Vela Sánchez and Domínguez Cabrera, new vice-presidents of the Economic and Social Council

The president of the Economic and Social Council of the Canary Islands, Sergio Melián Batista, signed on October 15, 2026, the resolution appointing Elena Vela Sánchez and María del Pino Domínguez Cabrera as holders of the first and second vice-presidencies of the body, respectively, at the proposal of the most representative business organizations and trade union centers of the archipelago. The appointment is published in the Official Gazette of the Canary Islands no. 218, of October 30, 2026, within section II of Authorities and Personnel, in resolution no. 3736 (page 39154). With this signature, the leadership of a body whose plenary session had endorsed the candidacies just two weeks prior is completed.

The two appointees do not arrive at the position as newcomers: they were already full members of the Council. The resolution recalls that by means of Decree 130/2026, of July 27 (BOC no. 151, of July 29, 2026), Elena Vela Sánchez was appointed as a full member representing the most representative business organizations of the Canary Islands, and María del Pino Domínguez Cabrera as a full member representing the most representative trade union centers of the Canary Islands. The new step is the promotion to the two vice-presidencies, that is, to the leadership immediately below the Presidency within the body.

Two appointments, one for each representation

The text clearly distinguishes the origin of each proposal and the representation assumed by each holder:

• First Vice-Presidency: Elena Vela Sánchez, representing the most representative business organizations of the Canary Islands.
• Second Vice-Presidency: María del Pino Domínguez Cabrera, representing the most representative trade union centers of the Canary Islands.

The resolution emphasizes that the appointment is made “at the proposal of the representatives of the business organizations and trade union centers present in said Council,” so that the employer-union duality is reflected in the very structure of the vice-presidencies and not only in the composition of the plenary.

The plenary of October 14 backed the proposals

Internal support arrived one day before the signature. According to the resolution, in the plenary session held on October 14, 2026, the proposals formulated by the representatives of the business organizations and trade union centers present in the Council for the designation of the holders of both vice-presidencies were presented and approved. The sequence is, therefore, the plenary first and the president’s resolution later, with a fifteen-day difference and the publication in the regional gazette as the final link in the procedure.

The legal framework governing the designation

The resolution is based on a triple regulatory anchor, which grants the president of the Council the power to choose the vice presidents from among the members themselves and upon the proposal of each representation:

• Article 13 of Law 1/1992, of April 27, of the Economic and Social Council.
• Article 18 of Decree 100/1992, of June 26, which approves the regulatory development of said law.
• Article 29 of the Organization and Operation Regulations of the Economic and Social Council of the Canary Islands, approved by Decree 312/1993, of December 10.

The text closes with the place and date of the signature, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, October 15, 2026, and the signature of the president, Sergio Melián Batista, without the resolution establishing any deadline, condition, or transitional regime for taking office.

The relevance for readers is twofold. Internally, the vice presidencies organize the functioning of the plenary and the relationship between the body and the two major social representations of the islands. Externally, the CES is the body consulted on the socioeconomic policies of the archipelago, so the composition of its leadership determines who channels the voice of entrepreneurs and workers before the Government in the coming years. The appointment is now fully published and enforceable as of October 30, 2026.

Source: Official Gazette of the Canary Islands, no. 218, of October 30, 2026, section II. Authorities and personnel (Appointments, situations and incidents), page 39154 (official reference: resolution no. 3736).