Tenerife Vice President Lope Afonso Confirms Bid for 2027 Election Leadership
Tenerife Vice President Lope Afonso has confirmed his bid to lead the Popular Party in the 2027 elections, citing economic stability, social care expansion, and tourism reform as the core achievements of his coalition government.
With the 2027 elections just over a year away, Tenerife’s Vice President and Minister of Tourism, Lope Afonso (PP), recently spoke to the newspaper El Día to reflect on his three years in office. Afonso, who confirmed he is ready to lead his party’s ticket in the next election, highlighted economic recovery and institutional stability as the key achievements of his coalition government with the Canarian Coalition (CC).
Afonso noted that the Popular Party has focused on professionalizing the management of key sectors like tourism, industry, and agriculture. He pointed to a significant shift in social policy, moving away from simple welfare toward personalized care. By investing in new facilities and home-care services, the Council has added over 2,000 resources to help address the island’s long-standing social care shortage.
Housing remains a top priority, with the government aiming to launch 1,261 public housing units by the end of its term. While Afonso acknowledged that construction delays are a challenge, he remains confident that all projects will be underway before the term concludes. To further assist residents, the Council has also injected nearly 2 million euros into youth rental subsidies.
Addressing concerns over tourism, Afonso argued that the focus should be on increasing the profitability of the current model rather than simply attracting more visitors. He also provided updates on major infrastructure projects: the Council is holding architect Santiago Calatrava accountable for construction defects at the Tenerife Auditorium, and a master plan for the renovation of the Heliodoro Rodríguez López stadium is expected to be unveiled shortly.
Looking ahead to 2027, Afonso described the coalition with the CC as stable and effective. He believes the Popular Party has a historic opportunity to lead the Island Council, citing restored confidence from local businesses and the successful management of recent challenges, such as bringing the phylloxera outbreak in the wine sector under control.