Dilemma in the Gran Canaria Island Council's governing pact. The Canarian Socialists of the PSOE don't know whether to operate with their heads or their hearts. The PSOE governs with the PP in Teror and Arucas, as well as in Guía, in the north of Gran Canaria. And this scheme, which their partner in the pact in the Gran Canaria Island Council wants to implement to the letter, has been divided with the creation of Primero Canarias (Prica). This hot summer in Las Palmas, a pact between the PSOE, NC, and PP is being considered to guarantee institutional stability on the island.
"We haven't broken any agreement with Nueva Canarias. It's NC that has lost a large portion of its councilors. We have a pact with NC, not with Prica. In fact, we can't recognize Prica as a party because it has never run in elections. For the time being, it's just an illusion held by a number of mayors, councilors, and some island councilors. Proof of this is that a councilor who declares himself a Prica member in Las Palmas doesn't notify the city council that he belongs to that party so as not to be expelled from the group of non-affiliated members."
One of the key factors in this situation is that the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) wants to acquire a stake in Salcai Utinsa, which operates under the Global brand. A Prica council member, the mayor of Gáldar, must put the scheduled transport lines out to tender before 2027, an election year. The Socialists want to lock in the contract and have a two-year deadline to achieve this goal. The idea is for Salcai Utinsa to compete on that schedule at the same level as Titsa de Tenerife, which is owned by the Tenerife Island Council.
Island politics in Gran Canaria are in turmoil. The recent internal crisis in Nueva Canarias (NC), marked by the split of a significant sector that has crystallized in the Prica party, is not merely a partisan settling of scores; it could be the trigger for a change of power in the Gran Canaria Island Council, opening a window of opportunity for the Canarian Socialist Party (PSC-PSOE).
Historically, NC has held a dominant position in the Cabildo, with its leader Antonio Morales serving as president in recent legislative sessions. This hegemony has been built on a foundation of pragmatism and an ability to unite nationalist and leftist forces. However, the emergence of PRICA, with rhetoric focused on a supposed "renewal" that has not materialized within NC, has created a fissure that weakens the nationalist front.
The metaphor of the "rebellious daughter who leaves home and takes all her siblings with her" resonates strongly in the corridors of Gran Canarian politics. Prica, by presenting herself as the true embodiment of renewal, not only subtracts potential votes from NC, but also fragments a political space that previously operated, if not monolithically, at least with a clear direction. This division of the nationalist vote could be decisive in future elections.
The PSOE, currently a partner in the Island Council government and with a significant presence on the archipelago, views this scenario with renewed hope, planning to be seduced. A weakening of NC at the polls, a result of this split, could alter the balance of power and position the Socialist candidate with a real chance of winning the presidency of the island council. But there are two years of government left, and the key will be the PSOE's ability to capitalize on the disenchantment or the search for new options among an electorate that has traditionally supported progressive and nationalist parties.
Political fragmentation almost always benefits the best-structured parties or those that manage to present themselves as the cohesive alternative. In this context, the PSOE, with its consolidated party apparatus and regional and national reach, could emerge as the greatest beneficiary of a crisis that, beyond names and acronyms, draws a new map of alliances and strategies in the struggle for control of the Gran Canaria Island Council. The upcoming elections will be the thermometer of this fracture and the true testing ground for socialist aspirations.
