Matías

The president of the Cabildo of Fuerteventura, Lola García, announced the dismissal of Matías Peña, who until Friday, 20 February, served as counselor for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries. He will be replaced by Enrique Pérez, the current head of the Waste department.

The Cabildo itself, and later the president’s party Coalición Canaria – Asamblea Majorera (CC‑AM), linked the decision to the rupture—just a day earlier—of the political agreement with Peña’s party Alternativa Por Antigua (ALxAN), citing alleged “disloyalty” by the mayor of Antigua. Nationalist councilors have described a series of “unsustainable” situations in media interviews, though the party’s official statements have not clarified the details.

In any case, the breakup of the pact in Antigua was initiated by Coalición Canaria, which this week withdrew its three nationalist councilors who had been performing government duties in the municipal council.

Sources close to the Cabildo’s presidency confirmed to Fuerteventura Digital that the dismissal and replacement of Peña was a decision taken by Lola García without the agreement of the Pact Board, unlike the selection of David Herrera as successor to Candelaria Umpiérrez in the Tuineje mayoralty, which was adopted jointly by AM‑CC and the Socialist Party.

The PSOE Defends Matías Peña’s Management

The PSOE reiterated its alignment with Peña’s party ALxAN, emphasizing the “good management” of the former counselor in the primary sector.

“Aside from other considerations and political leaderships, the Cabildo must value and keep active the actions that have proven positive for food production in Fuerteventura and the generation of local economies—small‑scale economies that are capable of sustaining many families and preserving the island’s customs,”
— Blas Acosta, secretary‑general of the Socialists in Fuerteventura.

Socialists and Nationalists Advocate for Governance and Stability in Fuerteventura

In the same PSOE communiqué, Blas Acosta called for “stability and continuity” of the governing pact in the Cabildo and expressed confidence that “decisions of one part of the pact” will not jeopardize it, confirming that the decision originated from the nationalist side.

The AM‑CC executive also backed Lola García’s move to strip Peña of his competencies. The party linked the replacement to the revocation of the political agreement in the Antigua council between AM‑CC and ALxAN, “motivated by repeated institutional disloyalty,” and noted that this scenario “has had consequences in island management.”

AM‑CC described the decision as “a sign of coherence, responsibility and internal unity” and sent a message of “tranquility” regarding the continuity of the island pact with the PSOE.

Neither the Cabildo’s nor AM‑CC’s statements detail any management failures attributable to Peña. However, internal sources from the primary‑sector department told Fuerteventura Digital that the dismissed counselor’s attention and involvement have suffered compared with his predecessors, attributing this to an overload of responsibilities. The mayor of Antigua, who also serves as a Cabildo counselor, is the only public official in the current legislature to hold dual roles in two administrations (the Cabildo and the Antigua council).

How Governance in Fuerteventura Looks After the Breakup Between AM‑CC and ALxAN

It remains to be seen whether the rupture between AM‑CC and ALxAN at both island and municipal levels will affect the stability of Fuerteventura’s institutions, with more than a year left before the 2027 local elections.

For now, the pact governing the Antigua council (comprising ALxAN, AMF, Contigo and the PSOE) still holds a majority despite the exit of the three CC councilors. Apart from Antigua and Betancuria, the CC‑PSOE pact continues to operate in the other four majorero municipalities: La Oliva, Puerto del Rosario, Tuineje, and Pájara.

In the Cabildo itself, despite Peña’s removal, the same pact retains 13 counselors (8 from CC and 5 from the PSOE), enough to guarantee governance, as the absolute majority threshold is 12 counselors.