“The PSOE has settled into a narrative very similar to what their councillor Begoña Hernández maintained on Antena 3, where she appeared alongside Jesús Machín, making a dreadful spectacle.”

“The PSOE has asked me to condemn Jesús Machín for this. If they had requested I refer him to a good speech therapist, that might have made some sense.”

“We are going to renew the leadership of the local committees. We will not discuss electoral lists for now, but there definitely needs to be changes to improve results, which may require changing personnel.”

“It’s not just Ángel Víctor Torres making a fool of himself over the issue of the debt relief for Catalonia; the PSOE’s deputies and senators from the Canary Islands are as well.”

The General Secretary of Coalición Canaria (CC) in Lanzarote and Senator for the Autonomous Community, Pedro San Ginés, stated on Crónicas Radio’s programme “A Buena Hora” that the PSOE seems unconcerned with the truth regarding the controversy with Jesús Machín. He suggested the party should focus more on its double standards in matters like gender violence, rather than demanding he condemn the Mayor of Tinajo for comments that, aside from syntactical errors, were thoroughly clarified. He revealed that local committee leadership in Lanzarote is set to be renewed in nearly two weeks and explained that he will not be an obstacle to potential negotiations for electoral agreements in 2027.

– As the top official of CC in Lanzarote, he has to bear both the good and the bad. This week, the bad has been the case of Jesús Machín. The PSOE issued a late press release on Thursday, stating they were uninterested in the clarification made by the Mayor of Tinajo and the Local Police Chief’s claim that no presumed aggressor was ever taken to any hotel, as they continue to insist that what Suso said is true. Are you surprised?

– No, because the PSOE in Lanzarote, under the leadership of Dolores Corujo, has long since ceased to care about the truth; they care about narratives. They have adopted a narrative very similar to the one maintained by the councillor on Antena 3, where she appeared with Jesús Machín making a dreadful spectacle, which even Susanna Griso pointed out. The important question was whether aggressors were indeed sheltered or not, and the mayor has already apologised for his poor choice of words. Yet they were not interested in the truth. It is true that he did not express himself clearly, but he has already apologised for that. What Jesús Machín literally said was that the police informed him of an issue and that this man was being sought to “leave this woman,” which makes little syntactical sense; he should have said “leave her.” He has already clarified that. The PSOE has asked me to denounce Jesús Machín for this. If they had asked me to send him to a good speech therapist, that would still have made some sense. I absolutely will not denounce Jesús Machín because the truth is as he stated, which the Local Police has also clarified: no aggressors have ever been sheltered because there is a very clear protocol for dealing with cases of gender violence. The reality is that the Tinajo Town Hall does not have supervised apartments like the Cabildo does, and when faced with such a situation, where the person does not report, and in a preventive measure to protect the victim, they are sheltered. That is what Jesús Machín has done and will continue to do. The PSOE has never cared about the truth, so I am not surprised at all.

– In the note they sent yesterday, they accused CC in Lanzarote of complicity in this story for not issuing any official communication on the matter or taking a stand.

– There was already a clarification from the Tinajo governing group explaining what has been more than clarified, so let’s move on, and the PSOE can continue with their narratives and what little they have to grasp onto, which in this case is nothing. Nothing more has happened here than a mere slip of expression. The PSOE should focus on their own double standards in this matter; I don’t want to delve into further controversies, but there are issues within their own ranks that need scrutiny.

– What do you mean?

– I don’t want to get into controversies, as everyone knows them.

– There was the case of López Aguilar in his time. Have there been any recent incidents?

– In Lanzarote, it was news months ago, or at least it is under suspicion of reports of harassment or similar matters. Perhaps I was mistaken in saying it, but they should take a good look at their own issues, where there are indeed, or apparently are, matters to resolve and forget about what has merely been a slip of the tongue.

– The President of the Popular Party of the Canary Islands, Manuel Domínguez, has stated on this programme that the PSOE is attempting to undermine the regional pact by making offers to CC. In the case of Lanzarote, has there been any sort of offer?

