A survey conducted by Insula Datatlantic Consulting, a specialist in demographic analysis among foreign communities residing in the Canary Islands, reveals that a significant portion of the German population living in southern Gran Canaria, including second-home owners and tourism industry entrepreneurs, is showing a growing preference for localist or Canarian nationalist political leaders over those linked to traditional Spanish parties, especially those close to the so-called German "traffic light coalition" (SPD, Greens, and CDU).
Among the local leaders with the highest level of knowledge and appreciation is Alejandro Marichal, spokesperson for the Canary Islands Coalition (CC) in the San Bartolomé de Tirajana City Council. Forty-eight percent of German respondents recognize him as a key figure in the municipality's public debate, and 48% say they trust his party more to defend local interests related to tourism, land use planning, or the legal security of their investments.
In response to the question: Do you know or have you heard of the following politicians from the south of Gran Canaria?, based on the percentage of spontaneous awareness, including those suggested among German residents, the following were: Alejandro Marichal (Coalición Canaria) 52,8%; Onalia Bueno (Juntos por Mogán) 34,6%; Marco Aurelio Pérez (AV-PP) 28,1%; and Concepcion Narváez (PSOE) 15,3%.
In contrast, parties linked to the German Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) or the People's Party (PP) generate greater distrust among those surveyed, especially among those owners affected by delays in planning permits or hotel modernization processes. Sixty-seven percent say they feel "misunderstood or ignored" by national parties regarding what they consider to be the specific needs of southern Gran Canaria, an area that, they emphasize, "cannot be managed from a purely peninsular perspective."
The main problems identified by German residents are: legal uncertainty in tourism investments (41%), inefficiency of local administration (35%), and lack of channels for effective participation in municipal affairs (29%).
The survey, based on 800 interviews conducted between July 1 and 5, 2025, with German residents living in southern Gran Canaria for more than three years, also includes a qualitative observation section, which detects a growing trend toward the "useful Canarian vote," especially in municipal contexts where foreign voters perceive greater influence from localist parties in decision-making. The survey expressly excluded Vox, as it did not have a significant base of recognition or sympathy among the foreign electorate surveyed.
