Police station moved to the harbour of Valle Gran Rey

La Gomera's president Casimiro Curbelo speaking at the opening of the new Guardia Civil post (Image: gomeraverde.es)

Valle Gran Rey's Guardia Civil police station has recently moved from its previous location in La Playa to the harbour of Valle Gran Rey. The refurbished building on the pier in front of the fishermen's co-op once housed the office of the 'Garajonay Express' direct ferry, but had been vacant for years since the termination of said ferry connection. Now the Guardia Civil police have relocated to what is meant to be their permanent station in Valle Gran Rey, and NOT to 'Casa Maria' as I reported as an April fool's joke last year..., but who knows if the Policia Canaria or some other Spanish police force is not eyeing that vacant building to cover the western side of Valle Gran Rey ?

New mayor in Valle Gran Rey

The new mayor of Valle Gran Rey, Cristopher Marrero (image: gomeranoticias.com)

Valle Gran Rey's new local administration has now been formed and Cristopher Marrero of the PSOE is the new mayor, even though his party holds only two of the eleven seats on the council. His election was facilitated with the help of the two councillors of the Si Se Puede grouping and the two of the Nueva Canarias party, leaving La Gomera's strongest party ASG in opposition with five seats. See all La Gomera local election 2019 results...

Local election results La Gomera 2019

Casimiro Curbelo

The independent La Gomera socialist ASG party of the island's president Casimiro Curbelo (image on top) was the clear winner in the recent local elections, followed by the socialist PSOE. The graphics below (source: gomeraverde.es) first show the results for the election to La Gomera's cabildo (island government) followed by the results in all five municipal areas of La Gomera, where in some it is not clear yet who will form the new local government ('escaños' = seats). Left environmental group SSP (Si Se Puede) won two seats for the first time in Valle Gran Rey and Vallehermoso as well as one in San Sebastian de La Gomera, plus two seats in the cabildo.

                                                                             CABILDO:

MUNICIPAL AREAS:

Green light for green energy

Wind and sun power this electric car charging-point in Hermigua

La Gomera's island government has provisionally approved the allocation of initially 500.000 Euros in subsidies for the installation of photo-voltaic panels by private house owners and businesses. Grants of up to 60% of the cost of the installation of solar energy systems will be paid out with a maximum of 12.000 Euros for small to medium enterprises and up to 24.000 Euros for private household installations. This announcement by the island's president Casimiro Curbelo was made last Friday and is a further step towards La Gomera's ambitious plan towards becoming independent of external energy sources. This well-intentioned plan has sadly suffered delays in the past due to the energy-supplying companies dragging their feet while their ageing diesel-powered electricity generating station keeps belching out thick smoke in the island's capital, so above news is most welcome.

Further, thinkspain.com reported some time ago:

''The Canarian island of La Gomera is aiming to be powered 100% by 'green' energy sources within 12 years, slashing its power costs by 37%.

La Gomera, just off the coast of Tenerife, will be the second island in the region to try to go completely 'renewable' after El Hierro attempted it between 2014 and 2016.

The latter survived for months on wind energy alone and, in 2016, covered 39% of its electricity needs using wind farms – then, in January and February this year, had all 10,700 of its inhabitants supplied entirely by renewable sources for 18 consecutive days.

But La Gomera's plans are far more ambitious – the westernmost island in the Canaries (Ed: no, that's La Palma) currently depends upon fossil fuel for 99% of its power needs and, aside from a handful of solar panels owned by private individuals, has just two wind generators of 0.4 megawatts (MW) of power.

Despite La Gomera being famous Europe-wide for its extensive forests, being the home of the Garajonay National Park and a pioneer in 'eco-tourism' dating back over 20 years, its obvious potential for powering itself through entirely renewable sources is wasted more than anywhere else in the Canary Islands.

The regional government wants to turn La Gomera into another Iceland by 2030, mirroring Europe's northernmost country's 100% green energy supply.

By then, it aims to have enough wind farms to create 8MW of power, sufficient solar panels to generate 5MW, and for 20% of the island's cars to be electrically-powered.

The overall objective is for the island, whose population is twice that of El Hierro and which has tourist resorts with capacity for 800 visitors (Ed: surely an error - see this post), to be entirely fossil-fuel free and rely on green energy for its electricity, heating and transport – lorries and buses will be electric or hydrogen-powered.

Hydrogen generators, water pumps and storage systems are being analysed as back-up for when there is insufficient wind and sun to cover the whole island's energy needs.

The considerable cost of this ambitious project would be offset within around seven to 12 years thanks to lower production expenses, meaning that by 2042 La Gomera will start to see a return on its investment.''

The new municipal mayors of La Gomera

Angel Piñero of  Valle Gran Rey (Image: gomeranoticias.com)

Valle Gran Rey: 

Angel Piñero has been elected mayor of this municipal area on La Gomera last Saturday. His Coalicion Canaria party came out strongest in the recent local elections, winning four of the eleven seats on the local council but unable to gain a majority. However, his candidature was supported by all but the two Si Se Puede councillors and it now appears he will form a minority local government with the support of most elected councillors.

The other 5 municipal mayors on La Gomera were elected as follows:

San Sebastian de La Gomera: 

Now ruled by the new socialist party ASG (6 seats)  in coalition with Antonio Luis Arteaga of Nueva Canarias (1 seat) with Adasat Reyes  of the ASG as mayor. 

Vallehermoso: 

Emiliano Coello of the ASG elected mayor with absolute majority held by the ASG.

