Dulce García: “A Tran Tran Clown Festival Is Coming This Year”
Gran Tarajal will host the international Tran Tran clown festival on November 21, 22 and 23. The announcement came from Dulce García, councilor for Culture and socialist spokesperson in the Tuineje City Council, during an interview with La Voz de Fuerteventura and Radio Insular. She highlighted the event’s importance:
“It is the identity of the municipality, the biggest event that reaches everyone, because it touches all sectors, adults and children.”
García did not hide the economic‑financial difficulties the council is facing, which have caused a collapse that directly affects payments to suppliers and threatens the continuity of the itself.
The festival was properly tendered and received favorable technical reports, but “it was not paid because there was an intervention hold,” resulting in the loss of subsidies amounting to about €50,000 for failing to justify expenses in time and form.
“The hold has now been lifted and the payment will be made, although we will not receive the subsidies,” García lamented.
Part of the artists’ dossiers have been sent to the Advisory Council. García expects the council to say:
“You did it wrong, but pay the worker because he fulfilled his task, and don’t do it again.”
She and councilor David Herrera traced the inherited problems to earlier administrations. “Since we took office, the auditor warned us that repeated contracts not covered by the law were being made,” García explained, adding that a lack of resources “forced us to resort to minor contracts for basic services such as hardware store or stationery.”
“We feel tied by feet and hands”
Both officials said the administration has been paralyzed by staff shortages and the technical criteria applied by the auditor.
“We feel tied by legs and hands. The law is one thing, but criteria vary by municipality, and in ours they are applied more strictly. Still, the auditor seeks the best for the municipality and we respect that.”
García further admitted that she and Mayor Candelaria Umpiérrez have taken personal responsibility by signing counter‑reports to allow payment of essential services.
“It is not as simple as paying and that’s it. We have to weigh pros and cons because we are also people with families, but we are here to do the best for the municipality.”
Herrera announced that the procedure to approve all pending payments is nearing completion:
“Hopefully in November we will have this problem solved, at least most of it.”
Criticism from the PP: “They accuse us of what they did”
Herrera and García responded to accusations from the People’s Party (PP), which has harshly labeled the council’s handling of the technical collapse as “inaction.” The governing coalition—Coalición Canaria and the Socialist Party—countered:
“They attack us for something they themselves did for four years. The law dates from 2017, and they worked the same way, using minor contracts to serve residents.”
García emphasized that the current government does not hide or play the victim, but simply acknowledges errors and works to fix the problems left by previous administrations.
Herrera also rebuked the PP’s alarmist tone regarding the rat‑control service, after the opposition claimed the council had let the contract lapse without a new tender. Herrera insisted:
“There has not been a single day without service. Alarmist messages to citizens are concerning. This is not the opposition the municipality needs.”
He added that the PP’s messages question public health and municipal staff.
Reinforcing staff: an “obvious” need
The governing coalition has made an “enormous” effort to strengthen the council’s workforce and improve services.
“We approved the budget with a hold because it was necessary to increase Chapter 1. We knew we had to reinforce the Local Police and we did. In total we will have ten new operative agents from 2026, which will improve security in Tuineje.”
Herrera noted that the architect and procurement‑technician posts remained vacant, but recruitment is underway. He also announced the creation of a pool of jurists with more than 40 registered professionals, addressing an urgent technical need.
Regarding the Culture department, Herrera said:
“The councilor is pushing projects forward with enormous effort and practically no staff. We are trying to fill vacancies to relieve that burden.”
To restore normality, the council is preparing four major tenders—hardware, events, stationery and machinery—and is drafting specifications early, even for the carnivals, to ensure proper awarding.
Looking ahead
Herrera and García defended the cooperation between the pact partners, Coalición Canaria and the Socialist Party:
“There are no divisions by party or area here. If Festivities needs support, we are there, and if Culture needs help, also. We are not a perfect government, but we work together for the residents of Tuineje.”
They acknowledged that the past two years could have been handled differently, learning from experience:
“We have tried to work the best way, always with our mistakes, because we know we have them and we have erred.”
Nevertheless, García warned that the underlying issue stems from the 2017 law, which should have ushered in a more transparent and efficient system—something that did not happen.