you surprised to see Marci Acuña at the press conference?
Yes, I was surprised, but they are things of each one and he goes where he wants within a political formation. We are on the other side, they had transmitted something different to me, but he was there, we are not going to reproach him for anything.
