Arico Mayoralty Rotates to PP's Martínez Under Stability Pact

Andrés Martínez, a councillor from the People's Party, will become the new mayor of Arico on the 23rd of this month, a date that falls between the Christmas Lottery draw and Christmas Eve. On that morning, Olivia Delgado (from the PSOE party) will officially hand over power to her governing partner. This change is part of a stability pact signed by both political parties after the 2023 local elections, where the PSOE secured six council seats and the People's Party won two.

Martínez will lead Arico, Tenerife's second-largest municipality by area, for the final 18 months of the current term. Meanwhile, Delgado, who has been mayor since June 17, 2023, will become the first deputy mayor. She will also keep her current responsibilities, including Finance, Treasury, Heritage, Security, and Institutional Relations.

In a recent interview, the outgoing mayor, Olivia Delgado, stated that the PSOE-PP coalition was formed to 'give a solid direction' to the municipality. She called the agreement 'proof that the commitment to change is shared,' adding that Arico's stability 'is above party lines.' During her 30 months in office, the former socialist senator believes Arico has gone 'from inaction to solvency.' She described the results as an 'unprecedented transformation,' highlighting the 'cleanup' of finances and the 'unblocking' of projects like the town square.

This change means that the mayoral positions in the southern municipalities will now be equally split among the three main political parties: Adeje, Candelaria, Fasnia, and Vilaflor de Chasna will be led by the PSOE; San Miguel de Abona, Granadilla de Abona, Guía de Isora, and Arafo by CC (Coalición Canaria); and Santiago del Teide, Arona, Güímar, and Arico by the PP (People's Party).

This equal distribution is unusual for the region. Historically, the PSOE has held the most political power, followed by Coalición Canaria, with the People's Party usually trailing far behind.