Francisco de la Torre: « Looking for the sake of the PP and for that of Spain, the party should go to the center, center -left » | Spain

Francisco de la Torre82 years old, just completed a quarter of a century as mayor of Malaga and does not rule out repeating as a candidate in the next municipal elections. He talks about his city with an excessive passion and defends it as the most undervalued capital in the country. He recognizes that housing is his main challenge. « It’s what I dedicate more time: there are days that takes me more than half of the day, » he says. Loose verse of the Popular Party, claims to its formation more dialogue and move away from the extreme right. « The PP and the PSOE must be able to have coincidence points, » he defends.

Ask. When Celia Villalobos gave him the witness in 2000, did he think that I was going to be so long in charge of the Mayor’s Office?

Answer. I did not raise any temporality, because every four years there are elections. What you consider is to do things as well as possible and it is what I have tried to do. Try to serve the common good and be close to people.

P. He is in the middle of his sixth mandate, is he strong?

R. I feel to fulfill it well. You can never have full and total security, but to the extent that you feel good health … and I feel good.

P. And for the next?

R. It is not time to think about it now. It will arrive. If you really still feel useful … and for that I would have to change a little and do a little more exercise.

P. Have you never thought about leaving it?

R. I don’t get tired easily. I am passionate about Malaga, I love her. I have always thought that it has not been taken into account.

I hope that in his way of exercising politics he could inspire something to the president of the Board « 

P. If he did not repeat as a candidate, has he raised who can happen to him?

R. In the team there are very good people to be able to perform if I have a health problem tomorrow that has no solution. That inside the list. Looking around there can be more people too.

P. Would that exclude as a candidate for colleagues like The spokeswoman of the Junta de Andalucía, Carolina España?

R. I do not limit anyone. She is a magnificent candidate or successor. But there are more magnificent and magnificent.

P. One of the secrets of your success is that people vote for you above the acronym of your party. Can you make a parallel with the president of the Board, Juan Manuel Moreno?

R. I think that In the second elections that occurred. It was learned about his way of exercising the government’s responsibility that could vote and trust him, that he was not going to be making a partial policy, but with a global vision. I hope that in his way of exercising politics I could inspire him something.

P. Could that identification take its toll if the general elections coincide with the regional?

R. I don’t see that there may be incidence. The National Government does not have a balance to show in Andalusia that illusions. It is a government very conditioned by its pacts to be in the government, we are going to say so. AND If the regional candidate herself is part of the national governmentit is difficult.

You have to build a speech that has its clear differences with the ultra -right « 

P. One of the fundamental issues in the next PP Congress is whether The moderate route, which represents Moreno, or for the most reactionary, which the Madrid president, Isabel Díaz Ayuso embodies. What is your opinion?

R. I have it clear. Looking, not only for the good of the PP, but for that of Spain, it must go to the center, center. The PP and the PSOE must be able to have coincidence points.

If you agree to the right, it would have to be with the conditions to make a moderate policy « 

P. Is it in favor that the PP isolates the extreme right, as has been done in other countries in Europe, or defends Vox pacts?

R. It is not time to plant electoral scenarios. Yes you have to build a speech that has its clear differences with the ultra -right and with the PSOE. And then there are other points where they can coincide, in which there may be overlapping of programs to the right and to the left, with amplitude. That covers a wide space and seek to have the majority enough to govern alone.

P. But what if necessary to agree for the investiture or to govern?

R. If you agree to the right, it would have to be with the conditions to make a moderate policy.

P. But that’s not what happened in governments where there have been agreements between PP and Vox.

R. They are scenarios that will be seen at the time. Ideally, you have the ability to say that we can govern alone.

P. And about the primary system to choose the leaders of their party, is it supporter, such as Feijóo and Moreno, to suppress them?

R. Natural leaderships occur in every autonomous community. I do not have a position taken on the subject. The important thing is to build a capable party, with people who understand that politics is service to the common good, not service to one.

The government has to ask for more European funds on the grounds that Spain is a country very sought by Europeans to buy housing « 

P. Returning to his 25 years as mayor, what balance does he do all this time?

R. There are many things that could mention: from the quality of the water to the more than 5,000 homes that we now have underway. Also all technological and innovative change. The ability to attract talent that our city has and its surroundings is, obviously, one of the great assets. And then the cultural tour has also been powerful, such as the tourist and environmental part. And, urbanistically, pedestrianization and opening to the sea.

P. The Housing is the most important challenge What remains ahead?

R. It is more important to get more public home, making it and whoever wants to put the shoulder. And that there is faster in the private initiative, in the processing of planning in general, both by us and as for the Board. The government also has to worry about asking for more European funds on the grounds that Spain is a country very sought by Europeans to buy housing. That throws us some prices and we must compensate for European money.

P. Another of the reasons why the price of housing has been increased is The brutal evolution of tourist floors.

R. The tourist housing has removed from the market starts from the one that could be rented for a long season, but here there are two components. One, that the owner sees that he can have greater income with this issue. And the other is that he has more security that he charges because there is no national legislation that gives him security in the direction of the long season. We have had a lack of reaction from the central government, perhaps from Europe as well. I I have defended the tourist rate So that, to the extent that you have been able to create an unwanted effect of increasing income price, you can compensate with that income to families that, being social exclusion, need to be subsidized to pay the rent and do not stay out of the market. We do it here, but with limited resources.

What do we want, grow in tourists until you fit in Spain? « 

P. But the sector and the Board itself usually reject that rate.

R. Here I have achieved that the representatives of the tourist housing agree, because it is the way to shield tourism. In Spain we grow thanks to the tourist. And it has not been known at the national level that the image of tourism had to be protected with that rate. It would also serve to capture quality tourism. What do we want, grow in tourists until you fit in Spain? Are we crazy? We are interested in growing in tourism of excellence.

P. You have announced A moratorium so that no more tourist floors can be granted. The Constitutional has endorsed the temporal limit established by Catalonia, is something similar in Malaga?

R. We will have to make a national and regional reflection, with consensus and legal certainty. On the other hand, I recognize the positive part of tourist homes. As long as we do not have the necessary hotels, because it covers a hole, it has rehabilitated areas of the city.

P. In return, prices go up and many people have to go outside Malaga to live.

R. That is clear. Tourist housing generates employment and wealth, but you have to make it compatible with the fact that people do not have to go or who want to come to live in Malaga have other options. We need the supply to grow and that the demand does not shoot. And whoever wants to come to live in Malaga, whether they are workers from companies or digital nomads, see that he can do it in the near environment. But that is only achieved if there is mobility.

The tourist rate would help us protect the image of tourism « 

P. Mobility that does not exist now.

R. Who has to do it is more than us.

P. But perhaps the solution is not just having more roads.

R. Roads is only enough. The keys are rail transport and the bus by road. In Madrid and Barcelona there are government funds and the respective communities so that they have a well -attended metropolitan area with buses, with modal exchangers … and here we do not have that.