Lanzarote’s Cabildo President Oswaldo Betancort (CC) has called on the Popular Party (PP) to take action following a legal report that highlights potential issues with the hiring process that selected a son of Ángel Vázquez, the absent managing director of the Centres of Arts, Culture, and Tourism (CACT), who is currently on medical leave.
Betancort emphasised that the responsibility lies primarily with the PP since Vázquez is a member of the party, which shares governance of the Cabildo with Coalición Canaria. He requested the legal analysis to assess the implications of the hiring process.
The report states that Vázquez should have abstained from involvement when the provisional list of selected candidates was published on 14 July 2025, due to a direct family relation. The board’s secretary pointed out that the law requires such abstention in cases of familial ties and that Vázquez should have disclosed this to the board president.
As a potential resolution, the document suggests declaring the hiring process void and reverting it to the point when Vázquez should have withdrawn. It also recommends validating any properly documented actions taken by the selection board.
The proposal aims to safeguard the interests of candidates who passed the selection process and have begun work with the CACT. Should this course of action be adopted, the hiring process would revert to the point when the list of successful candidates was proposed. Additionally, the report stipulates that Vázquez must refrain from signing any related documents.
The document does not assign political responsibility or impose sanctions on Vázquez, but it does indicate a failure to abstain as required. Betancort has urged the PP to assess the situation and accept any necessary political responsibilities, underscoring that Vázquez represents the party and that their actions must reflect exemplary conduct.
The matter extends beyond party relations, as the CACT is a public entity governed by the Cabildo, and all councillors exercise their duties through delegation from the presidency. How Betancort chooses to proceed will significantly impact the management of the CACT and its executives.
The next step will be to determine the administrative and political actions to be taken based on the report’s findings, which will be handled within the government’s structural framework, ultimately under the Cabildo President’s authority.
Political consistency suggests that Betancort should have pursued a meeting of the Pacto Mesa, where both parties participate, rather than addressing this issue solely by appealing to the responsibility of his conservative coalition partner, overlooking the fact that Coalición Canaria is part of a governing alliance in several key institutions on the island.
