The Coalición Canaria (CC) candidate for the Congress of Deputies for Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Cristina Valido, stated on Thursday that her party will not support a PP government with Vox in the Executive, and warned that Vox’s proposals jeopardise the specific rights of the Canary Islands and point towards a recentralisation of the State.
At a press conference to take stock of CC’s work during the last parliamentary term, Valido clarified that the organisation would set out the «red lines» regarding potential support after the elections, once the composition of Parliament is known.
However, she pointed out that the party’s general secretary, Fernando Clavijo, had already stated that «not with Vox» and indicated that they would not support a PP-Vox government if it «included Vox in the Executive».
Coalición Canaria: Vox is jeopardising the Canary Islands' special rights
Vox is a party that «does not recognise» the Statute of Autonomy of the Canary Islands or the unique characteristics of the archipelago as an outermost region; it wants immigrant children to remain on the islands; it «does not understand certain tax relief measures»; it has voted against aid for La Palma; it talks of privatising pensions; and it announces that «the chainsaw won’t be enough», Valido has maintained.
Any other possible agreements will be decided after the elections and will depend on the responses to the nationalists‘ demands from «those who wish to talk to us», she clarified.
Valido calls for a say in the next Spanish government
Valido has rejected the idea that the ideal scenario for CC would be a repeat of the current Government and has argued for the need for a group capable of holding to account the executive that emerges from the polls on 29 November, «whether it be left-wing or right-wing, because history tells us that Coalición Canaria has had to play the same role with both sides».
The ideal scenario would be «to have enough clout» so that the next government «cannot take decisions that set us back, cannot breach our laws regarding our Statute of Autonomy, and is obliged to respond to our demands, our questions and our complaints», she said.
«We don’t want sensitivity. We want compliance; we want answers,» she emphasised, calling for solutions that reflect the reality of the Canary Islands.
Valido has rejected the policy of large, opposing blocs on the right and left that act «solely to defeat their adversary at any cost and by taking whatever decisions are necessary to seize power».
«Our responsibility, our desire, our aim and our sole cause, our mission, is to ensure that people continue to talk about the Canary Islands, that their problems continue to be heard, and that we are given answers,» she said.
Nationalists aim to form their own parliamentary group through an alliance
In this regard, she has presented an assessment of the last parliamentary term and has emphasised the role of her seat and that of the nationalist senators in bringing the archipelago’s problems to the attention of Parliament and incorporating the Canarian perspective into national policies.
Cristina Valido has stated that in these elections it is «perfectly possible» to form a parliamentary group of their own thanks to the «unity of the nationalist movement», referring to the pact between Coalición Canaria and Primero Canarias to stand jointly in the elections.
She has warned that, against this backdrop of polarisation, if the nationalists do not secure strong representation, «that whole bloc will forget that we exist».
Valido takes stock of hundreds of parliamentary initiatives
In her review of her work in Parliament, Valido put the number of initiatives tabled at 513 and the number of written questions to the Government at 357 over the last three and a half years, in addition to more than 386 speeches in plenary sessions and more than 400 if committee meetings are included.
As she has pointed out, 99 per cent of her contributions have focused on issues affecting the Canary Islands or on incorporating the archipelago’s perspective into matters at national level.
Among the achievements, particular mention has been made of the amendment to the Immigration Act, the inclusion of the ‚outermost region‘ status in the Sustainable Mobility Act, and authorisation to use 600 million euros of the surplus.
She has also called for changes to the REF to allocate resources to affordable rental housing and for negotiations to ensure that bus travel remains free of charge.
Valido has argued that this assessment is based on «facts, not narratives», which show «how the Canary Islands have been present, how the Canary Islands have been visible thanks to our presence there».
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