Juan Cabrera Peña, representing AMF, has been sworn in as the new mayor of Antigua after the successful passage of the only no-confidence motion this legislative term in Fuerteventura. The new governing majority is established through a four-party coalition comprising Coalición Canaria (CC), Partido Popular (PP), Asambleas Municipales de Fuerteventura (AMF), and Contigo. Cabrera Peña takes over from Matías Peña of Alternativa por Antigua (AlxAn), who had held the mayoral office for the past seven years.
The plenary hall of the Antigua City Council saw a significant turnout of politicians, public officials, and citizens to witness the debate and vote. Following the spokespersons' addresses, the newly proclaimed mayor, Juan Cabrera Peña, directed strong remarks towards the outgoing mayor, Matías Peña, stating he would not lead the council "to elicit pity or divide families."
Cabrera Peña criticized Peña's "one-man rule" during his two terms, accusing him of breaking electoral promises, particularly concerning the high number of council members granted full-time positions. He highlighted that the annual salary expenditure for 15 full-time councilors out of a total of 17 amounted to one million euros, a sum he argued could be used to pave all of the municipality's streets.
The new mayor also recalled the breach of an agreement to alternate the mayorship, the dismissal of an employee coordinated by AMF, and a one-million-euro debt inherited from the previous legislature, concluding that his group "has not failed in anything" and that the situation had become unsustainable.
For his part, former mayor Matías Peña responded that he would not "get into an argument" out of respect for the plenary hall, expressing gratitude to municipal workers and citizens.
David Alberto, spokesperson for CC, echoed the criticisms regarding Matías Peña's "presidential" management, mentioning the concealment of meetings and lack of communication. He cited citizen insecurity, stalled investments in infrastructure such as the El Castillo health center, and the "lamentable state" of municipal infrastructure as triggers for the no-confidence vote.
Joana Verde from the PP and Giuseppe Signorino from Contigo also spoke, emphasizing the need to act for the "general interest" and restore public trust, respectively, opening the door to a "new era of governance."
Following the speeches and the vote, the oldest councilor, Victoria Cerdeña, presented the mayoral staff to Juan Cabrera Peña, who has served as a councilor for Antigua with AMF since 2007, supporting governing majorities for 19 years.