Agulo: 

Rosa Chinea (ASG) is new mayor, also with absolute majority of the seats held by her party.

Hermigua: 

Pedro Negrín of CC (2 seats) elected mayor, forming local government in coalition with ASG (2 seats) and PSOE (1seat). Former mayor Solveida Clemente's party is now in opposition with four seats.

Alajeró: 

Manuel Ramón Plasencia of the Spanish Labour Party PSOE managed to go against the trend on La Gomera, now being the only mayor to be re-elected with his party gaining an absolute majority of the seats.

Landslide victory for new party

Casimiro Curbelo (image: islandconnections.eu)

The new party of Casimiro Curbelo, the long-time president of La Gomera's government, has won just over 50% of the votes cast in the local elections 2015. Curbelo had started the new party called ASG, which stands for 'Gomera Socialist Group', after he failed to be selected as the candidate by the PSOE (Span. equivalent to the Labour Party) of which he had been a staunch supporter and member for many years. The formation of the new political entity proved very divisive and many of his former party colleagues switched allegiances and joined the new party. Labour gained only three seats in the election while the new ASG won ten seats and a very comfortable absolute majority in the cabildo, the island's governing body, which has 17 seats.

Curbelo has weathered many a political storm unscathed and was involved in many controversies which he all survived, but not many had expected him to do that well in last Sunday's poll. His position now is stronger than ever and his ASG party not only has control over the island's government, but won many seats in all the municipal elections on La Gomera, as well as winning three of the four seats La Gomera has in the Canarian central parliament and as there was no clear winner there the ASG's support may even be needed to form the new Canarian government.

Many commentators have called last Sunday's landslide win by the ASG ''Curbelo's revenge''. In a press conference yesterday he himself stated that '' a new political period inspired by consensus, dialogue and citizens' participation has begun on La Gomera''.

Below are the detailed results of Sunday's poll, which had a very respectable turnout of nearly 77% :

The results: Canary Islands local elections 2015

Click above to enlarge (Source: Gobierno de Canarias)

Above are the results of the elections to the Canary Islands parliament (2015 poll on left, 2011 results on the right). The outcome means that no party will be able to form a government on its own and soundings to produce a coalition government have already begun. 

The biggest loser in Sunday's poll were Spanish prime minister Rajoy's Partido Popular and the biggest winners were the Podemos movement who didn't even exist when voters went to cast their votes in the last local elections. They did well all across Spain and now won 15% of the votes in the Canaries. Also new in the Canary Islands' parliament is the party of long-time Gomeran president Casimiro Curbelo, who after failing to win a nomination from his former PSOE party, quickly founded a new one called ASG (Gomera Socialist Group) and won 3 of the 4 seats that will represent La Gomera in the Canarian parliament, and these three seats his former PSOE would have needed now.

More about the ASG and their landslide victory in La Gomera soon...

President's candidature rejected by own party

La Gomera's long-serving president has hit the headlines once again. I'll give you the IslandConnections.eu report of Wednesday's surprise news: 

Curbelo election snub likely to lead to new party

La Gomera is at the centre of local politics in the Canaries today following the news that the island's veteran president has been snubbed by his party for the May elections and may well carry out his threat to create his own party to stay in charge 

La Gomera - 19.02.2015 - Despite a string of corruption allegations down the years, including accusations that he has amassed a personal fortune through his political influence, Cabildo president Casimiro Curbelo is a hugely popular figure on the small island, which he has "ruled" since 1991 and represented it in the Spanish Senate  for nearly two decades. Scandals in recent years, particularly his "you don't know who you are dealing with" outburst when he was arrested during a drunken fracas at a Madrid lap-dancing club, have led his PSOE party to distance itself from him of late, including forcing him to resign from the Senate, and the split was confirmed last night when it was announced that he would not be chosen to run again in May. The news has been welcomed in some quarters, who feel Curbelo's time is over and La Gomera can no longer be run on a political favours basis or - in keeping with a PSOE election promise - by someone with charges hanging over him. However, many others have pledged support for the controversial figure and are prepared to back him if he sets up his own party to remain in charge at the Cabildo. A populist Curbelo party is predicted to have serious chances of gaining control of several town halls in La Gomera also.

10 new tourist information points on La Gomera

At a ceremony in La Gomera's government buildings the island's president Casimiro Curbelo together with the councillor for tourism Fernando Mendez accredited ten businesses all over  La Gomera as new tourism information points where visitors can receive information, brochures and maps, etc. After a strict selection process the accredited shops and services will now do their best to help the information-seeking tourist and act as a first point of contact for advice. It is hoped that further such points will be added to the system in the future. The ten PITs (puntos de informacion turistica) who are giving their services free of charge and are not receiving any remuneration from the government are as follows:

In Valle Gran Rey: Shop 'Vino Tinto'  (Vueltas harbour, corner opp. 'Tuyo')
                            Fitness Centre 'La Fortaleza' (behind Spar market)
                            Hotel Gran Rey  (La Puntilla)
                            Hotel Jardin Concha (La Calera)
                            Boat Excursions Tina (on quay)
In Las Hayas:        Restaurant La Montaña/Casa Efigenia
In San Sebastian:   Hotel Parador de La Gomera (on cliff above harbour)
In Vallehermoso:   Ymaguara Hiking Shop (near town square)
In Hermigua:         Arte Floral Laurisilva  (Tel. 0034-922144026)
                            Trujillo Gamez (traditional mill on main road)