Cristina Valido rules out a deal with Vox: “If it could, it would abolish the Statutes of Autonomy”

Cristina Valido, Coalición Canaria’s MP in Congress, has ruled out any deal with Vox in the political scenario that may emerge after the elections on 29 November. The nationalist representative considers the party’s positions incompatible with defending Canary Islands self-government and warns that Coalición Canaria will not support those who challenge the rights recognised for the Archipelago. “If there is a party such as Vox, which not only does not believe in the Statutes of Autonomy but would abolish them if it could,” she said.

Speaking to La Voz de Fuerteventura during a visit to Casillas del Ángel on Saturday to mark the centenary of its incorporation into Puerto de Cabras, Valido explained that Coalición Canaria’s position reflects a fundamental issue for any nationalist party.

“We have a red line, as I think every nationalist does: our Statute of Autonomy, our right to self-government,” she said.

The MP questioned Vox’s opposition to the autonomous communities having the highest possible degree of self-government and being able to make decisions in their own territories, rather than “in an office in Madrid, without understanding the situation”.

Vox’s position on immigration is another point of disagreement. Valido criticised the party for saying that migrants arriving in the Canary Islands should remain there and, she alleged, for its representatives’ claim that they cannot travel to the rest of Spain.

For these reasons, she stressed that Coalición Canaria has “nothing to sign” with a party it considers opposed to the interests of the Archipelago.

Canary Islands’ rights are another red line

Valido also questioned Vox’s position on measures linked to the Canary Islands’ distinct territorial circumstances, including aid for La Palma, residents’ discounts and free public bus transport.

The MP criticised the way these rights are treated as privileges compared with those enjoyed by people in other territories, without taking the Islands’ specific circumstances into account.

“It’s not a failure to understand where we are; it’s a failure to understand what it means to be an outermost region,” she said.

By contrast, she defended Coalición Canaria’s ability to reach agreements with the two main national political parties.

“We can reach agreements with the Partido Popular and the Partido Socialista, and I think both history and current events show that,” she said.

Valido noted that the nationalists currently govern in the Canary Islands with the Partido Popular and have reached agreements with the PSOE in Madrid. She also pointed out that, at other times, Coalición Canaria has struck deals with the Partido Popular at national level while governing with the socialists in the Islands.

“We have no problem finding common ground and looking for ways to reach an agreement, even a minimal one, that allows us to move forward,” she said.

Immigration: “Years later, we are still improvising, with no planning”

During the interview, Cristina Valido also criticised the Spanish Government’s response to the latest rise in migration to the Canary Islands, particularly in El Hierro, where close to a thousand people were reported to have arrived in just two days.

She said the regional government had been requesting an urgent meeting of the security board for several days, while Coalición Canaria had called for a forum to share the information held by the central government.

“The State Government cannot say this has taken it by surprise,” she warned.

Valido said she was convinced that Spanish intelligence services and those of the countries from which the boats depart have information about migration movements. She therefore said it was necessary to establish whether the increase in arrivals was due to the closure of other routes in the north or was a temporary situation linked to sea conditions.

She also questioned why, after years of dealing with this reality, the State still lacked adequate planning for police personnel, infrastructure and Maritime Rescue resources.

“We also cannot understand why, years later, we are still improvising, with no planning,” she said.

The MP called for greater involvement from the central government and European institutions in meeting the needs of the Archipelago.

“The Canary Islands are the southern border of the Spanish State, the southern border of the European Union, and need far more resources, information, investment and planning,” she concluded.