The Plenary of the Parliament of the Canary Islands approved this Wednesday the reform of the cabildos law, a norm promoted by the island corporations to adapt to the new Statute of Autonomy, approved in 2026. The text was passed with the support of PSOE, CC, PP, NC-bc, ASG and AHI, and the rejection of Vox.
The spokesperson for the Mixed Group, Raúl Acosta (AHI), stressed that "recognition" is granted to the cabildos as "engines of the island" and, in this line, they are allowed to promote housing or student residences outside their own territorial limits.
He defended the "maturity" of assuming that the Canary Islands are built "from the island upwards" and that the cabildos "are not just another institution" but one that "looks the citizen in the eye," so that with this law their political reality is "enshrined." However, he unsuccessfully proposed through an amendment the need to cut personnel expenses in chapter 1, understanding that large and small cabildos do not have the "same needs" and there is a risk of generating an "amalgam" of positions that does not improve management.
The deputy spokesperson for Vox, Paula Jover, admitted the "singularity" of the cabildos within the institutional structure of the archipelago as an "essential intermediate entity" between the town councils and the autonomous community, but warned that, with this reform, it goes "beyond" what is provided for in the Statute.
As she explained, the law "reinforces" island power and "weakens" the autonomous community, while her party defends the "recentralization of powers and not that they are transferred more and more." "Voting in favor of this law would be incoherent," she stated, before lamenting that the "opportunity has been wasted" to reduce bureaucracy and move towards "efficient, transparent island cabildos at the service of citizens instead of at the service of partyocracy."
Jover also criticized the "undetermined political spending" that, in her opinion, allows for the creation of island vice-councils, the implementation of two new funds, and the discretionary appointment of positions by the presidency. "We do not need more positions or more administration. We need better services, less taxation, and less administration," she concluded.
From the Popular Group, its spokesperson, Luz Reverón, defended that it was "necessary" to review the law, focusing on "administrative simplification" versus "unnecessary bureaucracy". She called for clearing up "uncertainty" and avoiding "contradictory interpretations", especially regarding article 88.
She insisted that the norm must offer "clear answers" and that the dual status of the island councils as local administration and autonomous community body does not become a "permanent source of doubt about how certain functions should be exercised or about which legal regime should be applied to it". "We cannot talk about gray areas, there can be no different interpretations depending on the island councils or depending on the national authorized representative assigned," she warned.
CURBELO ASKS FOR MORE COMPETENCES FOR THE PERIPHERAL ISLANDS
The spokesperson for ASG, Casimiro Curbelo, defended that island councils are "unique, efficient and citizen-loved" administrations, with a "bifront nature", and called for greater decentralization of competences against the political and economic weight of Tenerife and Gran Canaria.
In this regard, he demanded "more competences" for the peripheral islands and differentiated taxation, warning that, otherwise, especially the so-called 'green islands', will continue to "be poor".
For his part, Luis Campos, spokesperson for NC-bc, expressed confidence that the new law will allow the development of the Statute of Autonomy and "advance in nation-building", providing the Canary Islands with "its own legal regime". He stressed that, in a context of "recentralizations and globalizations", the approval of this norm has a clear "political meaning". "Today we build a nation," he said.
From the Nationalist Group, Socorro Beato defended that island councils are the "most valuable and unique" institutions in the Canarian administrative architecture and stressed the need to adapt them to the new Statute of Autonomy, highlighting that the law "clarifies competences".
She valued the "consensus" reached in the Chamber to move forward with the reform and agreed with NC-bc that the Canary Islands "believe in their institutions" and "update their self-government".
The socialist deputy Nayra Alemán highlighted the agreement within Fecai to promote the modification of the norm and the "responsibility" of her group, despite being in opposition, assuring that the law "modernizes" the island councils, provides them with better tools and clarifies their scope of competences.
"Most of us groups have understood that this is not a law for confrontation, it is a law to reinforce island self-government," he stated, reproaching Vox for "not knowing" or understanding how the island councils work. "I am glad, because it means they have not touched the ball and I hope they do not touch it for a long time," he added.
In the same vein, he highlighted that "a step" is being taken to "continue building a more coordinated, more effective Canary Islands with institutions better prepared to serve the citizens."
The president of the Parliament of the Canary Islands, Astrid Pérez, celebrated the approval of the reform as "a decisive step to provide the island councils with more effective tools to respond to the needs of the citizens" and valued the broad support obtained during the processing.
"The majority support for this law demonstrates the capacity of the Canary Islands institutions to reach agreements on strategic matters for the present and future of the archipelago," she concluded.