Juan Nicolás Cabrera does not rule out expelling critics from Asambleas Municipales de Fuerteventura

The internal crisis at Asambleas Municipales de Fuerteventura (AMF) is deepening. Its president and candidate for Fuerteventura Island Council as part of the alliance with Nueva Canarias and Juntos Por Pájara, Juan Nicolás Cabrera, has warned that party members who called an extraordinary executive committee meeting to challenge his selection as candidate for the Island Council presidency and as party president could face disciplinary proceedings and even expulsion from the party.

The critics called the meeting, citing “article 26.4bis of the Statutes of Asambleas Municipales de Fuerteventura”.

However, in an interview with La Voz de Fuerteventura, Cabrera said the meeting called by a third of the island executive was invalid and announced that he would propose disciplinary measures if its organisers maintained their position.

He said in the interview that they were only entitled to ask the president to convene a meeting, while the Steering Committee was responsible for approving the matters to be discussed.

“I will propose opening disciplinary proceedings against everyone who signed,” the party leader said, acknowledging that the process “could lead to expulsion”. He said the meeting’s decisions would have no effect “because they have no authority whatsoever”.

Electoral alliance has confirmed candidacy

The comments came after a third of the island executive called an extraordinary meeting to demand an explanation of the process used to select the Island Council candidate. This followed remarks by Juan Nicolás Cabrera in an interview with La Voz de Fuerteventura, in which he discussed, among other things, how the selection process had unfolded and the withdrawal of the other candidate to lead the list, Antigua mayor Juan Cabrera.

The meeting, initially scheduled for Wednesday and postponed because of a weather alert, has been called for this Friday afternoon in La Oliva.

The AMF president maintains that his candidacy was approved by the relevant party bodies and subsequently confirmed by the electoral alliance. He therefore believes the island executive cannot overturn that decision.

He also revealed that a remote meeting of the Steering Committee held last night announced the opening of an initial inquiry to establish the circumstances surrounding the meeting call and hear from those involved.

Cabrera said the signatories to the meeting call included representatives from Antigua, Villaverde and Puerto del Rosario. If they persist in their position, he said, he will propose disciplinary proceedings, including expulsion.

Suspicions of a possible party exit

Beyond the disagreement over the party statutes, Juan Nicolás Cabrera believes these moves could be part of a strategy to justify some AMF officials leaving the party.

“I think what is happening here is an attempt to find a justification for leaving Asambleas Municipales de Fuerteventura,” he said.

The president said there was information about talks by some members of the organisation to join another political party. However, he declined to name it, acknowledging that he was not certain enough to do so.

Cabrera said any such negotiations were taking place outside the political left and outside the electoral alliance.

Another candidate?

Juan Nicolás Cabrera said he was perplexed by the turmoil his remarks had caused and was looking for explanations, including the possibility that someone might be interested in leading the Fuerteventura Island Council candidacy.

The AMF president said he continued to have a normal relationship with Antigua mayor Juan Cabrera, who withdrew as the alliance’s candidate for the island’s top institution. However, some members of the three-party agreement, including Rafael Perdomo of Juntos Por Pájara, had publicly expressed reservations.

The AMF president also maintains that Juan Cabrera did not meet several of the requirements set by the electoral alliance for leading the island-wide candidacy. These included, above all, the requirement to have a university degree and the incompatibility of standing simultaneously for Antigua Town Council and the Island Council, according to the criteria approved by the alliance.

Cabrera believes the candidate selection is settled and that any attempt to change it must follow the procedures set out in the party statutes.

In the face of internal opposition, Juan Nicolás Cabrera insists he has the support of the organisation’s majority. “Two thirds confirm and support [the decision],” he concluded, playing down the representativeness of the critical faction.