Canary Island Politicians Commonly Shift Between Local, Regional Roles
Political shifts in the Canary Islands see former Güímar mayors taking on advisory roles in the regional government, highlighting a common practice of politicians transitioning between local and regional positions.
In Güímar, the last two mayors, Carmen Luisa Castro (from the PP party) and Gustavo Pérez (from CC), have both worked for the Canary Islands Government. This shows it's normal for politicians in the Canary Islands to move between local and regional roles.
Gustavo Pérez (Coalición Canaria) is the latest example. On October 10, he became an advisor to the President of the Canary Islands Government. He had been the mayor of Güímar until August, when he was voted out by the PP, Nueva Canarias, and two councilors from the PSOE party.
His predecessor, Carmen Luisa Castro, did something similar. After losing her position as mayor, she became the head of Media Relations in the Vice Presidency of the Canary Islands Government in March. Later, she led the vote that removed Coalición Canaria from power in Güímar, allowing her to become mayor again.
In Canarian politics, parties often use people with local experience to strengthen their organization, so moving between local and regional jobs is common.
Güímar isn't the only example of this in the south of the islands. In Granadilla de Abona, the current mayor, José Domingo Regalado (CC), used to be an advisor to the President before becoming mayor. Also in Granadilla, Marcos José González Alonso, a former councilor and local leader of the Partido Popular, is now an advisor to the President of the Canary Islands Government.
He got this job after resigning as part of a political deal that allowed Coalición Canaria to regain control of the mayor's office.
These moves are legal because the regional government can freely choose its advisors. These decisions reflect how the parties are organized and the need to have experienced people in different parts of the government.