The courts have dealt a severe blow to the aspirations of Primero Canarias (Prica) in southern Gran Canaria. Beatriz Rallo, magistrate of the Court of First Instance No. 4 of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, has dismissed the precautionary measures requested by Samuel Henríquez, a councilor in San Bartolomé de Tirajana, and the Rural Nationalist Bloc (BNR). The plaintiffs sought to suspend the agreement between Nueva Canarias and Frente Amplio that labeled them as "turncoats," a designation that entails the loss of economic and political privileges in the southern municipality.
The core of the conflict lies in the interpretation of Henríquez's departure from the party led by Román Rodríguez. While the councilman maintains that he left the party but remained within the original electoral coalition through the BNR, the judge has been adamant in invoking the Anti-Defection Pact. According to the ruling, anyone who leaves the political party that nominated them for inclusion on the electoral list without the party's consent is considered a defector, even if they join another party within the same coalition. For the judge, this move, upon initial analysis, constitutes a circumvention of the law and a violation of the political stability agreements.
The immediate administrative consequence in San Bartolomé de Tirajana is the transition of Samuel Henríquez to the status of "non-affiliated" councilor. This status, established both in the Local Government Act and in the Tirajana town council's own regulations, drastically limits the councilor's economic and representational rights. Although the court order acknowledges the urgency due to the notification already sent to the local authorities, it denies the precautionary measure, finding no "appearance of good cause" in the plaintiffs' position, who also failed to provide the statutes of the party they left.
This court ruling not only affects the balance of power in the south, but also casts a shadow over similar situations in other municipalities on the island, such as Santa Lucía de Tirajana, where Mayor Francisco García is engaged in a similar power struggle. For the time being, the ruling orders Henríquez and the BNR to pay court costs, although the decision is not final and can be appealed to the Provincial Court. The sentence reinforces Nueva Canarias' argument that the departure of its elected officials to join Primero Canarias should be penalized with the loss of funds allocated to municipal groups.