– No, absolutely no offers; it’s another matter that, although there have been no meetings, there have been signs of response to what I said when I proposed my candidacy for Secretary General. CC is a party with a governing aspiration that should build bridges to both the left and the right for dialogue to be possible. I am thinking of 2027 and I want to believe that I will not be an obstacle. If the PSOE, or those who will be at the helm, think that I will be an obstacle, perhaps the obstacle lies with those who think so. I am open to dialogue; I offered it then, I offer it now, and I will do so in the future, but not because of instabilities in the governing pact or the willingness to change the agreements we maintain in three institutions, Teguise, Arrecife, and the Cabildo, which, by the way, I negotiated on behalf of Migdalia Machín before becoming the island secretary.

– There will soon be a renewal of local committees. What will the process entail?

– We will inform on this matter in the coming days. It will be an expedited process, and in 16 days we will renew the leadership of the seven local committees and the youth organisation in Lanzarote. It starts on the 11th with Arrecife and concludes on the 27th with the youth organisation. This demonstrates that CC is a strong organisation with internal democracy and the one that offers the most serious, rigorous, and consolidated political project in Lanzarote, aimed at improving, if possible, the results in areas where we govern and positioning ourselves as an alternative where we do not.

– You have already mentioned that there are places, like Tinajo, that do not require any changes, as they are functioning very well, but that significant changes need to be made in areas like San Bartolomé.

– This is about renewing the leadership of the local committees. We are not discussing electoral lists at this point, but there indeed need to be changes to improve results, and sometimes, to change results, personnel must also change. In other instances, that is not necessary. There were poor results in six out of the seven institutions, and in some places, particularly poor results were found in San Bartolomé, Haría, or Tías, where CC received the least support. In addition to renewing them, we will be accompanied by Oswaldo Betancort, the president of the Parliamentary Group, and Organisation Secretary David Toledo, along with the party leadership, including Samuel and Olivia, as we travel across the island in support of these new leadership roles, facilitating a process of listening; that is, to communicate what the Government of the Canary Islands and the Cabildo are doing. These will be open assemblies, not just for members but for the public, to listen, as we have done so many times, not just in the six months leading up to elections, but from now on, to address effectively the issues affecting each municipality since each has its unique circumstances.

– Manuel Domínguez has remarked that both the PP and CC will challenge the issue of the debt relief for Catalonia. Do you believe Ángel Víctor Torres is making a spectacle of this matter by saying it is a boon for the Canary Islands?

– Not just Ángel Víctor Torres but the PSOE’s deputies and senators from the Canary Islands. The performance and submission to Sánchez’s needs in order to remain in Moncloa are reaching embarrassing heights. The funding has not been reviewed for 15 years, and it is Sánchez’s demands that lead us to this bilateral review, which is the serious matter here: the new unique funding for Catalonia, which will, as expected by the technicians, result in approximately 2.5 billion less per year for the Canary Islands. All communities are financed through the common system, except for those under the Navarre and Basque special regimes to date, and Catalonia is one of the three that contributes. Only the wealthiest regions—Balearic Islands, Madrid, and Catalonia—contribute to that common regime. This is what we refer to when we talk about solidarity. As for autonomous funding, the whole issue of the debt relief is a scandal. What Ángel Víctor Torres and the PSOE are saying is that we do not want 3.2 billion. Of course we want it; what we want is that instead of 3.2 billion, it should be 1.71 billion more, which is what we rightfully deserve. What we do not want are comparative grievances. This debt relief sets a cap that only affects the Canary Islands, amounting to 1.71 billion less for us. They are adding the surplus from previous years, by the way, which they do not allow us to use for housing when we are one of the communities that has complied, and we have been requesting it to tackle the country’s significant housing crisis. We have funds that are ours and that are in excess, but they do not let us use them. It is absolute demagoguery. If we are to assume Catalonia’s debt, which is the largest, and it must be done, let us do it with fairness, and that is why the entire Canary Islands will rise in protest.

– Do you believe Pedro Sánchez will see out his term?

– He has shown that he is capable of anything rather than call elections, and he has already stated that it doesn’t matter if he lacks a budget; what was previously unacceptable is now acceptable, and he will continue regardless of the circumstances. I hope I am wrong. It is true that we supported him in exchange for a Canary Island agenda. He has fulfilled in many respects and in others he hasn’t, but at least we have a signed document whose non-fulfilment we will demand at all times. If those who back us in local elections would support us in Congress and the Senate, we would be in a much better position.

– They must have done something wrong to not achieve that.

– Undoubtedly.