There is much talk lately about the words of the Secretary General of the Popular Party, Teodoro García Egea, regarding the agreements carried out in the different island councils. Mainly, he has made it clear that "you cannot agree with the PSOE, because the PP is the opposite, it is the alternative to the socialists." Therefore, he advocates "studying the conditions" for a motion of censure against Loli Corujo, the current president of the Cabildo of Lanzarote. Something curious if we take into account the situation of the PP at the Canary Islands level, the fact that the only beneficiary in this will be the Canarian Coalition (CC) and the statements of Astrid Pérez.
Beyond the events surrounding the councilors of the Popular Party (PP) in La Palma (expelled from the party), and the great interest in replacing Asier Antona, the party in general has made it clear that the island leaders must break their agreements with the PSOE. Or that is what has been implied, with great insistence, in some media outlets affiliated with certain political groups. This fact, at the very least, is surprising. And it is surprising because if one observes the political map of the islands, one can easily see that the little presence that the party has in some municipal and island institutions is due to this "unnatural" relationship. What's more, in some places it even manages to govern for the first time in its history, as in the Cabildo of La Palma; or it obtains a great incentive by managing to occupy the island capital, as in the case of the PP in Arrecife. The latter is the only capital city council in all of the Canary Islands that increases the number of PP councilors. The results in the other island capitals reflect losses, with the exception of Santa Cruz de La Palma, where they maintain the same number of representatives.
With this catastrophic scenario, anyone can question the argumentative nonsense expressed by Egea.
A party that loses support, that does not hold relevant positions and that does not control important budgets, is a dead party. A party without the capacity to act. Therefore, any relevant position that can be occupied is a breath of fresh air for the political visibility of the party, even if it is minimal. This is what Unidas Podemos (UP) wanted with the PSOE during the negotiations carried out during the investiture attempts. UP, enter the Government to be able to recover the air before bleeding out and losing all the political relevance it has. The PP, at the Canary Islands level, should be happy to have achieved the Cabildo of La Palma and the City Council of Arrecife among other small consistories. Breaking this situation is what is called "a shot in the foot." Sacrificing the few institutional positions at the island and municipal level of the islands, due to the opposition that is carried out at the national level, is a sign of incoherence. Furthermore, we must take into account that the breaking of these agreements only benefits one party, the Canarian Coalition.
The excuse given for this argument is that CC can grant the PP the presidency of some councils. But the reality is another, since it can only offer that of La Palma, Lanzarote or Tenerife (in this one it needs the support of a third party). And, all taking into account that the PP has fewer councilors in all of them. It is, therefore, a strategy that does not offer win-win incentives to both parties. Someone will have to lose. Furthermore, in the case of the Cabildo of Lanzarote, this agreement is based on a mutual incentive between PSOE and PP, where the PSOE obtains the Cabildo and the PP the capital, Arrecife. If the breaking of the agreement is proposed to give support to CC in the Cabildo and receive it in Arrecife, the PP runs the risk of not having room for maneuver by shielding CC for 4 years. Thus, breaking the agreement with the PSOE in Lanzarote does not offer incentives for the PP beyond the national interests of the party.
But, it must be that some have been carefully analyzing the situation if Astrid Pérez stated forcefully that Egea had not given her the order to break the agreement. This demonstrates two things: first, that there are many influential newspapers in Lanzarote and in the Canary Islands that leave much to be desired; and, second, that perhaps the PP at the national level launched too quickly to underestimate the agreements with the PSOE in the islands.
Readers must understand that, sometimes, it is not based on left or right, but on being present. The PP of the different islands may not have made the most appropriate decision from an ideological point of view, but without a doubt, they have done so from a political and institutional point of view. So much so that, right now, the PP is where others dream of being, having less electoral support. It is what is called "making your political position profitable."
Alejandro Pérez O'pray, Political and Administration Sciences from the UNED.
