Tenerife's March 8 Statement Blocked by Political Divisions
Tenerife's island government faces political deadlock over a joint International Women's Day statement, with the Socialist opposition refusing to participate due to disagreements stemming from the Vox party's presence and the ruling coalition's proposed text.
Tenerife's island government is getting ready for International Women's Day on March 8, but it's facing significant political disagreements. These divisions mean the different parties can't agree on a joint statement for the day. The main reason for this split is the presence of the Vox party in the Cabildo (the island council) as a 'Mixed Group' since the current term began in 2023.
The Socialist opposition, which holds 11 out of 31 seats on the council, has stated they will not take part in reading the official statement this Friday. They made this decision because they had previously rejected the text, which they see as a proposal from the ruling parties, Coalición Canaria (CC) and Partido Popular (PP). This text had already been voted down in a full council meeting. Socialist councilor Marián Franquet had initially put forward her own motion for the February meeting, focusing on stopping the far-right, but she later pulled it. Franquet didn't support the CC and PP's plan because it didn't specifically mention opposing the far-right.
This lack of agreement is a change from last year, when CC, PSOE, and PP managed to agree on a joint statement for March 8, without involving Vox. The breakdown in cooperation also affects other important dates, like November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Unlike previous years, no agreement was reached with the Socialists for this day in both 2023 and 2024. Socialists believe this split happened because the PP and CC parties included Vox in the local governments of Arona and Granadilla. They hold island leaders like Lope Afonso (PP), the Cabildo's vice-president, and Rosa Dávila (CC), the president, responsible. Franquet pointed out the irony that, even with the Cabildo's first female president, this is the first time there's no official agreement for March 8.
Meanwhile, Vox put forward its own proposal at the February council meeting. They called for an "institutional rejection" of "mass regularization of undocumented immigrants" and also wanted to ban clothing like the burqa and niqab within Cabildo buildings. Other political groups rejected this idea. After the meeting, Vox councilors Ana Salazar and Naím Yánez released a statement, repeating their commitment to an "ordered, legal, and responsible immigration policy" across all government bodies.