PP names Esther Hernández as its Senate candidate for Fuerteventura

The People’s Party (PP) in Fuerteventura has officially selected Esther Hernández Marrero as its candidate for the island’s Senate seat in the elections on 29 November. The former mayor of Tuineje will lead a ticket that also includes Ignacio Solana and Gema Ibáñez. The party hopes to regain the island’s representation in the upper house.

The party presents the candidacy as an opportunity to strengthen the defence of Fuerteventura’s interests in Madrid, following eight years of Socialist government which, the PP alleges, have been marked by a lack of investment, neglected infrastructure and no response to some of the island’s main needs.

Hernández says she is approaching this new chapter with a sense of responsibility and aims to put Fuerteventura’s demands at the centre of the national political debate.

Among her main criticisms of the central government, the candidate points to the treatment of Fuerteventura in the state budget, actions by the Directorate-General for the Coast affecting historical and ethnographic heritage, a lack of National Police and Civil Guard officers, and what she describes as the government’s failure to deliver on investment in water infrastructure and roads.

Housing among the main priorities of the candidacy

The PP candidate identifies access to housing as one of Fuerteventura’s most urgent problems and says the policies pursued by Pedro Sánchez’s government have not provided sufficient solutions.

Hernández criticises the state’s public housing measures over the past eight years, saying they have been inadequate to meet demand on the island. She cites developments in Corralejo and Puerto del Rosario, and says municipalities such as Antigua still lack an adequate supply of public housing for residents’ needs.

The candidate also questions the national Housing Act, which she says has increased legal uncertainty for property owners and reduced the number of homes available to rent.

As an alternative, she points to the commitment announced by national PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo to promote the construction of one million homes in Spain.

“Whenever we govern, we prove through our actions, not our words, that we deliver on our commitments. We will do so again after 29 November,” Hernández says.

Sea link with Cádiz and Fuerteventura’s isolation

Another issue the candidate intends to raise in the Senate is maritime connectivity between Fuerteventura and mainland Spain.

Hernández denounces the loss of the direct link between Puerto del Rosario port and Cádiz, a situation which, she argues, harms residents’ mobility and the supply of goods, while driving up the cost of the shopping basket.

The PP representative says that since last July, passengers have had to travel to Gran Canaria or Lanzarote to use the sea link with Cádiz.

“Despite knowing what would happen, the Socialist government did not care that it was leaving us without a sea link to mainland Spain. In fact, it still seems to care little, because since last July we have been forced to travel to Gran Canaria or Lanzarote to get to or from Cádiz,” she says.

In response, Hernández says the PP will call for the route to be designated a Public Service Obligation (PSO), to guarantee a permanent maritime connection between Fuerteventura and mainland Spain.

In her view, this measure would help protect family finances and prevent the island’s residents from being placed at a disadvantage compared with people in other areas.

Previous experience in the Senate and local politics

Esther Hernández Marrero has previously served in the upper house, as a senator in 2018 during the 12th legislature.

During that period, she took part in several parliamentary committees, including the Development Committee, where she was vice-president, and the committee dealing with Ecological Transition.

The PP says she promoted initiatives during that period relating to the restoration of El Castillo beach and increasing the number of Civil Guard officers in Fuerteventura.

Hernández later served as mayor of Tuineje during the previous term, a period in which the PP highlights her work in sport and culture.

She is currently the PP spokesperson on Tuineje Town Council and an opposition councillor on the Fuerteventura Island Council.

With her selection, the Fuerteventura PP is beginning preparations for the Senate campaign, with housing, infrastructure, public safety, maritime connectivity and state investment among its main campaign issues.