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 members who called an extraordinary executive meeting to challenge his selection as candidate for the 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 one-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 call a meeting, while the management committee was responsible for approving the matters to be discussed.

“I am going to propose opening disciplinary proceedings against everyone who signed,” the leader said, acknowledging that the process “could lead to expulsion” for the organisers. He said the meeting’s decisions would be null “because they have no authority whatsoever”.

Candidacy endorsed by the electoral alliance

The comments came after one-third of the island executive called an extraordinary meeting to demand explanations about the process used to select the candidate for Fuerteventura Island Council. This followed comments 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 head the list, Antigua mayor Juan Cabrera.

The meeting, initially scheduled for Wednesday but postponed because of a weather alert, is due to take place this Friday afternoon in La Oliva.

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

He also revealed that a meeting of the management committee held remotely last night announced the opening of an information-gathering procedure to establish the circumstances surrounding the meeting call and hear from those involved.

Cabrera said the signatories 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 departure

Beyond the disagreements over the statutes, Juan Nicolás Cabrera believes these moves could be part of a strategy to justify some AMF leaders 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 suggesting that some members of the organisation had been discussing joining another political group. However, he declined to name it, acknowledging that he did not have enough certainty to do so.

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

Another candidate?

Juan Nicolás Cabrera said he was perplexed by the turmoil his comments were causing, and offered possible explanations that included the possibility that someone might want to head the candidate list for Fuerteventura Island Council.

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 main 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 hold a university degree and the incompatibility of standing simultaneously for Antigua Town Council and Fuerteventura Island Council, according to the criteria approved by the alliance.

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

In the face of internal opposition, Juan Nicolás Cabrera insists he has the organisation’s majority backing. He concluded: “Two-thirds endorse and support [me],” playing down the representativeness of the critics.