Canarian president proposes a referendum on oil prospecting but Madrid refuses to allow it

[Janet]

A huge row has blown  up between the Canaries and Madrid over oil prospecting off the eastern islands of Fuerteventura and Lanzarote. The president of the Canaries, Paulino Rivero, has proposed a referendum in these islands as to whether oil exploration by Repsol should proceed. The national government, however, and in particular the Industry minister, José Manuel Soria, himself a Canarian, has said that such a referendum would be illegal because the decision on whether to go ahead is not within the jurisdiction of the Canaries – the people or their government.

Canarian minister Fernando Ríos has retorted by supporting the regional president, saying that the proposed consultative exercise is "legal and profoundly democratic" because it is backed by national laws governing autonomous regions, as well as the Spanish constitution itself, and Canarian government legislation. Sr Rios said said that minister Soria's comments are nothing but an attempt to shore up support for the national government, and to deny the Canarians – of whom he is one – a voice.

Some will no doubt see the Canarian president as posturing for political gain given that he has been losing support for his re-election bid in his own party, while others will welcome any attempt to get the region a say in something that many see as a vital issue for the Canaries. It would indeed be interesting to see whether the Canaries as a political voice would be swayed more by environmental arguments than economic ones. Whether the people will have a chance to express that view is another matter entirely. JA

[Myrtle Hogan-Lance]

Was going to comment "assholes" but that would have been insulting a politician which is illegal innit?

[poker]

They should be focusing more on the Marocans who already drilled and found no oil . . . . .

What do they expect here billions if 100 miles away they find nothing and are thinking and planning again where to drill to find anything .
Its yust politic games .
And if Canary wants independents of Spain and Europe im leaving and so will a lot of others .

[Guanche]

I would lean towards Rivero posturing and nothing more. Is he really going to risk loosing all the possible revenue not to mention jobs for the islands. No, he has no intention of holding a referendum.  There is more to this than an empty threat of a referendum.

[Janet]

He is safe because in my opinion he always knew he'd never be allowed to hold one. This way, he's able to make all the noise, put the blame on Madrid, and still not lose out!

[Janet]

As expected, Madrid has now debated and formally vetoed Canarian President Paulino Rivero's plans for a referendum, saying it would be unconstitutional, and therefore illegal. In response, Coalicion Canaria's Claudina Morales accused Industria minister Soría of acting out of nothing but sheer self interest. She said in Parliamentary session that Soría knew he would never now be Canarian president, that his conservative party would lose the next general election, and that he was therefore  feathering his nest and setting up future employment with Repsol, the company set to carry out the exploration and drilling.

In the face of demands for her to retract her words, she was backed up by nationalist group leader José Miguel Barragán. Feelings are running high on both sides, but the end result will be that any referendum that the Canaries might yet hold will be deemed not just illegal but also constitutionally disobedient, and would run the risk of Madrid taking legal action against the islands. JA

[Guanche]

All seems to be a tad academic as I don't think they found any viable oil deposits. Much a do about nothing?

[Janet]

Canarian president Paulino Rivero has announced in parliament this morning that the "consulta popular" on oil prospecting will take place before 30 November. The vote will not be a referendum, but a plebiscite, since it will not be legally binding but is intended to determine the opinion of Canarian residents. Even so, Madrid has forbidden it, but the vote will go ahead, says Sr Rivero, regardless. JA

[Janet]

Plebiscite or no,  oil exploration will start around the end of November, Industria minister José Manuel Soria said on breakfast television. On the issue of Madrid's stance on the "referendum", Soría said that it was still not absolutely clear what the regional government was intending, but if the Canarian Parliament passed a motion for an unconstitutional referendum, the national government would take action – as it would in any other area.

Thoughts mught turn to the current major controversy about the proposed independence referendum planned in Catalonia, with the government saying that this weeks ruling from the top Constitutional Court that such a referendum would be illegal could end result in the regional president being sent to prison. Could the same happen in the Canaries? Is this why lame duck President Rivero is calling for a plebiscite, rather than a referendum proper?

Oil exploration, anyway, is set to start regardless of the politics, with Soría saying that Spain's unemployment figures and poverty levels do not allow the luxury of the country turning its back on such an opportunity. JA

[Janet]

It was only yesterday that Industria minister José Manuel Soria said that it was still not absolutely clear what the regional government was intending. Well it is now. Canarian president Paulino Rivero has announced today that the referendum will take place on 23 November, and that anyone legally resident in the Canaries, over 16 years old and on a local authority padron, will be able to vote in answer to the question "¿Cree usted que Canarias debe cambiar su modelo medioambiental y turístico por las prospecciones de gas o petróleo?"

The question is phrased as an either/or: "Do you think that the Canaries should change its environmental and tourism model for gas or oil drilling". In other words, the two models are presented as antithetical, which of course is the government's stance, that oil prospecting will destroy tourism.

Despite President Rivero's argument that the vote is entirely legal and constitutional since it is framed within the ambit of 2010's Ley de Participación Ciudadana, and despite the fact that it appears clearly to be a plebiscite rather than a referendum, Madrid says that it is going to refer the vote to the Constitutional Court. Soría said only yesterday that the national government would take action - as it would in any other area - if the Canarian Parliament passed a motion for an unconstitutional measure. Clearly there is not even agreement on what a constitutional vote is. JA