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

Cristina Valido, Coalición Canaria’s MP in the Spanish Congress, has ruled out any agreement with Vox in the political scenario that may emerge after the elections on 29 November. The nationalist representative says the party’s positions are incompatible with defending Canarian self-government and warns that Coalición Canaria will not support those who challenge the rights recognised for the Archipelago. “If there is a party like 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, which I think every nationalist has: our Statute of Autonomy, our right to self-government,” she said.

The MP questioned Vox’s opposition to the autonomous communities having the greatest possible degree of self-government and making decisions in their own territories, rather than “in a Madrid office, without understanding”.

That disagreement over the territorial model is compounded by Vox’s position on immigration. Valido criticised the party for advocating that migrants who arrive in the Canary Islands should remain on the Islands and, she alleged, for its representatives’ claim that they cannot travel to the rest of Spain.

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

Canary Islands’ rights: another red line

Valido also questioned Vox’s position on measures linked to the Canary Islands’ specific circumstances, including aid for La Palma, resident discounts and free bus travel.

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

“It is not a matter of failing to understand where we are; it is 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 People’s Party and the Socialist Party, and I think history and current events show that,” she said.

Valido recalled that the nationalists currently govern in the Canary Islands with the People’s Party and have reached agreements with the PSOE in Madrid. She also noted that, at other times, Coalición Canaria has made pacts with the conservatives at national level while governing with the Socialists in the Islands.

“We have no problem finding common ground and seeking areas of agreement, even if it is only on a minimum basis, as long as it allows us to move forward,” she said.

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

In the interview, Cristina Valido also criticised the Spanish Government’s response to the latest rise in migration to the Canary Islands, particularly on El Hierro, where around a thousand people are 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 in 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 other routes in the north being closed or to a temporary situation caused by maritime conditions.

She also questioned why, after years of dealing with this situation, the State still lacked sufficient 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 addressing the needs of the Archipelago.

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