The municipal plenary session of Arona Last Thursday brought about the first serious clash between the municipal government (Popular Party, Canarian Coalition and Más Por Arona) and the main opposition party (Socialist Party) since the change in the local Executive took place after the last elections Month of May.
The mayor, Fátima Lemes (PP), ordered the expulsion from the plenary hall of the socialist spokesperson, José Julián Mena – the first in recent terms -, during an appearance in which the former Aronero councilor asked about the management of the municipal government.
The Local Police of Arona even intervened at the request of the mayor after calling Mena to order three times when he tried to explain to his successor that there was no time limit to present arguments during appearances in the plenary sessions of the municipal corporation. .
“In my eight years as mayor I have never expelled a single councilor, because I understand that we represent all the residents of Arona and, if you kill the word, you are killing democracy,” Mena said as soon as he left the plenary hall accompanied by the seven remaining councilors from the socialist group.
Fátima Lemes told this newspaper yesterday that she “very much” regrets the incident, which she attributed to the “violation of the procedures and respect and proper functioning of the Plenary Session.” The mayor recalled that she called José Julián Mena to order up to three times without him attending to her requests and was subsequently given the opportunity to “rectify,” she explained.
DISRESPECT
“I am not going to allow disrespect on the part of the opposition or any person who attends the Plenary Session, nor will I allow the image of Arona to be damaged, as has been the trend in recent years,” warned Lemes, who described their decision “responsible” and “obligatory”. “It was not at all what he was looking for or what he wanted,” he stressed.
Finally, Fátima Lemes insisted that the government group will always respect “legality and rules,” and issued a warning: “We are not going to shrink, nor are we going to stop or slow down the proper functioning of the governing bodies.” , as is the plenary session, because it affects citizens. “We want to give an image of work, unity, seriousness and respect.”
